Southwest Road trip - Antelope Canyons

If you haven't already visited the slot canyons, you have probably seen iconic images of the Antelope Canyons in Page, Arizona.  There are two of them, Upper Antelope and Lower Antelope, tourist meccas with visitors from all over the world. I was last in Page to see these slot canyons in April, 2013 - it was busy but not as crowded as things have since become. I was also able to sign up at the time for a private tour of five slot canyons in the area.  For my post on these canyons, please click on Arizona in the header of this blog.  This time we were visiting in what is supposed to be "low" season yet I still had the feeling of being rushed through a crowded tourist area with the next group hot on our heels.  This may be particularly obvious because I was always the last one in our group to leave a spot! 

But the slot canyons are as spectacular as ever.  I was able to stand back and enjoy the beautiful swirls and lines in the rock face already knowing what to expect, also having already heard the tour guide's script before I didn't need to stand around to listen any more.  

On my first visit, I had found the Lower Antelope Canyon very peaceful, stunning in its beauty - almost conducive to poetry.  But this time around it was a completely different experience - the over-enthusiastic guide created an almost marketplace atmosphere, although his enthusiasm should probably be applauded.  

The Upper is narrower on top but wider at the bottom.  The Lower is the other way round, narrower at the bottom which makes it sometimes hard to walk through.  You can see in the some of the photos below that it can be a tight squeeze at times.  

Upper Antelope is above ground while the Lower Antelope Canyon is below ground which made a difference in the lighting.  You will notice in the images below that the rocks can come out in different colours - that is because of the very dim light in the canyons which doesn't always allow the natural sandstone colour to come through and also made the rocks seem surreal at times - all the more beautiful in many ways.

The first nine images are from the Upper Canyon, the rest from the Lower.

Upper Antelope walls - looking up

This provides a perspective of the inside of Upper Antelope - you are walking between canyon walls but still relatively wide compared to Lower Antelope.

You can almost see the water gushing and turning through in these swirls

The layers of rocky swirls make for nice abstracts

This is the exit/entrance to the Upper Antelope Canyon

Entrance to the Lower Antelope.  In my first visit, this was the exit.  They have reversed the direction of the tour.

Lower Antelope - swirls are a little different

The guide referred to this as the Johnny Depp profile (as in Pirates of the Caribbean)...

Love this perspective looking up - reminded me of sunset in the canyons

This is a perspective on the height of the canyon

It's a tight squeeze!

Looking down 

Using your imagination you can probably see all kinds of animals carved on the walls, like this one.

Or make up your own abstracts

Another sunset landscape

Reminded me of candy making

This is where we exited - used to be the entrance.  It makes sense for them to reverse the direction as the descent was quite scary not knowing where you're "falling" into when you first enter.

The slot canyons are the sort of landscape you could visit ten times and still capture different perspectives of it - if only it weren't so crowded... 

Slot Canyon #4 - Lower Antelope Canyon

I approached this canyon with a sense of adventure and excitement.   I was a little anxious about it even when I was looking it up online - this is the canyon where 11 tourists died in 1997 because of a flash flood.  There was a memorial plaque near the entrance of the canyon and all who entered were told the scary story of how this happened.  Very little rain fell on the canyon that day but a thunderstorm earlier in the day had dumped large amounts of water seven miles upstream.  Apparently the group was warned that the flood was coming through but the guide was not a local guide and did not heed the warning as they did not see the water.  The homemade wood stairs (since replaced) were washed away with the flash flood and the group had no means of escape.   Our guide showed us the now secured ladders in addition to 10 boxes containing rope ladders along the canyon side that could be released if a flash flood occurs.  

Lower Antelope Canyon, called Hazdistazi or "sprial rock arches" in Navajo, is the deepest and, in my opinion, the most beautiful canyon in the group with spectacular swirls - you can almost see the water whirling through and carving the spirals in the canyon.  The fact that it is all underground made it even more awesome - once you're down there, you're in a different world and you forgot yourself.  It was breathtakingly beautiful with a view around every corner.    See for yourself...

The entrance is most unusual - guess which is the right hole?

and this is how you get in - how would you know that without a guide?!  No need to answer - they won't let you in without one.

Squeeze through then there are steps - much easier than I expected...

This photo gives you a sense of what it feels like when you're down there surrounded by these swirly rocks

Then it goes on and on and on...

You're surrounded...

it's like walking through a dreamscape...

Finally, the way up!

Here's looking back at where we came out -

And beyond - the basin where the water would come out...

It is truly amazing!

Slot Canyon #3 Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope is the star and the most well-known of the Arizona slot canyons.  It is also the most visited.  Tours are strictly controlled and timed.  Tour guides worked with each other to coordinate where each group stop and for how long.  They staged "shows" inside the canyon - threw dust into the shafts of light that came through the canyon near midday for the photographers, all geared up with their tripods.   It's theatrical.  In a way, the crowds and the theatre detracts from the experience although the "shafts of light" are legendary and are what drew the crowds.  In fact, midday tours are more expensive than other times because of the light show.

The canyon without the theatre is still very beautiful.  It is the tallest of the slot canyons in the area and I could imagine it without the crowds.  If you're visiting, do your utmost to avoid the high season - I can see it would be difficult to enjoy it when you're rushed through and have to jostle for space.

Reminds me of a Lawren Harris painting

This is called "Sunset at Monument Valley"

Shafts of light in different parts of the canyon - photographers are lined up three rows deep to catch this display - some kneeling in the front row, some standing in the middle and the ones without tripods leaning against the wall!

This is "the heart" of the canyon

Another staged effect - sand fall

All you need is an ancient city on the other side to think that you were in Petra...
What you see instead are the open air jeeps the tour companies use to transport people to the canyon.  We were on a full day tour so was driven in an SUV.