Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon located on Navajo Tribal Land just outside of Page, Arizona.Honestly, I had never heard of it until this photo taken there sold for a record 6.5 million dollars. When I found out that we would be near Antelope Canyon on our trip to Utah and Arizona I decided to work it into the itinerary. So I did a little research and picked a tour company and booked it. I had no idea what was in store for us or what a cool and unique spot Antelope Canyon is.

We arrived at the Trading Post of Antelope Slot Canyon Tours after our morning boat ride on Lake Powell The trading post was packed with people waiting for the next tour so we waited with them and then were told what vehicle we would be going in. We hopped into the pick-up truck with seats attached to the bed of the truck, or as my son's girlfriend put it "the ride of death to Antelope Canyon."( There were loose seatbelts but we did seem to be precariously balanced on the back of the truck) And we were off to the canyon!

We rode through a gate onto Navajo Tribal Land and then down what looked like a very long, sand drag raceway. Then we all piled out at the entrance to the canyon. (There were 10 or 12 people in our group and about 5 or 6 groups going at our time slot)

As with most tours, the most important part is your guide. And we hit the guide jackpot because we got Leonard. Leonard Nez has been a tour guide at Antelope Canyon for a long time and he knows the ins and outs of the canyon by heart. He knows where the light hits at different times of the day and where to take photos. In fact, Leonard gets photo credit for most of the photos inside the canyon in this post.( A few, however, are mine. )He would say "give me your camera" and take the shot through most of the tour. I just handed my camera to him and let him work his magic. So enjoy some of Leonard's handiwork and the beauty of Antelope Canyon.

The other bonus we got from having Leonard as a guide was his flute playing. After we walked through the canyon, Leonard played his flute for us with the accoustics of the canyon and in the stillness of the desert. Hauntingly beautiful. 

I can use all the adjectives - beautiful, awesome, amazing...but words, and photos, really don't do Antelope Canyon justice. I highly recommend a visit there. I'm so glad we were able to go - and that the Navajo people have made it available to the public.

There are videos of Leonard playing his flute on youtube.com if you'd like to look them up.
There are different tours for Antelope Canyon - different times of day for different light, photography tours and upper or lower Canyon tours. The tour we went on was on flat, easy-to-walk land with no stairs or difficulties. If you are claustrophobic, it can be a tight squeeze through the canyon walls at times but you almost always can see light from above.




I'm linking up! Check out Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, The Weekly Postcard at Travel Notes and Beyond, Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections En Route and Weekend Wanderlust at A Brit and A Southerner!