Antelope Canyon

Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 08:12 AM
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Antelope Canyon

Been reading about tours and guide to the Canyon. A bit confused by who is really eligible to be taking people out and who isn't. Seems there is a variable in tour prices and some include permit to be on the land and some don't. So I have some questions, who has done this?, who did you use?, is there room to walk around down there?, and do you walk down into the canyon? Seems the Lower Antelope you need ladders to get down. Thanks.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 09:23 AM
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I went through Canyon X and Antelope Canyon last October. I did not go to Lower Antelope, only Upper Antelope. Like you, at first I was confused when researching it, but I found this site which listed all the tour companies all at once, which really helped me.

http://www.powellmuseum.org/CanyonTours.html

Yes, you are right, you need a permit to be on the land, it is usually included in the tour prices (or you tack it onto their prices), so I didn't really see a variable in tour prices except for the two different slot canyons. The difference is just in their quote whether they include the permit price or not. If you don't go with the tour company you need to get a permit on your own. As noted, I went through a tour group though- specifically Overland, and found them great as they accomodated my desire to see both canyons. Only Overland has access to Canyon X.

There is plenty of room to walk around Antelope, when I was there they drove you right up to it, and it was really more like walking straight into a cave. Of course, it helped that its been very dry there so really what we were driving on to get there was dry riverbeds... that was one reason why I went through a tour rather then hike my own, I relied on the tour operators to be aware of the weather and any possible flash floods, which is what killed the people at Lower Antelope.

I booked through that museum site because it was a good cause to let them have the commission, although I didn't have time myself to visit the museum.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 11:55 AM
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Thanks for posting this question. I have been wondering the same thing about which tour company to go with.

Another question along the same topic... do the times quoted on that website fall under Daylight Savings Time? If I book something in advance I'm wondering how much time I'll actually have to make it there driving from Zion N.P.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 12:54 PM
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Idnas71: I am making a similar trip during the summer and have been told that Arizona time is 1 hour earlier than both Utah & Colorado (at least in AUGUST).
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Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 01:41 PM
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Late last year I went with Antelope Canyon Tours, which is Navajo owned. Our guides were all Navajo men and women.

The best tours are those that arrive at Upper Canyon around noon (so take the 10am or later tours). Can't remember how long it took to get from Page to the Canyon, believe it was either 1/2 hour or 1 hour.

Bring a small flashlight as the Canyon floor can be uneven and it can be dark in places. Bring lots of film or have lots of memory in your digital camera. I shot two whole rolls in no time!

Enjoy the trip! This is one of the most spectacular and amazing sights on earth!
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Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 01:42 PM
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The state of Arizona doesn't follow Daylight Savings Time, but the Navajo Reservation does. It all depends on where you are going as to what time it officially is. Last summer, we were a little messed up when we wanted to visit Glen Canyon Dam (Lake Powell), since the Arizona/Utah border is at the dam. I think the visitors center was on the Arizona side, and there were no tours for an hour around noon. It took us a little time to figure out when noon was.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 03:15 PM
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Upper Antelope. The entrance is literally a wide crack in the rock which you walk through. It is only several hundred yards long but some of the most beautiful yards you have ever seen. The best time to be here is 11 am-1 pm when the sun is nearly overhead. The "sunbeams" can be seen in late March thru April. You don't need a guide to show you how to go through as is only one passageway. In order to get good photos you need a tripod, cable release and patience as people are always walking or running in front of you. Try for mid-week for fewer visitors. Getting into lower Antelope you descend on permanently mounted ladders. Have not been there but am told is much tighter and far fewer visitors due to the difficulty getting in. Be sure to check weather forcast before descending. Some years ago a group who did not listen to their guide who told them to get out were killed in a flash flood.
If you are looking for a guide to Antelope or any of the other sites nearby - Rim Rocks, Alstrom Point, Toroweap Point - have used and highly recommend Jackson Bridges who in addition to being a photographer has a 4x4. He is in Page can be reached at 929-691-0595 or [email protected].
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Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 04:01 PM
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We did Upper Antelope Slots Canyon last year. We went thought Grand Circle Adventures. It cost about $25 per person. We decided to go thought them for a few reasons. One, they drive you to the site in an air-conditioned suburban. In August, it was hot and so we appreciated the air conditioning. Once you go though the entrance, then you are driven thought a sandy river bed...it was nice having the windows up! Second, they only have room for a group of 7, so there aren't so many people crowded into the canyon at a time.

Our price included the day pass and if we had wanted we could have driven over to the Lower Slots Canyon and seen them also. You don't need a guide to do the lower antelope slots. We didn't do it because my BIL had a bum knee and couldn't do the ladders.

The entrance to Upper & Lower Slots canyon is only 5 miles from Page, AZ out on Hwy 98. At the entrance you can pay to get in & for a guide. They they will put you on an open truck (with seats) drive you on the sandy road to the entrance of the canyon and guide you thought the canyon. This is cheaper but you have a larger group.

Upper Antelope Canyon is the one you see most of the pictures of.

http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/vacat...lopecanyon.htm

Utahtea
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Old Mar 24th, 2004, 07:29 AM
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Utahtea (or anyone else): when is the best tour time to go into the upper canyon?
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Old Mar 24th, 2004, 08:07 AM
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Okay, I talked to the Powell museum people to get a few more details about the Antelope Canyon tours. About the Daylight Savings Time issue... apparently these tour companies fall under the State of Arizona policy of NOT observing it. So this summer when DST will be in effect in most of the country, if it's 9:00 a.m. at Zion National Park in Utah, it will be 8:00 a.m. in Page, AZ where these tour companies originate. I guess while you are in the actual Canyon on the Navajo Reservation, the time changes again, but it really wouldn't matter. The time you really need to be aware of is your tour time in Page.

Please correct me, anyone, if I'm not correct on this.

Also, when the tour company lists a tour time of 1.5 hours on this Powell Museum website, you really only get 50 minutes inside the Canyon. Travel time to and from the Canyon is included in that. People should arrive 20 minutes prior to your tour time to make final payment, etc.

When you book a canyon tour reservation they take a $3 per person deposit up front and the final payment is due on the day of your tour.
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Old Mar 24th, 2004, 10:08 AM
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This forum is so great. I have a tour booked this summer for the Antelope Canyon and would have been very sad to have missed it. Thank you everyone for the heads up.
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Old Mar 24th, 2004, 10:14 PM
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To laurieb...nyny,

We took the 11:30 tour in early August. We had a WHOLE hour+ in the cave. Our guide was really nice about letting us have all the photo shoot time we wanted. When we walked thought the first time our guide said she was going to take us thought fast to the other side and point out interesting sites & then by the time we walked back there would be more sunlight in the canyon and we could take our time going back. That's when I got the beam of light hitting the canyon floor. There are other times of the day where the sun comes in different openings. Make sure the day you go is SUNNY! We were in the Lake Powell area for a week and had thunderstorms come and go so we waited for a very sunny day to do this tour.

Utahtea
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