Antelope Canyon - guided tour??
 

Greetings, travel enthusiasts!

Planning on a trip to UT-AZ next month. On my agenda are-
1. Bryce
2. Arches
3. Antelope Canyon
4. Dinosaur tracks, and
5. Tulip Festival near Salt Lake City

Reading about Antelope Canyon, I figured out there are two ways to tour this place. Either reserve a guided tour from one of the several operators in Page, and arrive in a bumpy ride from Page to the canyon. Alternately, I could drive straight to the park, pay the fees et al at the entrance and pick up some guide available at the entrance. My question is, have any of you tried option 2, would you recommend it over the tour from Page? Its the risky ride in the open-top vehicle from Page that worries me about the guided tour. I read horror stories on the Internet, with people complaining about broken bones :) Is it really that bad?

One other question. Which are the places enroute Moab-Salt lake city where I can spot dinosaur tracks. Should be easily accessible by road, without the need for a major hike. Also, is the Cleveland Lloyd Quarry a must see, or can I visit if time permits?

<b>Its the risky ride in the open-top vehicle from Page that worries me about the guided tour. I read horror stories on the Internet, with people complaining about broken bones. Is it really that bad?</b>

This is nonsense ... Antelope Canyon is just a couple miles east of Page on a paved highway, just beneath the smokestacks for the power plant. To get to the upper section entrance you drive up the sandy creek bed about a mile, soft sand in places but not many bumps unless the driver is deliberately speeding to give you a 'cheap thrill'. The lower section entrance is just a hundred yards off the paved highway on a gravel road, piece of cake for any vehicle.

Not sure how this is considered "risky". When I first started going there 20 years ago you were allowed to drive up the wash by yourself to upper AC, and you could drive right to the entrance at lower, but now they block this so they can charge more for a ride.

Anyway, it's easier to just drive to the entrance and go with the Navajo at the gates. Cheaper too.

<b>Which are the places enroute Moab-Salt lake city where I can spot dinosaur tracks. Should be easily accessible by road, without the need for a major hike.</b>

Not many people know this but there is a set of dinosaur tracks about 20 yards from the entrance to lower Antelope Canyon. Just ask the Navajo to show them to you ... IIRC it was a three-toed beast with each toe about 6" long or so, impressed into the Navajo Sandstone rocks.

Our ride was with a young Navaho woman. Smooth. Maybe you should avoid young Navaho male drivers.

Hey thanks Bill!

So to get to the Upper canyon, can I drive up close to the entrance, or is the parking lot somewhere else, and the Navajo guide at the gate drives you from there?

I drove right up to the entrance, paid for parking, bought a guide ticket and waited about 15 minutes for the truck.

An open truck with about 5-6 people in it. A bumpy 10-15 minute drive.

I brought with a tripod and a plastic bag for my camera (dust) during the ride.

The yound, male guide was a student and very knowledgeable. He pointed out the right spots for good photos.

I would do this again.

we did the tour that picked us up in Page .. open air truck .. no problems .. even had 80 year old mom and 1 year old child .. It was GREAT!

Definately go to Antelope Canyon. It's amazing.

<b>So to get to the Upper canyon, can I drive up close to the entrance, or is the parking lot somewhere else, and the Navajo guide at the gate drives you from there?</b>

The parking lot for upper is just off the paved highway on the right a couple miles from Page (head for the large powerplant smokestacks, visible from miles away). A Navajo will collect the entrance fee and set up the drive up to the actual slot canyon entrance (for another fee), about a mile in the creekbed. This is much cheaper than the formal tour, but sometimes you have to wait around a bit to get a ride.

On the other side of the paved highway is the parking and entrance to lower Antelope, maybe a hundred yards from pavement. Upper has darker rocks and the walls are higher and narrower, so it's best mid-day when the sun is directly overhead shining down into the slot. Walking is easy on soft sand, no ladders or anything. Lower is rougher to get around in (narrower in spots, more climbing around on ladders) but generally has good light somewhere all day because of the lighter colored rocks and less depth. So you can hit both of them in the same few hours so long as you do upper at the right time.

We did one of the guided tours from Page, but as others have said, you can just park in the parking lot and get a tour from there. It's definitely worth seeing.

Lee Ann

Thanks for your inputs, guys!
I'll make a reservation with one of the tour operators in Page, AZ