Upper Antelope Canyon Entry and Guided Tour Page

Upper Antelope Canyon, the light-filled cathedral

The Navajo call Upper Antelope Canyon Tsé bighánílíní, the place where water runs through rocks. It stretches for about 200 metres with walls up to 37 metres high, and its shape is the opposite of the lower canyon: wide at the sandy floor and narrow at the top, like an upside-down V. This makes the walk flat and easy, and it gives the canyon its famous cathedral atmosphere, with light filtering down from a thin opening far above.

Flash floods have shaped the soft Navajo sandstone over thousands of years into flowing curves and natural layers of colour, from pale gold to deep red and violet. An Upper Antelope Canyon tour is perfect for families and for travellers who prefer level ground to stairways. Because it is the best-known slot canyon in the world, Upper Antelope Canyon tickets for midday times are often the first to sell out.

The light beams and photography in the canyon

Between about April and September, when the sun stands high around midday, narrow shafts of light reach the canyon floor. Guides sometimes toss a little sand into the air so that the beams glow in the photos, one of the most recognisable images of Arizona. Outside those months, or in the morning and late afternoon, there are no beams, but the walls glow with soft, rich colours that many photographers prefer.

Your Navajo guide knows the best angles and often helps you set up your phone for the low light. Groups move through the canyon with other tours, so the guide also keeps the pace steady and finds space for pictures. Phones and standard cameras are allowed, while tripods, selfie sticks and bags are not. The best time to visit Upper Antelope Canyon for beams is from late morning to early afternoon in summer.

The drive along the wash and the Navajo guides

The tour begins with a scenic ride from the check-in point: about 10 minutes on a paved road, then about 10 minutes along the sandy bed of the dry wash that leads to the canyon entrance. The ride is bumpy and fun, with open desert views and red rock formations on both sides, and your guide explains the canyon's geology, culture and modern challenges on the way.

The canyon lies within the Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, on the lands of the Navajo Nation. Visiting is a privilege, and access is respectfully reserved to licensed Navajo guides, who know the land and close the canyon whenever rain upstream could bring a flash flood. Listen to their stories, follow their instructions and stay on the path, so that this place remains as beautiful for the next visitors as it is for you.

How to get to Upper Antelope Canyon from Page

Page is the gateway town for Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend, about four and a half hours by car from Las Vegas and about two and a half hours from the Grand Canyon South Rim. The check-in for this default option is at milepost 299 on Highway 98, a few minutes south-east of central Page, with free parking for private cars. Other options depart from the centre of Page or another point on Highway 98.

Plan at least one night in Page to enjoy the canyon without rushing, and combine your visit with Horseshoe Bend at sunset or a Lake Powell boat trip. Summer brings hot days and the famous beams, spring and autumn offer pleasant temperatures, and winter is quiet and crisp. Wherever you are coming from, book ahead, as places on the best departures fill weeks in advance.