Around one million years ago – you know, give or take a few years – flash flooding in northern Arizona began carving a path through cracks in the delicate Navajo sandstone terrain, ultimately creating a series of unique and stunning slot canyons.
The most famous slot canyon is Upper Antelope Canyon, but there area a whole series of canyons in the area, including Rattlesnake, Lower Antelope, and more. Set on Navajo land, you’ll need to organize your visit with a Navajo guide through one of the many tour companies in and around Page, Arizona. Try and schedule a 10:30 or 11:00 am tour, because then you’ll be there around mid-day when the sunlight is best, seeping through the narrow slit opening above.
We used Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, and our guide, Irene, was excellent. She lead us through with good information, humor, and even some assistance with camera settings and angles.
It’s a an easy quarter mile walk through the jaw-dropping canyon. The orange, rust colored sandstones beams brilliantly when the sun hits it, and the smooth shapes of the rock will leave you ooh-ing and ahh-ing at every turn.
Upper Antelope Canyon is perhaps the most beautiful slot canyon in the world (you’re bound to have seen NatGeo photographs of it on a Microsoft screen-saver at some point in your life), so there are often quite a few other groups inside at the same time. But with all the twists and bends, you can usually snag a good solo photograph if you get crafty about it.
Antelope Canyon is truly worth a visit, and it’s just another reason why we think the Utah / Arizona border is one of the most beautiful corners of the country.
