Lower Antelope Canyon – Natural wonder

A place that is known for its natural wonder, the unique pattern formed by the erosion of Navajo Sandstone due to flash flood. In addition, the place attracts thousands of visitors every year and is best known for photographers to visit during noontime. It is the Lower Antelope located in Page, Arizona, US.

Lower Antelope Canyon - National Geographic Picture
The famous National Geographic Picture was taken from this place.  Image: © Ravindra Joisa

Where is antelope canyon national park

If you are in Arizona or in Vegas then consider visiting this place. An early morning five hours drive from Vegas will take you to Antelope Canyon. However, there are many tour operators you can opt for who can take you to this place. Lower Antelope is located in the Navajo Nation Parks. So, antelope canyon is a national park. The nearest airport to Antelope Canyon is Page (PGA) Airport which is 2.1 miles away. Other nearby airports include Cedar City (CDC) (105.1 miles) and St George (SGU) (119.7 miles).

What’s near antelope canyon

Other places to visit on the way include Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam, Navajo Village Heritage Center, Powell Museum. Note that you need to cross the Glen Canyon Dam bridge. Also, you may even visit the Upper Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope. Image: © Ravindra Joisa

About this place

Lower Antelope Canyon has copper-colored walls, full of natural patterns that have formed over the years. As you start walking through the canyon floor’s chalky gold dust, gentle curving lines in the rock creates an illusion of waves, swirling around us in a flood of color. Reds, oranges, pinks, and blues dance, with the sun’s rays and shadow, adding drama to an already striking location. 

Lower Antelope Canyon is full of narrow passageways to squeeze through and ladders to climb. Also, the narrow walls at the bottom, twisting and turning their way through the canyon, with the natural design patterns is a lovely walk-through, sometimes even scary. The place is famous for some of the iconic national geographic photos. In some places, the rock carvings and formation appear more like a human face, shark face, etc.

Why is antelope canyon red

Periodic rains sculpted Antelope Canyon out of the rock. Aeolian deposition generated Navajo sandstone between 191 and 174 million years ago. Since then, iron oxides have been deposited in various concentrations on some of the sand grains, giving the slot canyon layers upon layers of varied shades of red.

The pattern and design formation and the opening on top - Lower Antelope Canyon
The pattern and design formation and the opening on top. © Ravindra Joisa

You might also like the Ropeway ride across Parilungbo Canyon – Chicham – Spiti Valley, India which is much deeper than the Canyon.

Why is antelope canyon called that

Antelope Canyon got its name from Navajo legends about antelopes grazing along the canyon during the winter. The Navajo people call the Upper Canyon “Tse’ bighanilini.” In English, this means “the location where water rushes between rocks.”

What I did not like

The man-made stairs in this beautiful place are made for visitors. Spoiling nature’s artwork with the drill holes, screws, nuts, and bolts is not something that I like. The place is overcrowded most of the time. Also, this place is not something where you can go solo but you will have to go with a guide.

The place is scary when you get to see the depth and hear the flash flood stories. Antelope Canyon remains closed once in a while for the same reason. In addition, the entry ticket to this place is overpriced at 50-60 USD. If you are allergic to sand then this is not the place to visit. Note that it is a place to do some photoshoots but tripods are not allowed and as it is a crowded place it is hard to spend even a minute more in one place.

The formation that appears like a human face.
The formation appears like a human face.  Image: © Ravindra Joisa

Is Antelope Canyon worth it

To conclude, this is a beautiful place to visit if Antelope Canyon is on the way to your destination. But, if you dedicate a trip only to this place, then it is not worth it considering the time it takes to reach this crowded place. In my case, it was a tour organized by tour operators from Vegas. Similarly, we have the Upper Antelope Canyon which is similar and good to visit in the morning at around 10:30 to see the sunbeams. Note that these canyons are not pet-friendly.

If you like this blog post then consider joining the friendzone. Also, subscribe to my YouTube channel where I share videos on travel and photography.

Share to support:

One Reply to “Lower Antelope Canyon – Natural wonder”

  1. Blogi Edukacyjne says:

    a good blog article.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *