Antelope Canyon was on my bucket list for a long time. I first found out about Antelope Canyon when I saw Tuan’s images of it. After some research, I found out that the sunbeams can reach the bottom of the canyon about 3 weeks before the summer solstice and 3 weeks after. We decided that this year was the year we would go. From the Bay Area, there are multiple options to go to Page,AZ but the cheapest we found was to fly to Las Vegas and rent a car and drive to Page.
Day 1: Las Vegas to Page, AZ
We took a very early flight to Vegas, arriving at 8:30am. At that time, it was already 92F, and it was promising to get hotter.
Las Vegas sign
I’m a coffee junkie and I always look for local coffee shops to try. This time I went to sunrise coffee to get my cappuccino. It was a really great coffee and they have decent pastries as well. Our initial plan was to drive to Page, AZ via I-15 and then coming back thru Marble Canyon and North Rim of the Grand Canyon. But US-89 is closed between Page and Marble Canyon since February 2013 (and after talking to the locals, it seems that it won’t re-open anytime soon), so we went first to the North Rim and then drove back to Page, AZ (adding a 60 miles detour).
[update: The US 89 bypass is now open]
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park is amazing, you have great views without the huge crowd of the South Rim. Even in summer, we met very few people either on the trails or at the lodge.
Even in summer, the North Rim is sparsely visited
Enjoy the view
Time for a beer
The main room of the Grand Canyon Lodge.
It’s a long day driving but we did arrive in Page early in the evening.
Day 2: Summer Solstice in slot canyons
If you want to have maximum light into the canyons and the best chance to get sun beams, the best day is the summer solstice (usually on June 21st) when the sun is at the highest in the sky around noon time (the exact time depends on where you are exactly). I booked an all day guide to get to some private slot canyons around the area.
We use the folks at Overland Tour (48 South Lake Powell Blvd. Page, AZ 86040 inside of Thunderbird Art Galley/Overland Canyon Tours). Our guide Charly was great and knew the area very well. It got us to each canyon knowing when the light beams would hit each canyons.
Sun beam during the summer solstice
Our last stop that day was the sunset on the Fins.
The Fins
Day 3: Antelope Canyon
The next day, we went to Antelope Canyon despite my reluctance. Antelope is extremely popular and the line to get in can be long. You have to go with a group. Getting a sun beam in Antelope Canyon is very difficult nowadays due to too many visitors, so you cannot stay long in each spot and you don’t know before hand if the group (of about 40 people) you will be in will be there when the sun forms a beam into the canyon. Nevertheless, it’s an amazing place, extremely photogenic and well worth the trouble. The way the canyon walls swirl under the early morning light is amazing. Note that if you enter the canyon with a tripod, you need to sign a release and pay an extra “tripod fee” and they accept cash only (prices varies, you might want to check the day before how much cash you will need for your party).
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon
Before heading back to Las Vegas to catch our flight, we rushed to Horseshoe bend, just to have a look. It’s a little hike on a sandy trail, so although it is short you don’t walk very fast. Plus you have to go up and down the hill (each way). There is no shade, and in summer it gets hot pretty early, so make sure you carry water. It’s one of those draft image you do the first time you go in one location. It has a great potential but I need to come at a later time.
Horseshoe bend
All the images presented here are available for licensing or as fine art prints.