Antelope Canyon in Arizona, USA: photo, description, how to get

Real travelers, whose desire to know the world extends beyond the known tourist guides, should undoubtedly be interested in a trip to an extraordinary place with an unusual name – Antelope Canyon. The locals (Navajo Indians) call it “Spiral Rock Arches”. This breathtaking gorge is, for some unknown reason, not included in the list of US national reserves, but this has its advantages: there are no such crowds as, for example, in the Grand Canyon in Colorado or Bryce Canyon. At the same time, Antelope Canyon is a tribal park of the Navajo Indians, which they named this place in 1997.

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Antelope Canyon: Upper and Lower

Antelope Canyon is located in the northern part of Arizona (near the border with Utah) near the city of Paid and 150 km from the Grand Canyon, beloved by tourists all over the world. If more than one day, but several days are planned for an excursion to the Grand Canyon, you should definitely look into the Antelope Canyon.

Antelope Canyon (although it is more correct to speak of two at once – upper and lower) is located on land owned by the Navajo Indians. The upper canyon is more accessible: the ascent is smooth, the surface is sandy, so the journey is not a problem even for people with disabilities who are forced to move on crutches or wheelchairs (the gorge is at ground level along its entire length).

The second canyon is located just across the road, and, if desired, you can visit it, at least in order to compare both and understand for yourself which one is better. However, traveling through the Lower Canyon is much more difficult: before, travelers even had to use rope ladders.

Now normal lifts are installed here, but the walking route is longer and not very convenient: in some places it is very narrow, in others the rocks hang very low – so that it is impossible to stand upright. It is also worth remembering that the stairs that the canyon is equipped with still require special attention. The canyon stretched for about 100 meters.

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Antelope Canyon – the best place for a photo shoot

Antelope Canyon, according to the accepted classification, is the so-called slot formation. Such gorges are usually filled with water, in this regard, Antelope Canyon is a pleasant exception for travelers: tourists follow corridors and “halls” that resemble Catholic cathedrals or monks' cells, made by streams of water. It is recognized as the most beautiful of all such natural formations.

For many centuries, water irrigated the sandy soil, and the wind worked over the rocks, creating a unique relief. Floods contributed to the uniqueness of the area: water for a long time made its way, smoothing the rocky ledges and giving them smooth lines. As a result, a place of unique beauty was formed, which fascinates everyone who happened to be there: where else can you see how the sun cries.

This effect is obtained when the rays penetrate the rocks: it seems that sun drops are falling from above. At the same time, the caves are painted in a variety of colors – from red to purple, from blue to purple. This spectacle is especially impressive in the period from March 15 to October 7, when the sun rises above the horizon at its highest. At this time, the rays reach the very bottom of the canyon.

Antelope Canyon is very popular with photographers. By the way, in the photographs the gorge looks much more impressive than in reality, since some colors and tones appear only on film. Note to amateur photographers: photos are especially beautiful if taken in the middle of the day.

At this moment, you begin to understand why the canyon got its name – Antelopes: the rocks acquire a reddish-red hue, reminiscent of the skin of this animal. The most spectacular is the Lower Canyon. The best shots are taken in the morning (the sooner the better) or at the end of the day.

The canyon deepened after a storm in 2002. Then a mudflow came down to this place, deepening the gorge by about 2 meters.

Every year it is gradually covered with sand brought by sandstorms, but is carried away by heavy rains.

How to get to Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon is four miles from the town of Page. The main landmark is a coal-fired power plant (according to travelers who have visited the canyon, it is impossible to miss it). After it, signs appear – and not standard, installed by road services, but handwritten.

Not far from the destination, original locals (the same Navajo Indians) are on duty, who, for a small fee, are ready to either conduct an excursion or deliver tourists to their destination. This moment is one of the most important during the trip: the territory is legally fixed by the American authorities as an Indian reservation zone. It is possible to penetrate it only with the permission of the leadership of the tribe.

It should also be remembered that a tour of the canyon will have to pay a fee of $ 3 per adult.

This method is suitable for those who like to travel on their own. Everyone else can use the services of travel agencies – there are plenty of them in Page. You can arrange a trip in advance by leaving a request on the website of travel companies or by calling. As a rule, 3 flights are organized during the day – at 10.00, 12.00 and 14.00.

The tour takes an hour and a half: the journey to the destination takes half an hour, an hour is allotted to stay in the canyon itself. The cost is about 30 dollars. There are also specialized tours for those who are going to take photos. They last 3 hours – so that there is additional time for choosing the most suitable place, preparing equipment and shooting itself. For such a trip you will have to pay 45 dollars.

In both the first and second cases, the price includes all federal deductions (fees and taxes), as well as duties. The guides are quite professional and can tell you about everything that preceded the formation of the canyon, about the events associated with it, as well as about local attractions and how the Indians live now. They can talk for hours – clients are heard. Sometimes they even have to be stopped – so that nothing interferes with admiring nature.

What to bring

If you want to take good pictures while visiting Antelope Canyon, you should take professional equipment (it will be provided by local tour companies). Amateur photographers, of course, somewhat interfere with the main tourists, but people are sympathetic to what is happening: after all, everyone has cameras and a desire to capture beauty, but not everyone has the capabilities of professionals. And on them – with a deployed tripod, blocking the already narrow passage – you can come across literally around every corner.

At the same time, professional photographers warn that in order to get high-quality pictures, you need to try very hard: it will take a lot of time to install and configure the equipment and wait for the most advantageous moment. Moreover, additional lighting may be required – the built-in autofocus illumination may not be enough. In any case, a lantern prudently taken with you will definitely not hurt.

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Rules of stay

As already mentioned, Antelope Canyon is the territory of the Navajo Indians. You can visit this place only by agreement with representatives of this nationality and with their participation.

The nearest settlement is the town of Page with a population of about 7 thousand inhabitants, while abounding in church temples – there are 12 of them in the town. It is not necessary to book a visit time: there is a “live queue”. Bonus: Indian guides meet and see off each group of tourists with national music: they play many instruments (even flutes!) and sing songs in their own language. The journey from Vegas to Antelope Canyon takes approximately 5.5 hours.

The territory occupied by the Navajo Indians occupies approximately 67 thousand square kilometers, and captures the states of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. In the United States, this is the largest Indian reservation, which received its special status with the permission of local authorities. Previously, this area was called the “Navajo Indian Reservation”, since April 5, 1969 it has been called the “Navajo Nation”.