Antelope Canyon

Visited Antelope Canyon on December 29, 2019 amid some of the coldest weather Arizona has seen in ages with a family of 5 including 3 teens who aren't huge hikers. We all were blown away by Antelope's curves, colors, textures, and views. I was a bit nervous seeing what looked like an army of tourists lining up to climb down very steep ladders into the canyon which is just a few feet wide in places, but the single file aspect of the 90 minute hike/scramble meant we really only saw our small group and guide. BTW, the guide Justin was fabulous in all aspects - knowledge how the canyon was formed, funny stories, knowing where to take great pictures, etc. Only slight negatives were the cold, the time of year meant no direct sunlight beams making it all the way to the canyon floor, and lack of a geological explanation at the small resort HQ. But all in all, 10 of 10. We booked the tour through Grand Canyon Adventures in Flagstaff and they were great as well in handing us off to the site's guide process.

We booked with Chief Tsosie and took a tour in Feb 2020 and had "Anthony G" as our guide. In our case, Anthony made the whole experience amazing. He was a dab hand at getting the best shots of the canyon in the limited time available and, whilst there is a constant pressure to move on, Anthony did a fantastic job of making the whole experience personal and involving.

We noted that other groups were being shuffled through at pace and did not appear to be having the experience we had.

As I write this several months after we visited I sincerely hope that Anthony G and everyone in Page is coping. I would recommend booking Anthony G if it is possible to specify a guide, we were lucky. Antelope Canyon is spectacular no matter what, but a decent guide will enrich the whole experience.

My only criticism of the whole thing (not specific to Chief Tsosie's tours) is that there is quite a procession of tourists (obviously ourselves included!). This might, with the wrong guide, leave you feeling rushed and not having time to take in the scenes.

Anyone should visit this great small canyon. The combination of water and proper rocks made it to speak for itself.
It is not cheap- 80 dollars per person, but it is worth every penny. Remarkable.

My tour began meeting at the Antelope Canyon Tours located at 22 So. Lake Blvd, Page, AZ. I purchased a ticket 2 weeks in advance and I was glad I did as there was only 1 ticket left for my 12pm tour on the week before Thanksgiving. They tell you in advance to arrive 1/2 hour before your tour. The price was $90, plus an $8.00 Navajo Park fee and other fees, totaling $97.50. They divided the crowd into several groups, each traveling to the site via a van that held about 10 people. The ride there took about 20 minutes.

Once there, the guide gave us several tips and requirements such as staying together in our group as they allow 1 group at a time to enter the canyon. We were the last group to enter the 1/4 mile canyon as you walk through the scenic wonderland. The view are absolutely stunning as it was difficult to put the camera down. The canyon is narrow and there is sufficient lighting entering from above the canyon to see your way around as you slowly walk through with your group. During the walk we stopped several times as the guide would describe different topics about the canyon, answer questions and allow us to take photos. At the end of the canyon tour, we walked up the steps and on top of the canyon area back to our van and then drove back to the business site.

It helps to be in shape as you have to walk upstairs and they tell you that you have to be able to walk up the steps and back to the van in 15 minutes as they are on a tight schedule. Also, you have to wear a mask as per their policy so be sure to bring one or they won't let you go. I wore hiking shoes with higher ankle support which helped to keep sand out of my shoes. In addition, I brought my own water in a back pack. The entire tour lasted about 1 hour, 45 minutes which included the 20 minutes to get there and the 20 minutes to get back.

I definitely loved the tour and apparently everyone else did as well. I would highly recommend it as It is rare that you get to see such stunning views such as this.

It’s a shame that Antelope canyon is closed due to covid and there are no tours operating. However, you can get an even better experience with this gorgeous canyon if you explore the canyon from the water side! Rent a kayak at antelope point marina and take the 1.5 hour kayak to the canyon mouth, then explore on foot! The kayak trip is gorgeous and easy. We went in February and there were not many other boats to contend with on lake Powell, so that was great. The water was crystal clear and as smooth as glass the paddle took us 45 mins to the mouth of the canyon, where we saw a buoy marking the canyon entrance. We than puddled another 45 mins until the water ended in a little mucky beach. We beached the kayaks and started hiking into the canyon. About 30 mins in we encountered the narrow slot canyon walls that were amazing! we walked 1.5 hours and turned around and walked out. We ate our packed lunch on the banks, then paddled back. Here are my suggestions for you if you want to try it.
1. Don’t be anxious about getting lost or feeling claustrophobic.. I was worried about both. But if two Middle Aged, directionally challenged moms on a girls’ weekend can figure it out, so can you!!
2. Bring waterproof pants, you’ll get wet from the oars dripping on you
3. Wear water shoes for the kayak because you’ll have to step in the wet muck to pull your kayak ashore, but bring walking shoes to change into for the walk. The marina will give you a dry bag to put them in
4. Rent the kayaks for the whole day, it’s $45 for the day with a $100 refundable deposit. Make reservations in advance if you come during popular season. We were ok in February because it is off season, but I hear it gets busy during the summer.
5. Be aware that there are boats on lake Powell (we only encountered 2 boats the entire day, but I have read that it is much busier in the summer). When they pass, you’ll have a wake to deal with, but if you get scared, just float, the kayak won’t tip, it will ride the wake and you’ll be fine.
6. Bring water and snacks and a bag for your garbage
Enjoy!! The people at the marina are wonderful and will show you maps and answer your endless questions until you feel comfortable to go out on your adventure! It’s def a bucket list adventure!!! I actually think it’s way better than the commercialized, crowded tours!

