Antelope Canyon Pictures

Antelope Canyon is one of the most photographed slot canyons in America. It is located in the Southwest, just outside of Page, Arizona on the Navajo Indian Reservation and it is amazing! There are two slot canyons in the area: Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon. Both slot canyons are carved out of the sandstone by the flash floods that occur when it rains. The force of the flash floods carve out the weaker portions of the sandstone and make intricate curves, waves, and patterns in the rock walls of the canyons.

What makes this even more spectacular is that the top of the canyon is narrow, but open to the sun. During certain times of the day, the sun shines overhead and cause shafts of light to shine down into the canyon. These beams of light are amazing and can be photographed by kicking up a little dust in the slot canyon and using a long exposure on your camera.

The light reflecting on the curves of the canyon cause spectacular shadows and colors that are amazing to behold.

Upper Antelope Canyon is the most popular of the two canyons and it is relatively flat and requires no climbing. This canyon is where most of the shafts of sunlight occur. The light constantly changes throughout the day as the angle of the sun reflects differently through the canyon providing huge color variations, changing reflected light textures and sunbeams that occur at various times and locations during the day. These shafts of light only occur when the sunbeams are in the right location in the sky. This only occurs between mid-March through early October every year.

Lower Antelope Canyon is much more challenging to visit because some climbing (via ladders) is necessary to traverse the canyon. In 1997, a severe thunderstorm occurred about five miles upstream which caused a flash flood to occur. The flash flood was fifty feet high and it ripped through Antelope Canyon without mercy. A party of 12 hikers were caught in the middle of that flash flood. One hiker managed to climb up on a ledge, but the force of the water ripped his clothes off. The other 11 people on the hike were killed by the flash flood as it rushed through the curves of the canyon.

Because of the danger, access to Antelope Canyon is limited and a guide is required to visit Antelope Canyon. This restriction comes with benefits as the guides know the secrets of the rock colors and light beams and what time of the day to be where to get the best possible experience in the canyons. The guides can also save your life by helping get you to safety in the case of an emergency.

Antelope Canyon Stock Photographs Available:

I call this particular formation Cathedral Rock within Antelope Canyon. I love the shadows and colors that reflect the light shining down into the canyon.