One Hour Was Not Nearly Enough

One hour wasn’t nearly enough in this beautiful slot canyon in northern Arizona. I could spend days in here, but the longest tour allowable is just two hours in duration. Most camera jockeys have probably seen pictures of Upper Antelope Canyon and wished they could go. If you ever make it to the Grand Canyon, put Upper Antelope Canyon on your itinerary. It’s a mere 3 hours further north and east near the little town of Page.

The canyon is within the borders of the Navajo Nation so you can’t just walk on in, you need a permit and a guide. Both can be found by just turning up at the canyon car park just outside town. If you want to secure a spot, you can always book with one of the tour agencies in town. They tend to be a bit more expensive, but offer a few more options. The one-hour tour from the car park will run you about $25 per adult. If you plan to sell images, you’ll need to get permission in advance.

The tour starts with a 5 km (3 mile), rather bouncy ride in the back of a pick-up truck. At the end of the road is a dark crack in a cliff face that leads into Upper Antelope Canyon.

If you plan to make the trip, a tripod is essential. It was very dark. To create the image above, I had my camera set to ISO 400 and f8.0. I took three bracketed images at 0.5s, 2s and 8s. The tour company websites tell you that the best light is between 11am and 1pm in the summer months, but those are also the busiest times. We entered the canyon just after 2pm. By the time we left at 3pm, I could barely see the walls in front of me in places.

I hope you’ll indulge me over the next few days as I explore the textures and shapes inside this amazing slot canyon.