We would love to see this area - the pictures are spectacular. We will be in Vegas the last week of March and will have a car (4 of us). Is this doable from there -- I understand it's a 4 hr. drive. We'd like to get up early and do it all in one day (back in Vegas to sleep).

How would it be during that time of the year?

Looking for ideas/suggestions.

Lois

Lois - which "slot canyon" are you talking about? Slot canyon is a general term that can be applied to many canyons in the Southwest.

Sorry - I did not know. The one in Page, AZ that is also known as Antelope Canyon.

I was curious too - never heard of a slot canyon. And visiting the Page area, never heard of the Antelope Canyon being called a "slot". Is this a common slang name?

Lois - mapquest says it's 4.5 hours to Page, not sure if Antelope is closer or not (that's taking the northern route through UT). I would guess it'd be reasonably warm, but I sure wouldn't want to drive 8-9 hours for a relatively short canyon tour. It's doable in a day, but I don't think it'd be much fun. I'd combine it with a trip to the Grand Canyon or something else along the way, and make it an overnight trip.

Most professional photos are taken at a certain time of the day (they even have a "photographer's tour), so the lighting and crowds will be different at other times. I'm sure it'll still look great, but might not match up to the vision in your head.

And Faina, slot is commonly used to describe canyons that are pretty narrow, top to bottom, and are usually pretty convoluted.

Thanks for the help. Antelope Canyon has been described as the most photogenic slot canyon in the world -- it's just ouside of Page, Arizona.

Would there be anything similar, yet closer to see while in Las Vegas. We've toured the Grand Canyon by air and then bus; we've been to Valley of Fire State Park 3 times. Also been to Zion (passing through) and Bryce. All from a Vegas starting point.

Lois

Thank you Weasel for explanation!

Lois, the boat tour I've been on is very different from the Great Canyon, Valley of Fire, Zion and Bryce - been to all of those places you've listed.

Also the Glen Dam is in that area if you can visit it. Not sure how far from the lake as I didn't drive I didn't pay much attention to the distances

Lois - if you're interested in Antelope strictly because of the beauty, you might be disappointed with going anywhere else. Not that there aren't beautiful slot canyons elsewhere, but I think a lot of them are fairly inaccessible and require some canyoneering skills to explore. Antelope is, obviously, very accessible and easy to do.

Having said that, there are some slot canyons in Death Valley (about 3 hours from LV), but a closer option is in Red Rock Canyon just outside LV. I've not been there, but I've heard it's beautiful, and has some slot canyons, although I don't know how easy the hikes would be. At the least, the rest of the park is supposed to be very nice. I've not done any hiking in the LV area, so I can't be real specific.

Utah has slot canyons galore, and I think the Narrows in Zion might technically be considered one. Unfortunately, I'm really only familiar with the Moab area, and that's too far for you on this trip. I'm not sure of any slot canyons that are close to LV and accessible. Perhaps Utahtea would have some suggestions in that area? Maybe in the Grand Staircase-Escalante area?

I would think that the drive to Page is a bit more than 4.5 hours, but maybe I just drive slow. I've visited Antelope Canyon a number of times, and while I've enjoyed myself, I don't think I'd do it as a day trip from Vegas.

Antelope Canyon isn't at its best during the winter because the light comes in at an angle, rather than directly down. Those pictures you see with the shafts of light going through the canyon are usually taken during the summer. I would also note that while the canyon is very nice, the photographs display more vivid colors than you'll see with the naked eye. Most exposures in the slot canyons are at 30-60 secs on a tripod. As noted, I just don't see doing a 9 hour road trip for a 1-2 hour tour as being worthwhile.

If you do go, make sure to visit both Upper and Lower Antelope. Lower Antelope requires a bit of scrambling over rocks and climbing of ladders, but it's a pretty cool place.

I'll second the recommendation for Zion and the Narrows. The Narrows certainly qualify as a slot canyon, especially when you get further in. The only problem is that you'll most likely get wet hiking through the middle of the river, and the water can get rather cold this time of year.

Thanks everyone. I think we will save that for another time when we visit in summer.

I've been to Red Rock Canyon -- it is nothing compared to the beauty in Valley of Fire State Park.

Lois