Antelope Canyon Options (Page: credit card, licensed, yard)

[TAM88]

I am going to be out in Arizona early next month and for the first time during a visit to the state get to visit Page. As of right now I am just looking at doing a tour of Lower Antelope Canyon. A couple of questions - are they any major differences between tour operators? Or are they all pretty much the same? Does it make a large difference if we only visit lower as opposed to visiting upper?

[rich67]

It depends on a few things, such as your time constraints (if any), tolerance (or lack thereof) for crowds and fitness level.

If you're wanting something fairly quick and easy in a slot canyon tour, then Upper Antelope Canyon is your best bet. Tours from Page are 90 minutes, or you can drive down to the entrance on Highway 98 and get an escort from there (but be prepared to pay cash, they don't take credit cards). Upper Antelope Canyon is only 100 yards long and the trail through it is flat, so it's an easy walk for most people. Prime time to visit this slot is mid-day when the sunbeams shine down on the canyon floor; however, everyone and his brother wants to see this phenomenon, so the canyon will be crowded between 10 AM and 1 PM. If you don't necessarily have your heart set on the sunbeams, choose one of the "off-hours" for your tour, such as 9 AM or earlier and after 1 PM.

Lower Antelope Canyon is pretty too, but it is longer and requires more exertion: there are ladders and boulders that one has to be able to navigate. But you'll find fewer people here.

Canyon X is further away from Page (about 40 minutes) and access to it is a slightly more difficult - a steep, somewhat rocky path leads to the entrance of the canyon, but that part is relatively short. You have to do a bit more stepping over boulders and such in this particular canyon. Overland Canyon Tours is the only outfitter licensed to visit this particular canyon.

The only difference would be that lower will give you more photo ops with less crowds, and upper gives you the easier visit but you have to shoo people out of your pictures if you want ones of the canyon that are decent.They are all beautiful, however.