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Imagine walls of gold winding all around you, as you move forward the walls transform, taking on new shapes and colors everywhere you look. Above you are waves of orange and below you a sea of red. You reflect on what a unique natural wonder you have discovered and realize how incredible this world truly is. After riding The Wave, it was hard for us to imagine that anything could compare… that is until we climbed down into Lower Antelope Canyon.

Located near the shores of Lake Powell, these canyons have become a favorite gathering place for photographers, tourists, and visitors from around the world. The Navajo name for Lower Antelope Canyon is Hasdeztwazi or “Spiral Rock Arches.” Many years ago, herds of Pronghorn Antelope roamed freely in and around the canyon, which explains the English name. This incredible canyon has been created over many thousands of years by the relentless forces of water and wind, slowly carving and sculpting the sandstone into forms, textures, and shapes which we observe today, fascinating right!?

We arrived at Ken’s Tours for our 9am departure, tours go out every 30 minutes, and were greeted by Tim, our awesome guide, seriously, ask for him.

We joined our group as the token non-Asians, and set off for the canyon.

It was a short 5-minute hike before we arrived to the stairs that would take down into the magical land that awaited us:

As soon as our feet hit the ground and our eyes adjusted to the lighting, our jaws dropped. It was even more incredible than we had imagined:

Our guide was extremely knowledgable in helping us choose which camera settings were best to capture the lighting and vibrant colors in the canyon. Everywhere we looked he pointed out a new figure in the rocks to discover, the first one we saw was The Lion, can you see it?:

Then there was The Eagle:

Sunrise Over The Rockies, which was one of our favorites:

The Angel:

And just before the end, we met the famous Singing Chief:

As we turned the corner we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of one of our favorite photographs, Peter Lik’s “Ghost.” Peter Lik has been shooting expansive scenes of Mother Nature his whole life, and time and time again has stated that Lower Antelope Canyon is his favorite place to photograph in all of America. The moment we stepped foot into this spot, we just knew:

The floor of the canyon is covered in orange clay and the opening at the top of the canyon lets in just enough light to cast a warm glow over everything. While a perfectly sunny day would have been ideal, nothing, not even fog, could mask the beauty of this place:

Just before climbing back out to the surface, we took a moment to sit and reflect on the special place we were about to leave behind. Without gratitude, seeing so many beautiful things can leave one jaded, so we always try our very best to appreciate where we are and allow the moment to make its way into our hearts:

As we emerged from the canyon we were amazed to look back and see nothing but what seemd to be a deep crack in the ground… but we knew it was so much more.

Things to note:

There is Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon, both are said to be beautiful, but the Lower Canyon comes most recommended.
Best time of year? A clear day in December. You can pretty much have the canyon to yourself and the sunnier the day, the brighter and more stunning the hues.
If you want to bring a tripod and get really technical with your photography, buy the photographer’s permit, it’s a bit more but if your looking to inspire your inner Peter Lik, it’s worth it.
What to wear? This is going to sound funny, but if you want your photos to POP, wear pretty colors and don’t wear orange or brown.
Oh ya, use the restroom before leaving for the tour. There is no squat popping in these beautiful canyons (duh) and the tour lasts about an hour.

Looking for more advenure? Pair your trip to Antelope Canyon with Horseshoe Bend (be sure to check back for this post SOON)!

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