Things to Do at Antelope Canyon
Guided tours, sandstone walls and the Navajo land around Page
Guided tours and the town of Page
A guided tour is the way into Antelope Canyon: guided tours are mandatory to visit. Access has been by permit only since 1997, and the canyon is a Navajo Tribal Park. The canyon is visited only through guided tours, partly because of summer flash flood risk. Tour listings for the canyon sections are shown below.
Antelope Canyon tours
Page, the nearby city
Housing for Glen Canyon Dam workers and their families was the purpose of the nearby city of Page, which dates to 1957. Antelope Canyon was opened to tourism on Navajo land adjacent to Page in 1997. Page, near Antelope Canyon, has an arid climate with hot, very dry summers.
Canyon sections, measurements and Navajo land
The canyon is the primary attraction of Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park. It includes six separate slot canyon sections on the Navajo Reservation, and the wider Antelope Canyon area is described in the same terms, as six separate slot canyon sections on the reservation. The walls of Upper Antelope Canyon rise about 660 feet above the streambed, and Lower Antelope Canyon is at an elevation of about 3,704 feet.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Slot canyon sections on the Navajo Reservation | 6 |
| Wall height of Upper Antelope Canyon above the streambed | About 660 feet |
| Elevation of Lower Antelope Canyon | About 3,704 feet |
| Permit-only access began | 1997 |
- About 660Upper canyon wall height above streambed (feet)
- About 3,704Lower canyon elevation (feet)
- 6Slot canyon sections
The Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation site describes the reservation as over 25,000 square miles, spread across four states.
How the sandstone formed and got its colour
Flash flooding is the main force that shaped the slots: erosion of Navajo Sandstone formed Antelope Canyon, mainly through flash floods. Flash flooding and other sub-aerial processes drove that erosion. In monsoon season, rainwater runs into the basin above the slot canyon sections, and the rushing water carves the passageways.
Navajo Sandstone was deposited in an arid sand sea, known as an erg, on the western part of the supercontinent Pangaea. A 2019 radioisotopic analysis suggests that the rock hosting the canyon dates to the early Jurassic, beginning around 200-195 million years ago. The varied colours of the sandstone come from mixtures of iron oxide minerals (hematite, goethite and limonite) in the pore space, except for white.
Flash flood safety
Summer flash flood risk is part of the reason the canyon is visited only through guided tours.
Questions about visiting the canyon
Can I enter Antelope Canyon without a guide?
No. Guided tours are mandatory to visit Antelope Canyon, and the canyon is visited only through guided tours.
How many slot canyon sections are there?
There are six separate slot canyon sections on the Navajo Reservation.
What is the main attraction of Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park?
Antelope Canyon is the primary attraction of Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park.
How old is the rock around the canyon?
A 2019 radioisotopic analysis suggests Navajo Sandstone began forming about 200-195 million years ago, in the early Jurassic.
What gives the sandstone its colours?
Mixtures of iron oxide minerals (hematite, goethite and limonite) in the pore space produce the varied colours, except for white.
Which flash flood struck Lower Antelope Canyon in August 1997?
Eleven tourists died in the flood of August 12, 1997. An earlier thunderstorm had dumped water into the canyon basin 7 miles (11 km) upstream.
What is the origin of the city of Page?
Page dates to 1957, when it was founded as housing for Glen Canyon Dam workers and their families.