Do you ever find yourself visiting a place and having that moment of, wow, I never thought I’d be here?
That was me with Upper Antelope Canyon.
I’d seen photos – many photos – over the years. And I’ve always wanted to visit. But when I first looked into it years ago, my main takeaways were that it was pretty far from home and way too expensive.
It still is both of those things. For what it was, I’d say the tour was overpriced. But with a guide is the only way you can visit Upper Antelope Canyon, and we wanted to see it, so we didn’t really have a choice.
You can’t drive to the canyon by yourself. Tours depart from multiple tour company locations in and around Page, Arizona, and should be booked in advance.
When 68 other people showed up for our tour, my expectations plummeted and I felt the disappointment setting in. There was no way this was going to live up to the hype.
My spirits lifted a little when our tour guide arrived. He ushered our group (the 70 of us were divided into 5 smaller groups) into the tour vehicle and we were off with no fanfare. He clearly just wanted to get us there first and get going, which was fine by me.
The last 3 miles (4.8 km) of the route to Antelope Canyon is through soft sand; the tour vehicles were outfitted with oversized tires for this purpose. We bounced along through the sandy wash, the tour guide occasionally sharing tidbits of information, and before long we were parking at the mouth of the canyon.
One thing that really struck me about Upper Antelope Canyon is how it just kind of appears out of nowhere. We were driving up the wash, with no indication of any type of slot canyon ahead. Then, suddenly, there it is; a tall narrow entrance into a sandstone labyrinth.
As we left the canyon, it was a similar situation. It just ends. And then we climbed back up to the top of the rocks, and as you looked across the landscape you couldn’t even tell there was a slot canyon there. It was so bizarre.
Now that we’ve skipped from the beginning to the end, let’s go back to the middle.
We eagerly entered Upper Antelope Canyon and found ourselves immediately in awe. It’s so narrow and so deep, and the swirling patterns in the rock are just so neat.
Our tour guide stopped us in this first chamber, giving us time to take photos while he disappeared around the corner and got everything set up for the big reveal: our first sunbeam!
One thing I didn’t realize prior to our tour was that to best see the sunbeams, there needs to be particulates in the air. Sand, for example. Our guide would pick up a big handful of sand and throw it up into the sunlight, and the sunbeam would immediately light up.
Note that the sunbeams are only visible during certain times of day (midday) during certain times of year (April-Sept). The canyon is still beautiful without sunbeams, but they were an added bonus. We figured if we were going to do this tour, we were going to do this tour… meaning paying a bit extra for the midday sunbeam tour.
(Many of the agencies also offer tours of Lower Antelope Canyon which, while similar in shape, does not experience the sunbeams. Basically, be sure to do your research so you’re paying for the tour you want.)
We saw at least a dozen sunbeams as we made our way through the canyon. Coupled with the endlessly unique shapes and patterns in the canyon walls, I came away with a couple hundred photos. Narrowing them down has not been an easy task.
Upper Antelope Canyon is a magical place. I’m not sure I can quite put into words the awe I felt as I watched the streaks of sunlight filter in through the gaps in the sandstone. It’s unlike anything else I’ve ever seen.
But I do want to be honest about the whole experience, because there were some definite downsides.
For one, I felt like I was being herded through the canyon. We were always given time to look around and take photos, and the guide made sure we were rotating through so everyone had a chance to get the shots they wanted without other people in them. He also took really nice photos of each of us in a couple spots.
But there were 4 other groups behind us, and groups from another tour company behind them, so we could only spend so long in each area before it was time to move to the next. From beginning to end, we were only in the canyon for about 40 minutes.
And while my photos make it look like there was no one around, that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are multiple tour companies offering multiple tours a day, and our guide said our group of 70 was their smallest tour of the day. I’d estimate 1500-2000 people visit the canyon each day. If you’re looking for solitude and leisure, you will absolutely be disappointed.
But if you go in with appropriate expectations, hopefully you can accept the experience for what it is and make the most of it.
Despite the downsides, I’m really glad we visited Upper Antelope Canyon.
Due to the cost, though, it’s probably not a tour I’ll do again.
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: you cannot drive yourself to Upper Antelope Canyon. It can only be reached on a guided tour. There are multiple tour companies in Page; be sure you have the correct address for the starting location for your tour.
- Time zones: speaking of knowing where your tour starts… you also need to know when your tour starts. From March-November, the state of Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time (DST). However, Utah and the Navajo Nation do; if you’ll be arriving in Page from either of those locations, keep in mind that Arizona is one hour behind. To further complicate matters, even though Antelope Canyon is located on the Navajo Nation, all Antelope Canyon tours operate in Arizona Time (AZT). Confused yet? We were too. If all else fails, google “what time is it in Page, Arizona” and use that to guide your arrival at your tour company.
- Fees and passes: there is some variation in price between the different companies, but in general you can expect to pay at least $100 per person for a tour of Upper Antelope Canyon.
- Hiking: the walk through the canyon plus the walk back to the parking area totals about 0.75 miles (1.2 km). On the return hike, you will have to climb a few stairs, ascend a long ramp, and then descend some steep metal stairs.
- What to bring: only small clear bags are allowed in Upper Antelope Canyon. If you don’t have one, you can purchase one from the tour company or you can just carry your phone, wallet, waterbottle, etc. in your pockets or hands. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from falling sand. Also note that quite a few items, such as trekking poles, tripods, and food, are not allowed in the canyon.
- Other: because the guides toss sand into the air to illuminate the sunbeams, and because the wind blows sand into the canyon, you will end your tour covered in sand. If you’re tent camping, I recommend choosing a campground with showers.
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