A Peek Inside the Most Beautiful Canyon in America

You know how most touristy places don’t live it to the hype? Well this was not the case while visiting Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona.

Antelope Canyon was my Windows desktop background on my first computer! I know it’s old school, but do you remember it? I didn’t have much information about it, but it was nice to look at. A few years ago, I looked in a travel magazine, and there it was again. The gorgeous canyon was right here in the United States; who knew? I immediately added it to my ongoing bucket list, and a few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting.

I did a week long road trip in Arizona exploring one of those most jaw dropping states here in the U.S. It was so hard focusing and driving there, the landscapes were just so unbelievably beautiful. I started in Phoenix and stopped in Sedona, The Grand Canyon and ended in Page. I took my first ever hot air balloon ride above the red rocks, explored the Grand Canyon National Park, cruised Lake Powell, but my favorite part of the trip was Antelope Canyon.

Located on Navajo Indian territory in Page, Arizona, Antelope is a colorful spiral of wonders. There are actually two of them, Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon. Lower Antelope is longer, narrower, and steeper than upper, which is more flat with fewer stairs. The slot canyons were formed by the erosion of sandstone primarily due to flash flooding. Flooding is still a significant hazard when visiting the canyons; it can flood in minutes and become very dangerous. Due to this nature, the tours are only available with a guide.


I explored both canyons and did one in the morning and one in the evening. It is best to do attractions in the morning; the earlier, the better! People tend to sleep in on vacations, resulting in fewer crowds and better photo ops. I got lucky on the day I went; there were only around ten people in each of my groups. Even people came as far away as Russia and China to visit!

I split up my tours of the canyons because I wanted to view them in different natural lighting. I’m glad I did one in the morning because the colors were more neutral, and in the evening, they were more vivid.

Although the tours are brief, lasting a little longer than an a hour, my time spent was amazing. The views in the canyon change constantly! As the sun moves its changes the way the lights hit the canyon. The walls change in different hues of red, purple, tan, orange and every color in between. It creates a radiant display of waves, lights and shadows. It is so amazing to photograph.

The recommend season for visiting the canyons are in the Spring and Summer,  I visited in early April. There are several tour companies available for booking online. I booked the cheapest tours which were around $50 each. There are private type tours for photographers which are a bit higher.

As I mentioned above, the canyons are on gated Navajo Indian lands. Upon arrival, you sign a waiver in a small building. There are no gift shops or McDonald’s, just two dazzling canyons filled with color. A few Indian locals hang around as well and help with the tours. It was my first time meeting Native Americans and a wonderful experience!

Also, down the road, about twenty minutes away, is Horseshoe Bend! It’s a small one-and-a-half-mile hike to an incredible view of a horseshoe-shaped canyon. It’s free to visit, with little to no crowds and incredible views.

Even though Arizona is famous for The Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon is a must do there as well! I was not expecting to like Arizona so much, its truly on my top 5 out of 50 states.

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I alternated taking pictures with my canon mark 5d, Samsung galaxy and iPhone. For some odd reason, I like using all three. Also I wasn’t allowed to take videos or use a tripod.