Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is one of the “tributaries” of Glen Canyon. A creek that dries up in the summer flows into the Colorado River along it. A few kilometers from the mouth, the creek forms two stunning canyons. They were discovered by accident by a Native American girl who went in search of a lost goat.
Video: Antelope Canyon
General Information
From above, the canyons are unnoticeable, so, a narrow groove in the ground, about 40-60 centimeters wide. But underground, the water has cut through the red-orange rocks to a depth of 3 to 6 meters. The walls are bizarrely shaped, water-licked, with washed out half-caves and grottoes. Light streams in through a narrow crevice at the top, repeatedly reflecting off the orange limestone, creating improbable shimmers and shades, shadows and penumbrae. In some places you can walk freely, in others you have to climb.
.Both canyons belong to one of the Navajo clans. Of course, there is a separate fee to visit each canyon, and a hefty one at that. You won’t get any services for your money – no toilets, no Coca-Cola stand, not even an avenue, but despite your resentment of the “Navajo people,” the canyons will simply blow your mind. They are different from each other: the lower one is not as deep, but more intricately shaped. The upper one reaches up to 6 meters deep, the bottom is almost dark, and you can walk along the sandy bottom.
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Antelope Canyon lies four miles east of town on Highway 98, between the town of Page and a large coal-fired power plant. The power plant is impossible to miss; it can be seen for dozens of miles before reaching town. Near the road there are Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon signs, but these are not standard American road signs, but handwritten signs, so you can easily miss them. One thing to remember is that if you travel farther east than the power plant, you have to go back. A small shack and bulletin board stands by the road leading from Highway 98 into Upper Canyon, and this can serve as another additional point of reference.
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The best time to visit is in the spring and fall: March-April and October-November. At this time, sunlight penetrates all the way to the bottom and the canyons look as if a bright light is burning inside a dark palace, but don’t forgo a trip in winter for fear that there will be nothing to see or access problems. In winter, the lighting in the canyons is quite poor – it’s quite gloomy inside, with deep shadows and flat terrain. Pictures taken in Antelope Canyon are especially appealing to the viewer and will take a prime spot in your American album.
.The best time for photos is in the middle of the day when the sun is at its zenith. For the Lower Canyon, the most preferred times are before noon and just after (10 to 11 or 1 to 2 pm), while for the Upper Canyon, the best time is around noon – 11 to 1 pm. This is because the Upper Canyon is deeper and light penetrates there less well, and in the Lower Canyon during midday there is too much direct light and the magic is lost.
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Episodes of some movies also show Antelope Canyon, especially the Upper Canyon. These include the 1996 movie Broken Arrow, starring Christian Slater and John Travolta.
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How to get to Antelope Canyon
Method One
There are some Indians on duty at the hut who are putting together a group for a tour of the canyon. You can pay them a fee to enter the reservation and pay the guide’s hourly rate. The fee in 2002 was $3 per person. For this fee, the Indian will take you in a jeep three miles south along the sandy bed of Antelope Creek to the canyon. However, it may happen that the Indian guide will take the group on a tour, in which case you will have to wait for him at this hut. This is probably the easiest and least expensive way to visit the canyon.
.Method Two
There are several tour operators in the town of Page that are dedicated to showing Antelope Canyon. You can contact any of these firms and arrange for a tour of the canyon. For example, Antelope Canyon Adventures (http://jeeptour.com, 928-645-5501, fax: 928-645-3155). The firm is located on Safeway Plaza. Lake Powell Boulevard is the main street of the Page. It faces Highway 89. It has two large plazas, Safeway and Walmart. Safeway Plaza is located at the intersection of Lake Powell Blvd and Elm St. The Safeway Plaza is located at the intersection of Lake Powell Blvd and Elm St. They hold hour-long tours at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m.
.The one-hour tour actually lasts an hour and a half, with the group spending one hour in the canyon itself and half an hour spent driving from Page to the canyon and back. An optional three-hour tour for photographers is also offered.
Because the canyon has very sharp light and shadow variations, the conditions require extra time to set up equipment and shoot itself. An hour-long tour costs $29 per person and a three-hour tour costs $45 with all fees, taxes, and Indian tolls.
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To be honest, even amateur photographers, one hour in the canyon will not be enough, you will have to do everything at a pace, and there will be no time left for just looking at the beauty, so if you are not in a hurry, I recommend choosing a multi-hour tour. Whether you do it the first way or the second way is up to you.
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