Arizona. Antelope Canyon’s Corkscrew Spires and Sandstone Waves
Images that show shafts of light penetrating downward through waves of red and orange sandstone have been popularized by social media posts and computer screen savers. At least some of these photos have been captured in slot canyons near Page, Arizona. Collectively known as Antelope Canyon, there are at least six places on Navajo tribal lands north of Lake Powell where visitors can walk through narrow crevasses carved by erosion and by flood water traveling through sandstone hamada: Upper Antelope Canyon, Rattlesnake Canyon, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Owl Canyon, Canyon X, and Lower Antelope Canyon. Together, these sites attract more than 100,000 visitors every year. A colleague and I decided to see for ourselves.
To the Navajo, these sacred canyons symbolize connections between natural and spiritual worlds. The area is covered by 190-million-year-old Navajo sandstone. The reddish-brown sedimentary rock began as wind-blown waves of ancient dune sand. Thousands of years of wind and water erosion have sculpted and deepened narrow passageways cut into the rock. Even more significant have been violent flash floods that transport larger rocks and debris. In August 1997, eleven tourists who ignored warnings and entered Lower Antelope Canyon were killed by a violent flash flood. Because of this danger, the region’s slot canyons can only be seen through organized tours.
Upper and Lower Canyons are about 12 kilometers apart. Whereas Upper Canyon is shaped like an “A” with a narrow opening at the top and a wide base, Lower Canyon’s profile resembles a “V” with a wider top and narrow pathway at the bottom. Because of its beauty and accessibility, Antelope Canyon is the most photographed slot canyon in the world. Late summer is the peak season for visiting. Knowing that tickets sell out, we arranged our tour dates and times several weeks before we were scheduled to arrive. The best time for photographs is typically noon when the sun penetrates downward to the canyon sides and floor. A caveat for ticket holders is purses and backpacks are not allowed in the canyons (presumably to prevent litter).
Our shuttle to the canyon departed from a shopping center in Page, Arizona. At our designated time we found seats in the rear of a pickup truck for the bumpy 20-minute trip to the canyon. The Navajo call Upper Antelope Canyon Tsébighánílíní, meaning “place where water runs through rocks.” Another name is simply “the crack.” Just 91.5 meters long, Upper Antelope Canyon was discovered in the 1930s by a young girl tending livestock. The entrance is at ground level and initially, the route through the canyon was two-way. To maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis, it became one-way in 2020. To exit, visitors now follow steps upwards to the top of the canyon rim and then descend a staircase back down to the parking area.
We entered the canyon through a ground-level fissure. In some places the wave-like sandstone forms curves and sinuous patterns of orange, tan, and yellow. Elsewhere there are brilliant reds produced by iron interacting with oxygen. Also contributing to astonishing views is the interplay between light and shadow. Our guide shared a trick for creating more visually stunning photographs by throwing a small quantity of sand into the air to form a shaft of light.
The next day we drove to a parking area and checked in at a counter inside the welcome center. The Navajo call Lower Antelope Canyon Hazdistazí, meaning “spiral rock arches.” We approached what appeared to be a narrow crack in the rock surface and then descended down a metal staircase. Inside and at the bottom, the sandstone walls are just a few meters apart and up to 30 meters deep. Lower Antelope Canyon is known for corkscrew rock formations and twisting spirals. There are also recessed alcoves hollowed out by running water. Along the narrow pathway are five flights of metal stairs. Adding to the strange feeling of being at the bottom of a slender opening in rock were small quantities of sand that cascaded downward from high above. At times the pathway felt crowded. To maintain control over our group of fifteen, our guide periodically asked us to stop and on receiving the command we pushed closer together in confined passageways. At times I found it challenging to take photos because of group members just ahead or behind. Our guide pointed out images visible in the sandstone formations including a growling bear, lion, buffalo, and shark. In another place we were shown where a Microsoft Windows screen saver photograph was taken. A little farther down the trail our guide pointed out where a photo was taken that later appeared on a cover of National Geographic magazine. Our tour of Lower Antelope Canyon took about 90 minutes. At the end we climbed stairs back to the visitor center.