We went on the 12:30 tour with Presley as our guide. He was very informative and made sure that we had excellent photographs. In fact he snapped most of the photos for us and seem to know more about our phones than we did!
We reserved our tour on line with Adventurous and enjoyed a traditional Navajo ring dance performance (Joseph) before boarding our suv to drive to the canyon's entrance.
Although the special light beams are on display from May to Aug.?, we still felt that the Antelope Canon tour was a highlight of our trip. We even managed to bring a life-long Arizona resident with us who said it was the fulfillment of a bucket list item!

We booked a tour of upper antelope canyon with Antelope Slot Tours. I highly recommend booking directly on the Navajo site and thereby removing the "middle men". If possible, I would ask to be placed with your guide Nate because he was highly knowledgeable not only of the canyon but his expertise with photography was a true gift. He set all our cameras and adjusted phone setting for everyone to help get some amazing shots. One note, this tour offers AC while others are open air vehicles. The ride there is not only hot but very dusty. We had an 8:15 tour and the sun was already hot. We didn't see the light shining down through the canyon since the sun was still low in the sky so you might want a different time if you are looking for that shot.

We rented a kayak and boat from the marina.
I’ll go over both the good and the bad. We decided to go to labyrinth canyon rather than antelope due to the desire to have everyone in our party kayak in the canyon and not have anybody left over on the boat. There is an option of a water taxi but there’s no guarantee of service if you’re late. The canyons are truly beautiful and it is definitely a one-of-a-kind place. Now the bad: due to the pandemic tours of antelope Canyon by foot are currently not allowed and as a result the place where beautiful pictures of the slot canyon are not available to see.

When we went to labyrinth Canyon we parked in an area which we thought where we were directed to by the marina. This was still in the mouth of Lake Powell have the trip to the end of the canyon was exhausting. We unfortunately had wind going against us both directions. It really picked up at the end and became pretty dangerous. We saw a patrol boat twice but that was before we started tiring out. My wife’s kayak started taking on water. Fortunately there was a very nice gentleman who pulled over in his boat and was willing to tow us back to our boat. He basically saved our lives. In this canyon there’s very few spots to climb onto to get yourself out of the water should your boat overturned or become unusable. Similarly there’s really no designated area to show you that this is the safer area to kayak so that you really have to guess what an appropriate distance is. Everything worked out but it really was very dicey for a while. We’re just thankful everybody is OK. Her boat from the marina was an old boat with torn seats. The motor was new but had issues slipping on the way back. Similarly I was not clear on how to use the radio. We were showing how to turn it on when we first arrived but that was basically yet. They never actually showed us how to use it. I’d recommend you absolutely make sure you can use the boat radio before you leave. Again it is a very beautiful place but you must be very careful or it can end poorly.

From the first time I found this tour (Antelope Canyon Tours) on the internet up until the last minute of the tour, I could not have been more pleased with this organization. Because of Covid, the tours on the Navajo Reservation were closed for several months. I checked regularly to see if they were open. There were four tour companies that I was looking at and this group actually asked for my email and offered to inform me when the Canyon was open. Shortly before my husband and I embarked on our trip out West, we got confirmation the tours started up again. I immediately booked a tour and was thrilled.
The communication with Ryan was nothing but stellar. I cannot say enough about the way he prepared us. The regular emails were so friendly, helpful and informational. And the final instructions were outstanding. He covered every detail and we felt as if we were not just another client. We were fully prepared for what to expect.
On arrival, we met our guide, Oscar. He treated us to a fun bumpy muddy exciting ride out to the canyon. He was such a super guide. He shepherded his group of 8 very well. He explained how to set up our phone cameras, where to find the best light, how to get some awesome photos and even took pictures of each member of the group. He also shared some history of the canyon and other tidbits with us to make the trip even more special.
This tour exceeded our expectations, and the cost is so reasonable for the value we got from it. I cannot recommend this tour enough. The entire experience from first communication with Ryan up until Oscar dropping us back off at the tour office was one of the most professional excursions I have ever taken. I would give it 6 stars out of 5.

We did the Lower Antelope Canyon with Dixie Ellis tours and it was fabulous! This guide company is very professional and before we headed into the canyon they had a Navajo Hoop dancer entertain us. Candace was our guide, a Navajo, and she was very informative and enthusiastic. I highly recommend the Lower Canyon; it is less crowded than Upper and is longer so you get more time exploring this spectacular slot canyon. Candace not only gave us so much information about the canyon's geology, but she also assisted in taking pictures which was amazing; i learned some new things my iphone camera would do. The lower canyon is a bit more strenous as there are steep stairs that you climb to get in and out of the canyon rather than just walking along the canyon floor, like Upper, which this made it more of an adventure in my opinion. I highly recommend this trip and definitely would use the Dixie Ellis tour group. We traveled in early February 2022, when there were unusually cold temperatures, highs in the 30's but it did not affect our enjoyment of this trip in the least. We had layered clothing and were comfortable. Due to Covid and the strict Navajo tribal rules we had to wear our masks the entire time even during pictures but you just have to respect that it's their canyon so it's their rules.