LOWER & UPPER ANTELOPE CANYON
the beauties
Upper Antelope Canyon
|
Location: just a few miles southeast of Page on Navajoland, off AZ-98
(near the Navajo Power Plant)
Office/Contact Address: Antelope Canyon Tribal Park, P.O. Box 4803,
Page, AZ, 86040; phone (928) 698-3347, fax (928) 698-3360; Mon - Fri 8:00 am -
5:00 pm (MST).
Distance: 280 miles from Phoenix
Opening hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (during the off-season, Nov. till March,
access to the canyons might be available only by guided tours from Page, please
call ahead)
Fees: yes (entrance fee & Navajo tribal fee); tours from Page
with 'tour-fee'
Direction: from Phoenix use I-17 north to Flagstaff, then I-40 east to
Exit towards US-89/Page/Grand Canyon, go north on US-89 to Page; the
Antelope Canyons are located just off AZ-98, few miles southeast of Page.
Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park. This type of canyons is called slot canyon. There are
two sights, the Upper and the Lower Antelope Canyon. They are also known as
'Corkscrew Canyons' and are located on Navajoland (LeChee Chapter).
The history and geology. A twelve year old Navajo girl discovered the
(upper) slot canyon in 1931 which has gotten its name, Antelope Canyon, from
pronghorn antelopes seen in this area many years ago. This canyon is one
quarter mile in length and only a few feet wide. The other (lower) slot canyon
was found soon after.
Slot canyons are formed by rushing water which carry sand, slicing through a mesa
and carving the mystical sandstone walls. Minor rains and floods (slower flow)
bring sand into a canyon and leave it there, so the sand-bottom of the canyon
raises. Major floods (faster flow) carry sand out of the canyon.
A few parts of the Upper Antelope Canyon are not open on the top so
the sunlight can get only partially into the canyon, bouncing from wall to wall
and creating a picture that seems to be out of this world.
Lower Antelope Canyon
|
These slot canyons are not only favorite spots for guests and professional
photographers from around the world but also for movie and commercial makers.
Some of the movies filmed here are: Highway to Hell, Lightning Jack,
Broken Arrow, Raven Hawk, Beast Master II.
The visits. The easiest way to visit the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon
is to drive with your car to the parking areas close to AZ-98. The upper is
south of the street, the lower north of it. Watch for the signs along the road to
turn off. There you pay your fee.
From the parking area of the upper you get transported to the entrance of the
upper slot canyon. To get to the entrance of the lower you just walk the
short distance.
For more info and photos please visit the pages
Upper Antelope Canyon and
Lower Antelope Canyon.
Tipp: If you visit both canyons on the same day you don't have to pay
the Navajo tribal fee (a part of the total fee you pay) again. Keep the
pay-stub of the first canyon you visited and show it at the second. That saves
you some money.
The difference. Even both are called Antelope Canyon there are some
differences between them:
- It is very easy to walk through the Upper Antelope Canyon,
the floor is very leveled and the walls are few feet apart. The Lower A.C.
is not as easy but for almost everyone manageable. There the entrance is
very narrow (might cause a little problem accessing with lots of photo
equipment, but possible), followed by some metal steps down and the canyon is
sometimes very narrow.
- The Upper A.C. ends with an opening into a wide wash, the Lower A.C.
ends at an several feet deep drop-off.
- You have to walk the Upper A.C. back the same way you walk in
(through the canyon). At the Lower A.C. you can go back also through
the canyon (which I prefer) or use metal stairs close to the lower end to
get out of the canyon and walk back along the rim.
- Both Antelope Canyons are a paradise for photographers but I suggest
to visit them at different day-times.
The best time to take pictures in the Upper Antelope Canyon is around noon
when the bright sun shines through small openings in the partially covered
canyon ceiling and creates 'light beams'.
In my opinion the best time for the Lower A.C. is when the sun doesn't fall
deep into the canyon. This would bring high contrast and intensity of light
and very dark or very light parts in a photo (but some might even look for
that). I like it the best when the sunlight hits the very upper part of
canyon walls and bounces back and forth down to the canyon floor - this
brings soft and warm light.
Well, you might ask yourself which one to visit if you won't go for both.
For me the Lower A.C. is more spectacular but the Upper A.C. is easier to walk
and provides (around noon and by sunshine) the stunning 'light beams'.
I like both in their own way.
Guided tours from Page. For those who don't want to drive with their
own car there are also guided tours from Page with several regular tours
(about 1.5 hours) and extended tours for photographing (about 2.5 hours) a day.
The extended tour gives you enough time to take pictures of the
breathtaking canyon. The photographer guide shows you the spots where the
shafts of light will fall on the canyon floor and assist you in
patrolling traffic so visitors won't step into your motives.
A tour-guide drives the visitors in 4-wheel drive vehicles (photo on the right)
from Page to the canyon entrance where he will give you
some instructions (no smoking inside the canyon area,...) before he will
show you one of the most beautiful and interesting places in Arizona.
Note: Dangerous flash floods can occur without warning. Please check
with park staff or guides for potential weather hazards, warning signals
and escape routes.
As of 2003 the Navajo tribe has shorten the amount of time
you can spend in the canyon to 2 hours max. In the past (and when I visited
the upper canyon) the extended tour took almost 5 hours.
Tours are subject to availability and weather conditions.
I don't recommend to visit these slot canyons if it is overcast and you would
like to take good pictures. I got lucky when I visited the Upper Antelope Canyon
because the sun came through the clouds for a few minutes at noon (the best
time to take pictures there). You can see the difference in my photos from
the upper canyon - some pics show colors in red and yellow (with sunshine),
others are mostly dark with a blue-grey character (overcast).
Source: my experience at the canyons and tour-guide Paul (Roger Ekis'
Antelope Canyon Tours)
All photos: © by gbintheworld.com
Links to websites and infos about the
Antelope Canyon and Page (links open in a new window):
Antelope Canyon Navajo Parks & Recreation Department (click on
'Navajo Parks', then 'Antelope Canyon')
Antelope Canyon Roger Ekis' Antelope Canyon Tours
Page official website of the city
GO TO:
[Upper Antelope Canyon]
[Lower Antelope Canyon]
[BACK]
Website Orientation:
> Home/Welcome
> EXTRA!!! my magazine
> Trips & Hiking
> Trips and Sightseeing, Northern Arizona
> Lower and Upper Antelope Canyon (= you are here)
[Welcome]
[USA Austria]
[EXTRA - my magazine]
[Webcam Links]
[Link Collection]
[About me]
[Photo Collections]
[Downloads]
[Disclaimer]
[Sitemap]
[Guestbook]
[Email]
If you didn't get to this page through the mainpage ('choose a language')
of gbintheworld.com
then please click here!!!
© gbintheworld