Touring Antelope Canyon

In 2017, Zac and I flew from Atlanta to Pheonix. We rented a car and drove four hours from Pheonix to Paige, Arizona, where we toured Antelope Canyon. 

Antelope Canyon is beautiful. It was described to us that the formation of the canyons formed during flash floods that would rip through the canyons. Over time, the rushing floodwater shaped the sandstone to what it is today. 

The Navajo Tribe maintains ownership of the popular destination. Tickets must be purchased to tour the canyons. When we arrived to purchase tickets, they were booked for the next several hours so we detoured over to Horseshoe Bend and returned for our canyon tour that afternoon. You can buy tickets in advance as well. The tour costs-$40 + a Navajo Park Permit Fee-$8 + taxes. In total, tickets were $53/per adult.

There are two canyon tours to choose from; The Upper Antelope Canyon or the Lower Antelope Canyon. You can do one or the other (or both), which are similar in experience, but slightly unique and different in their own way. The Lower Antelope Canyon Tour does require a descend via a steel ladder with multiple flights of stairs into the lower canyon. Because of this, it's not deemed safe for all ages. If everyday stairs aren't a problem for you, this should be fine, but if my grandma had been with us, she definitely would have opted out of climbing the stairs.

Once we descended into the canyon, our tour guide gave us historical information behind the site and the different landmarks within the canyon. 

The Navajo have a name for the different shapes, slopes, and peaks that are created by the sandstone inside the lower canyon. TBH, I don't really remember the names, but they do exist! Lol.

The tour lasted about 30-minutes. The tour guide led our group of 15 pretty swiftly through the canyon so Zac and I found ourselves falling behind to the back of the pack trying to get pictures. Story of my life. 

The canyons were every bit as beautiful as I had imagined. The way the sandstone waved and turned, I could physically picture water rushing through these canyons. The orange colors that the canyons provide feels so warm and inviting. When you look up and see the sliver of bright blue sky shining above, it's a beautiful sight to see! 

This is an amazing spot to witness the beautiful calm after a storm. It's as if the water is rushing through the canyons with you as you follow the curves and turns in the rock tunnels.  

It does get a bit tight in some areas but will open back up into larger areas again. 

At the end of your tour, you climb back up a flight of stairs to leave the lower canyons. When I looked out across the canyons, boulders created what looked like a sturdy path. You would never guess what beauty lies beneath the surface. 

Check out some of our other stops while in Arizona:

Horseshoe Bend

Grand Canyon.