If you want a fascinating and interesting experience around Page, AZ, then the Antelope Canyon Tour might be just what you are looking for. Travel by 4×4 pickup to the slot canyon on Navajo land and be taken through in small groups to experience the colours and shapes this canyon offers. The guide will also show you how to take good pictures of the parts of the canyon they point out.
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Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon not far outside Page, Arizona. It was formed by thousands of years of wind and water finding its way through a narrow slit in the rock. Slowly it widened the canyon enough that we can walk through it and the erosion it caused as it did so left behind incredible shapes and contours for us to enjoy.
HIGHLIGHTS OF ANTELOPE CANYON
Sited on Navajo lands, only authorised tour companies are allowed to escort tourists to visit Antelope Canyon. You, therefore, have to book a tour through an agent, you cannot just visit the canyon.
PRE-TOUR
The starting point for the tour is in central Page at 22 S Lake Powell Blvd, Page, AZ 86040, right next to a Pizza Hut. You’ll see the white 4×4 vehicles parked out front and the office is right on the corner. Once checked in, you wait for everyone to arrive and then they call you onto specific vehicles to join your tour guide.
The vehicles are adequate to get you out to the canyon, they have covers to protect from inclement weather, rudimentary seatbelts and they provide blankets to keep you warm on the ride if the weather is cool. Once everyone is aboard you set off for the 7 mile (11km) drive to the canyon, the last 3 miles (5km) of which is off-road, though not especially bumpy.
ARRIVING AT THE CANYON
Once at the canyon, which just looks like the entrance to a cave at this point, your guide will take you into the canyon. As you can see in the Google map image above, the black line is the slot canyon, and you can see how it gets its name! It is pretty narrow in places, sometimes too narrow for two people to pass side by side. In other parts, it is relatively spacious and your guide will try and stop you in places where other people can get past. The only way back out of the canyon is the way you came in, so everyone has to pass the other tour groups as they go.
WALKING THE CANYON
Every guide has their own things that they will point out, their own shapes and images that they show people. So the points in the tour we stopped at won’t necessarily be the same for your tour. Our guide showed people how to make the best of whatever camera they had, including changing some setting on smartphone cameras.
The image above has both a heart and an antelope head in it, can you see them? Though this is NOT why it’s called Antelope Canyon, it’s just a happy coincidence. Due to the time of year we visited we had no chance to see the famous light beams that pierce down into the canyon around midday.
Around every turn there are more beautiful waves in the rock and at various points, you can look up at the sky. It pays to keep looking in every direction to take in all that there is to see. The colours during our tour ranged from deep purples to brilliant oranges; the image we used for our header could almost be staring into a furnace.
PLAN YOUR VISIT TO ANTELOPE CANYON
Information last updated November 2019
HOW TO GET THERE
Tours to Antelope Canyon are only offered by authorised guides, you cannot visit on your own. Several companies offer tours including Antelope Canyon Tours that we used. The tour can be booked online here.
Their tour starts from at 22 S Lake Powell Blvd Page, AZ 86040.
Parking is available on site and is free of charge to visitors. Please park to the right-hand side of their office.
HELPFUL LINK:
- If you need an app that will navigate you around whether walking, driving or using public transport and even works offline then click for a guide about how to use Here WeGo.
OPENING HOURS
Tours depart every day of the year 0800, 0930, 1130, 1330 and 1530. An 0700 tour is available during the summer season.
Aside from the ride to the canyon, you will be outside all of the time as you explore the slot canyon. The canyon is not particularly exposed, but is open at the top, the surface of the canyon floor is loose sand, like a beach.
HOW TO BUY TICKETS
Prices for trips to Antelope Canyon are $60.00 for over 12s, $50.00 for children 8-12 and $42 for under 8s. The 1130 tour on which you may see the famous beams of light are an additional $15 per person.
Discounted prices are available off-season, $48.00 for over 8s and $31.50 for under 8s.
Admission prices include the transfer, guided tour, tax and admission fee to the Navajo Park
ACCESSIBILITY
The canyon is narrow and the floor is loose sand, like on a beach, therefore it is not really suitable for wheelchair users.
IS ANTELOPE CANYON WORTH THE VISIT?
The sweeping shapes and lines on the canyon walls are well worth visiting. The whole tour is well-organised, though the canyon can get very busy as demand for tickets is high. If you are able to see the beam of light that only makes the tour even more special. But at any time of the day or year, the beautiful canyon is well worth adding to your itinerary.
See what others think of this attraction on Trip Advisor.
ADD TO YOUR ARIZONA ITINERARY
Famous for the Grand Canyon, Arizona has so much more to offer than its most famous attraction. Desert landscapes, buttes, slot canyons and more add to the natural beauty of the state. Whilst man-made attractions abound, from quirky castles and bridges, moved brick by brick from England, to more traditional attractions and visitors are sure to find plenty to do whichever part of the state they visit.
IN THE AREA
- Only accessible by helicopter, the monolithic Tower Butte is the experience of a lifetime. Fly to the top, land and explore the surface all while taking in breathtaking views.
- Arizona’s most famous attraction, you can’t quite appreciate the stunning size and beauty of the canyon, even when you are standing on its edge.
- The dam that made Lake Powell, the impressive Glen Canyon Dam can be seen from the bridge that crosses the canyon just in front of the monolithic structure.
- One of the most famous views of the Colorado River. Horseshoe Bend arcs magnificently through the canyon.
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RESOURCES | PLAN YOUR TRIP TO PAGE
To book flights, rental cars, accommodations, and activities for your trip, please check out our recommended travel providers, favourite apps and websites.
These are a few tours we would recommend for your trip to Page.
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