On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
snarlymon
In February of 2023 I flew from Denver to Phoenix to visit my sister who was competing in a tennis tourney there. The plan was to take a mini vacation to Sedona to visit a friend of hers after the matches. My sister had also booked a tour of Upper Antelope Canyon as a side trip, so early one morning we headed up to Page to catch our 12 o’clock tour.
The canyon is on the Navajo Reservation and can only accessed by booking a tour with a Navajo guide. Tour slots fill up fast, so if you are planning to visit you should sign up several months in advance. Lynn, my sister, made our February reservations in early November. Cindy, our guide, drove our van on the short drive out to the canyon, including a sandy bumpy ride over what resembled a trail.
Tours are managed so that you are not rushed through or pushed along by a crowd. Cindy pointed out landmarks and features, gave tips on taking photos that she gleaned from professional photographers, took pics of individuals and the group and most importantly let you have time to appreciate the canyons space in solitude.
I didn’t bring my DSLR since I tend to obsess over shots spending time bracketing exposures and playing with different framing and focal lengths so all these photos are taken with an iPhone. If you do bring a dedicated camera make sure you have a good wide angle lens
This is the entrance to the canyon. The picture doesn’t really show the height of the rocks which is thirty to forty feet above the floor. The entry is the darker area to the left.
Once you walk inside you are in a slot canyon which seems like a labyrinth of sculpted sandstone.
There are many places where you can touch both sides of the canyon walls. This is not a place for the claustrophobic.
This gives you a sense of the height of the walls.There are people at the bottom the frame
There are places that are landmarks in the canyon. This is “The Bear” emerging from the rocks on the upper part of the frame.
Nature as an abstract sculpture.
Otherworldly shapes.
This is one of my favorite photos of the tour. The February sun was low on the horizon so we did not get the shafts of light that are often featured in canyon photos, but the sun bounced off the top of the walls creating an orange glow, while the blue sky outlines the texture of the rock.
It’s not just the light that changes with the seasons. The heavy flash floods of spring scours out the sandy canyon floor, dropping it by as much as five feet. Then the smaller floods of summer and fall bring sand back in. Just to state the obvious, you do not want to be caught inside the canyon when a flash flood arrives, as you can see from the high water mark of debris left behind.
It’s a one way tour through the canyon. To get back to the van we needed to take a short hike across the hill that forms the canyon rim. If you were traveling across this landscape would you notice the crack in the earth nearby? I grew up on the east coast, so when I moved out west I did not appreciate the beauty of the desert, thinking of it as empty desolation. Now I admire the stark beauty of the landscapes.
Baud
Very nice. Neat to think that’s how the Grand Canyon was formed.
raven
Wonderful!
HinTN
I agree with @raven: and thank you for sharing these pictures.
BellyCat
Thanks for sharing these stunning images!
OzarkHillbilly
I’ve spent a fair amount of time in deserts. I could never tire of them.
BenInNM
Beautiful pictures – thank you for sharing. I’m happy to hear the tours are well managed and allows one to enjoy the beauty of the place
Another Scott
Great pictures and descriptions.
We were there a decade or so ago. The whole day was an experience. The meetup. The drive flying down the rutted road in the old tour Suburban. The entrance with all the other people, and waiting our turn for the people-free composition. The lesson on camera settings. Sand thrown in the air to see the sunbeams. The stories.
Just a great experience is well worth the time – it’s like nothing else.
Thanks very much.
Cheers,
Scott.
pinacacci
Just gorgeous.
JeanneT
Those are stunning images!
Torrey
Amazing pictures! I’d say something else but I’m pretty much speechless, for once.
Trivia Man
But there’s nothing there!
”that’s right. Nothing but nothing.”
-ed abbey
Desert Solitude is an amazing read if you like the desert.
Lyrebird
Wow, these are really gorgeous photos of an amazing place!
Also, the photos don’t look distorted. Last time my phone had to be replaced, I rushed and got an iPhone SE, and it really seems like all my photos are warped. I have Googled but haven’t found solutions that exist on my particular phone, like there is no “lens correction” option. Anyhow, sorry to ramble on. So glad I clicked to get to view these canyon photos!
HeartlandLiberal
Awesome, gorgeous photos!
Mike in Oly
Simply wonderful. The color palette is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing these.
cope
Spectacular pictures, thank you.
I love the deserts of the American West and am so glad to be back among them. Also, I need to get another copy of “Desert Solitaire” having loaned mine out one too many times. And finally, Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence when asked in the movie why he is attracted to the desert: “It’s clean.”
TheronWare
Wow 😮, how phone cameras have evolved! Who would have believed it possible just 20 years ago? Most excellent shots btw.
Cowgirl in the Sandi
Thanks for sharing these pictures. We were there several years ago and the play of light and swirling patterns on the walls takes your breath away. Lovely.
StringOnAStick
Gorgeous! I’m glad they carefully control access and hold such thoughtful tours.
eclare
Yeah, I would die from claustrophobia, so thank you. Gorgeous photos.
Dmbeaster
Love red rock country. There are great slot canyons everywhere. If you really want claustrophobic, try Spooky Gulch in the Grand Staircase of the Escalante.
https://onefortheroadphoto.com/spooky-gulch-slot-canyon/
Death Valley has a lot of slot canyons, though not that beautiful sandstone.
Wag
Spectacular photos. We went to Page during the pandemic, and Antelope Canyon was closed due to COVID restrictions. We found a similar canyon accessible only by boat, and loved the slot photos. An amazing region.
dnfree
We are just returned from a tour of Southwest parks that included Antelope Canyon. Some of your photos look very similar to our iPhone photos. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
Chris T.
Obvious perhaps, but less obvious is that if you’re in a slot canyon, you may not know that there was a thunderstorm upstream and the flood is coming. Always check the weather forecast! If you hear what sounds like a freight train coming your way, get to high ground.
There are tons of unmarked slot canyons in the San Rafael Reef in central Utah.
Snarlymon
Spooky canyon looks like a real interesting place. I’ll have to check it out. Some really cool photos. Thanks.