Antelope Canyon has become a favorite attraction in the Lake Powell area for tourists and photographers. It is one of the most photographed slot canyons in the world and for good reason. It is truly like no other place on earth! The most breathtaking area of Antelope Canyon is located on the south side of Lake Powell, just outside Page, Arizona. The canyon is on Navajo Reservation land so the only way to access the most breathtaking parts are by a guided tour through the Navajo Nation. Here are the Do’s and Don’ts of Antelope Canyon.
DO: Schedule a guided tour to see the best parts of Antelope Canyon. There are tour companies sanctioned by the Navajo Nation to take you on tours of Upper Antelope Canyon, Lower Antelope Canyon and Canyon X. Some companies also offer “photography” tours aimed at getting the best shots. These tours cost a little more, are a little bit longer and with fewer people. We went on the regular tour with Dixie’s tour company and I was able to get PLENTY of good shots as an amateur with my Canon SLR camera.
DON’T: Wait until you are in Page to schedule your tour. Tours book up fairly well in advance, especially during the busy summer months. We tried to walk in to a couple of these tour places last spring and they didn’t have spots open for us. This summer, I came prepared with reservations! Even with a reservation, know that if there is any sort of threat of rain, they will cancel the tour because of the high risk of flash floods in the canyon.
DO: Plan on taking your camera. Yes, of course you can take a stunning pic in the canyon with your phone, and plenty of people do, but if you have any aptitude for photography, bring your camera! This is one of the most stunning places to take pictures. The patterns in the sandstone and curvature of the rock is truly breathtaking and you won’t want to miss out on the memories you could capture! I personally am planning on having one of my pictures made into wall art for our living room.
DON’T: Take anything besides your camera and your phone with you. They have strict rules at all of the tour companies about taking anything extra into the canyon. No bags, fanny packs, camera bags, etc. I believe you are allowed to take a water bottle but honestly, the tour is only an hour and you are in the shade of the canyon for most of it so we left our water in the truck. Just hydrate before and after and you should be good to go. Honestly, it was a little liberating not having to worry about carrying anything extra, and I could just focus on the beauty and taking pictures.
DO: Also try to take advantage of the canyon from the water. The day after our tour, we were still in love. So we wanted to go back for more. We got up early and down to the Antelope Canyon public boat launch by about 7:30 AM. You can enter Antelope Canyon by water about a mile and a half to the left of the boat launch. Paddling on the lake around the big cliffs is absolutely thrilling but much easier to do in the early morning before the water gets choppy. Just turn left into the first canyon you come to and keep paddling. We paddled in about 2 more miles before hitting sand. Then we hiked in about another 1 ½ miles before turning around. It is nothing like the canyon that we saw on the tour but it was still a really neat adventure! Be sure to take snacks and plenty of water with you!
DON’T: Please don’t be a jerk and leave your mark on the canyon by carving your name into the delicate sandstone! What a selfish thing to do! ITS NOT ABOUT YOU! And don’t litter! I was unfortunate enough to discover I was in the water with a tampon floating around me at one point. Who DOES that!?! Yuck. Thankfully it is fairly clean in general, but let’s keep it that way!!