Arizona’s slot canyons offer drama, beauty

There are thousands of colorful sandstone slot canyons successful the Southwest, and due to the fact that nary 2 are the same, exploring each is simply a unsocial experience. Some of the astir picturesque canyons are recovered heavy successful the wilderness and lone seen by those who hike galore hours, adjacent days, implicit unsmooth terrain.

Upper Antelope and Lower Antelope canyons are 2 of the astir photographed slots successful the Southwest, not lone due to the fact that they are perfectly stunning but due to the fact that it’s not hard to scope them. These prime canyons are lone a fewer miles apart, wrong the aforesaid drainage connected the Navajo Reservation conscionable minutes from Page, Arizona. Both diagnostic corkscrew slots, chiefly shaped by h2o and upwind and made up of Navajo sandstone. The Antelope Canyon drainage yet empties into Lake Powell.

Upper Antelope is by acold the astir visited; it’s the champion prime for each ages owed to the easiness of walking done it; furthermore, its superb hues of orange, pinkish and reddish seldom disappoint. The Navajo telephone Upper Antelope Tse’bighanilini, which means “the spot wherever h2o runs done it.” Its English sanction recalls the herds of antelope that erstwhile roamed freely done this area. The trailhead elevation is astatine astir 4,372 feet, truthful expect extracurricular temperatures to beryllium astir 10 degrees cooler than successful Las Vegas.

To sojourn either slot you volition request to motion up with a Navajo guide; the precocious and little canyons are abstracted excursions. For Upper Antelope Canyon, you volition articulation up with your usher successful Page oregon the outer parking country on State Route 98. From determination you volition spell with your usher successful their conveyance a fewer miles on a precise sandy drainage to the entrance. Most of the guides usage this accidental to amended visitors astir the geology, past of the onshore and Navajo culture.

Many Navajos see the canyon a cathedral, galore pausing earlier entering. It is simply a spiritual spot for most.

Once wrong you volition get to spot galore of the astir celebrated and recognizable formations, specified arsenic The Bear, The Weeping Eye and the Dancing Flame. In astir places, erstwhile you regard up you volition spot airy beams but volition not beryllium capable to spot the afloat sky, conscionable the twists and turns of the stone that rises immoderate 100 feet successful places. The full circuit is lone done a conception astir 200 yards, aft which the canyon opens up erstwhile again.

Lower Antelope Canyon is called Hasdeztwasi, oregon “Spiral Rock Arches.” This slot tin beryllium a small much hard to maneuver in, and stairs and ladders are utilized successful places to assistance visitors. To immoderate it mightiness consciousness claustrophobic. But it’s rather a stunning canyon, and the sandstone seems to person much of a purplish tint compared to Upper Antelope.

As successful immoderate constrictive canyon, flash flooding tin beryllium highly dangerous, particularly during and aft a rainfall storm. Area rainfall funnels down into these drainages, bringing debris and mud. Even if the entity is wide straight above, a tempest miles distant tin inactive origin a torrent done here, taking with it everything successful its way. During a sojourn to Upper Antelope I erstwhile observed a juniper log lodged astir 30 feet up the canyon wall, remnant of a past flood.

There is simply a spot of a pall implicit the little canyon, arsenic this was the tract of a horrible flash flood incidental years ago. In 1997, 11 tourists visiting Lower Antelope were killed erstwhile an day thunderstorm caught them by surprise. Back past determination were nary flight routes wrong the canyon, though they person been installed since. There is simply a ample memorial plaque astatine the trailhead successful grant of those who perished.

For a database of approved Navajo guides and different information, interaction 928-645-0268 oregon www.visitarizona.com. Masks are mandatory connected each tours done the canyons. Page, Arizona, has afloat services for travelers including lodging, restaurants and markets.