Antelope Canyon

2025-09-14
Page, AZ

Today was intentionally a light day. My one thing to do was tour Antelope Canyon. Specifically I toured Lower Antelope Canyon. There is also Upper Antelope Canyon, right across the road. The latter is more above ground, a little narrower at the top (opening), and a little wider at the path. You can also walk right in. Lower Antelope Canyon sits below ground level and there are a lot of ladders to move around between levels so it's more strenuous. I can't speak to which is "prettier", but I do feel that if you do either one you don't need to do the other.

Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon
It's easy enough to take some bad pictures, but guaranteed to get some good ones too
It's easy enough to take some bad pictures, but guaranteed to get some good ones too
Afternoon light
Afternoon light

The canyon is accessed via a tour company. In the case of the Lower, there are two to choose from but they are run by a brother and sister who actually owned the land that the canyon is on until 1997 when they agreed to give it to the Navajo Nation because there were too many people trying to sneak into the canyon. Even once it opened to the public, it was pretty lightly visited until 2015 when it really took off. Today they see 2000-3000 visitors a day. The siblings got the tour franchise for the Lower, and five companies provide tours of the upper.

You do have to look up a lot
You do have to look up a lot
And glance back the way you came
And glance back the way you came
Water eroded some great patterns
Water eroded some great patterns

It's called Antelope Canyon because at some point in the past the Pronghorn Antelope would occasionally graze nearby. It's not quite naming a thing for what it isn't, but it's close.

It's like a hood ornament
It's like a hood ornament
The previous formation, but from the bottom
The previous formation, but from the bottom
It's still got the tight turns of a slot canyon
It's still got the tight turns of a slot canyon

Beyond that it was groceries, cleaning lenses and so forth. Today and tomorrow are a chance for me to recover a little bit after a lot of adventure so far. I know, it seems wrong to take a break from a vacation. This is what I can do now that I don't have a set schedule.

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