One great Arizona travel debate: If pressed for time, do I tour the upper or lower Antelope canyon? People ask similar questions about the Grand Canyon’s North versus South rims. It’s not an easy answer.
Antelope canyon is a stunning and somewhat hidden geological gem. It’s popular enough to see 4 million tourists a year but I would also bet most of your friends have never heard of it. It’s 4 hours away from the closest major airport and many people opt for the Grand Canyon or Vegas instead when venturing to this part of the country. It’s also located two hours from Bryce canyon, so you can see how Page, AZ gets overlooked as a tourist destination.
Now, if you are visiting Page, AZ I doubt it is your final destination. It is most likely a stop on a journey to Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon or Phoenix. If that’s the case, then you might be limited on time and wondering which Canyon packs the most bang for your buck and your precious vacay time.
I wish the answer were simple. I really do. Sorry, but you HAVE to see both. I can break it down:
Upper Canyon.
It gets it’s name by being literally above ground, so Upper. The Lower Canyon is below ground, but we’ll get to that. Upper Canyon is actually the darker canyon. You would think the canyon above ground would get more light but it’s quite the opposite effect. The upper canyon walls are 20-40 feet high (I’m guessing here). They feel at least two stories up, so light has a ways to travel to get to your Instagram shot. Also, the upper canyon is wider at the bottom allowing visitors to walk on a sandy path comfortably through the canyon. It’s less of a hike and more of a photogenic stroll. People who have a bit of trouble walking would most likely be okay in upper canyon with walking sticks or a hand to hold. The lack of light really lends itself to stunning, dramatic images of contrasting light and dark.
This photo is called “The Heart”. Our Navajo guide pointed out each beautifully crafted photo-op and the accompanying visual after which it was named.
Another interesting note on the upper canyon: looking at the photos is quite disorienting. You can’t quite tell what direction that photo is facing. Is it up? Down? Straight ahead? Just some abstract light nonsense? It is even freaking real? That’s part of the canyons beauty. It’s like being on another planet. None of the rules of nature or physics seem to matter. I know you’re curious though, so I’ll tell you that the photo was taken looking up and to the right. The light in these photos is mostly coming from the top of the canyon.
The upper canyon is less strenuous to walk, more dramatic to photograph, and just as stunning as lower canyon. I highly recommend it, but if physically able, you HAVE to try both. Read on.
Lower canyon. No filter needed for this one…
Lower Canyon.
Lower canyon is also stunning. In fact, I wanted to use a thesaurus to find a better word for stunning but nothing really seemed to capture it just right. These sights are other worldly. Touring these trails made me think I was on another planet. I kept wanting to touch the rock thinking it wasn’t actual earthly rock.
Lower requires a bit more athleticism. You don’t need to be super in-shape but you need to be physically capable of climbing up and down ladders, stairs and in between narrow passageways.
Our Navajo tour guide said he played in these canyons as a kid. I could not believe how he braved these drops without stairs, but could you imagine a game of hide and seek in this place?
Lower canyon is much brighter. It is entirely underground but much more shallow. This photo was taken from an iPhone, unedited. I am no pro photographer, but this site has so much natural light and beauty that pictures are stunning without even trying. My friend Tamea of photosbytamea.com took some incredible professional photographs of this amazing place that you should absolutely check out.
Guides often tell visitors of lower canyon to set their phone cameras to ‘vivid warm’ to highlight the orange tones in the sandstone. If you keep your camera at its original setting you can get purple and blue tones in the rocks. Both are stunning, and I would recommend trying a combination of filters- if that’s what you’re into.
What does lower offer that upper does not?
Well, not much. There is more light and more tight spaces which provide different photo ops. It feels like more a mysterious hike while you climb and wind through narrow secret passages. The adventure and unknown feeling helps pump your adrenaline. Lower feels like a hidden adventure. Upper feels like a guided tour. For this reason my curious mind enjoyed the lower canyon “more”, but honestly the photos tell a story of two different and incomparable universes.
The answer:
Just do both! If you absolutely NEED to choose one, I’d say you have to do upper. Though I am slightly partial to lower, you will miss out on the dark mystery of the upper canyon if you only choose lower. The light, ‘vivid warm’ look of the lower can still be achieved at the beginning and the end of the upper canyon. If you do upper you can get glimpses of the lower “look” while still experiencing the upper mystery. It is the closest you’ll get to the best of both worlds.
But seriously….
do both.
Happy travels,
Steph
