UNDERGROUND WONDERS • ARIZONA’S SLOT CANYONS

If ever there were a list made of the foremost examples that confirm the old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, the slot canyons on the Navajo lands in Page, Arizona would surely make the cut.  These natural wonders unquestionably defy description with mere words; and even the best of photographs struggle to capture and adequately convey their overwhelming beauty.

I visited Page, Arizona in March of 2015 with the explicit purpose of visiting these marvels of nature.  Sadly the experience did not revolve around a motorcycle adventure.  Let me plead my case.  I was in Las Vegas, Nevada at the end of February for the annual WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) convention and trade show.  After five days of intense educational programs, competitions, trade show exploration, awards ceremonies and even a wee bit of partying, I set aside some time in my calendar for some exploration.

 

The slot canyons of Page, Arizona and Zion National Park, in nearby Springdale, Utah, had been on my bucket list radar for quite some time.  I have rented motorcycles out of Las Vegas numerous times in the past so the best laid plan was to do so again…spending a few days exploring this territory that falls 200-300 miles northeast of “Sin City”.  As the convention drew to a close I started studying the weather forecasts for the region.  It became apparent that Mother Nature was not going to be kind to me.  Though daytime temperatures in the Arizona desert were hovering around 50 degrees, the nighttime hours brought temps in the 20’s.  The forecast was even more grim for the Utah National Park area, where the mercury plummeted to 6 degrees the night I passed through!  Discretion being the better part of valor I chose to rent an automobile, not a motorcycle, for this excursion.

My dear friend Dan, another professional photographer, would join me on this outing and we set out on day one for Page…some 300 miles from the bright lights of the strip.  We made short work of the distance by utilizing the super-slab, Interstate 15, for the first 120 miles to St. George, Utah; before turning onto Routes 59 in Utah, then 389 and 89 in Utah and Arizona, to arrive in Page.  Once off the interstate the scenery becomes overwhelming, especially as the sun falls lower in the sky at day’s end.  The colors of the landscape’s metamorphosed volcanic basalt and rhyolite rock, which generally appears dark gray during the daytime hours; takes on the rich warm red and magenta hues of golden hour as the sun bids farewell to the day.  We turned in early at some forgettable chain motel property in Page as we had made an early tour reservation to explore Lower Antelope Canyon the next morning.

 

Yes…reservations are strongly suggested; even in the cold winter months.  They are absolutely mandatory during times of nicer weather.  Based upon the recommendation of a professional photographer friend of mine, I chose Ken’s Tours to guide us through the underground marvel.  The slot canyons, located on Navajo Nation land, can be visited only by guided tour with an experienced native leader.  The primary reason for this is the possibility of flash floods, especially during monsoon season, which can whip through the canyons and sweep hikers away.  This is a very real threat.  Understand that these canyons were formed by flash flood waters raging through the colorful rock, sandstone and limestone for millions of years. Eleven tourists were killed in Lower Antelope Canyon by a flash flood on August 12, 1997 even though very little rain had fallen on site that day.  The floods started with a severe thunderstorm that had struck 7 miles away, much earlier in the day, depositing a large amount of rain water into a distant canyon basin located well upstream.  It pays to be under the watchful eye of a native who understands the intricacies of safely navigating these canyons.  The fact that these tours are a great revenue-generating stream for the native population is immaterial when you factor in security and safety considerations.

Two different tours are offered by Ken’s at Lower Antelope Canyon.  The first is a “General Tour”, which guides you through the canyon in an hour’s time, and will have you as part of a group of 8, 10 or more people.  If you just want to marvel at the beauty of the canyon, and not create any serious photographic images, this is the option you should choose.  Dan and I chose to take the “Deluxe Tour”, also called the “Photography Tour”, which is geared towards those that want to take their time capturing the staggering beauty of the canyons.  These tours are limited to just four people, and allowed us to utilize tripods for the necessary long exposures needed for quality photographs in the sometimes dark sections of the underground wonderland.  The native guides have more than a basic understanding of photography and will actually help you get better images by physically throwing handfuls of limestone into the shafts of light that stream into the canyons when the sun is high in the sky.  You may actually be familiar with Peter Lik’s “Phantom” photograph of such a stream of light…an image which is claimed (but not proven) to have sold for an unprecedented 6.5 million dollars; making it (if true) the most expensive photograph in history.  We booked our tour first thing in the morning so these shafts of light were not yet streaming into the depths of the canyons; but that time slot gave us another great benefit.  It was just the two of us and the guide on the trek so we had a great, unhurried opportunity to create memorable images on the tour, which lasted for more than 1-1/2 hours.  Keep in mind that it will be colder on an early morning hike in the slot canyons than later in the day, when the sun has had time to warm the desert earth.  If I recall it was about 35 degrees outside when we entered the canyon; and that number dropped a few degrees as we descended into the ground.

A few others things you should know.  The Lower Antelope Canyon tour is about 1.2 miles long.  Wear good, sturdy, comfortable footwear and be prepared to navigate many uneven surfaces.  Tours start at both the north and south ends of the canyons and will pass each other somewhere in the middle.  Our tour ran from south to north, a path which has a very slight downhill trajectory over the course of its length.  The downside of this is that you must climb out of the canyon to exit at the end of the tour by ascending a series of steps (which could more appropriately be deemed ladders) of probably six stories in height.  This can be quite a strenuous climb in the thin air at the 4,000 foot elevation of Page, Arizona.  We felt every single foot of that climb!  If you have the choice, ask to make the hike from north to south.  This will allow you to descend into the canyon quickly via the steep steps; then gradually work your way back up over 1-1/2 miles instead of all at once.

There are actually five distinct, slot canyon sections on this Navajo Reservation (technically in Lechee, Arizona; not Page). They are Upper Antelope Canyon, Rattle Snake Canyon, Owl Canyon, Mountain Sheep Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon.  I can only personally offer this testament of my visit to Lower Antelope Canyon, but I’m sure the others are equally impressive.

After our tour of the slot canyon we climbed back in our rental car and headed back towards Utah and Zion National Park.  The single digit evening temperatures discouraged us from spending any quality time at the park so we just did a “drive thru”, grabbed a few pictures and motored on back to Las Vegas.  I’m posting one of those pictures here.  I entitled it  “Zion…A Tribute To Ansel”.  It is one of the favorite black and white images that I’ve created in my life, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to return to Zion with more time and better weather at my disposal.

I’ll save you a trip to Google.  Here’s the 411 on Ken’s Tours.

Ken’s Tours • Indian Rte 222 • Page, AZ 86040 USA • (928) 645-6997 • www.lowerantelope.com

 

I would highly recommend their “Deluxe” photography tour for any serious image makers; and would also suggest you grab an early morning time slot.  Like every other wonderful attraction, it gets busier as the tourists start show up in force after the free continental breakfast at their hotels. The sun will warm the air to a more agreeable number later in the day in the winter months.  I’m guessing this attraction is downright sweltering outside in the summer months, but probably comfortably cool below ground.  Just guessing.  You’ll have to Google that one for yourself.

We hope you enjoyed this photographic tour of Lower Antelope Canyon.  Leave a message in the comments below.  Don’t forget to bookmark this site and subscribe to receive notifications when new posts hit the blog.