Upper Canyon (4).JPG

Deb Stone

Explore 2 Iconic Arizona Landscapes: Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend

Draw a circle around Page, Arizona, and you’ll find numerous natural wonders. Among them are Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.

Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the Southwest. This iconic formation got its name from local Navajo stories regarding the herds of pronghorns that used to wander in the area. It’s a sacred monument of the Navajo people and a Navajo Tribal Park, which means you can only see it with an authorized Navajo tour guide.

Known by the Navajo as “The place where water runs through the rocks,” Antelope Canyon is comprised of two separate canyons, Upper and Lower, and you can tour one or the other or both.

Upper Antelope is known as “The Crack” because it’s shaped like an A, narrow at the top and wider at the bottom. This design is what creates the striking light beams that occur when the sun is being projected onto the canyon floor, an occurrence that’s best viewed in the summer months during midday. Its these iconic light beams that have made Upper Antelope legendary worldwide.

Lower Antelope, known as “The Corkscrew,” is the opposite. It has a V shape, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Though it doesn’t have Upper Canyon’s notable light beam effect, it’s equally as breathtaking as its sibling.

This stunning, colorful sandstone formation was created by layers of rain, wind and erosion, a process that took millions of years. It gets its varying shades of vivid orange and red hues from the iron oxide deposits that blended in with the windblown sands.

Sue Tsosie discovered the canyon while herding sheep as a young Diné girl back in 1931. Imagine her surprise and amazement upon stumbling across it—and how she proceeded to describe it to her family. Words simply don’t do it justice.

The majority of people visit the Upper Canyon if they only have time to see one of the canyons, due to its massive popularity. You’ll start your tour at the tour company’s office, where you’ll board a vehicle for the ride to the entrance of the canyon. Then your driver/guide escorts you through the canyon for a quarter of a mile walk, as he/she explains about its geology. The canyon bottom is wide, sandy, and easy to navigate.

You’ll be dazzled by the kaleidoscope of colors and textures in the canyon and it will feel like you’re in a surreal, otherworldly place. The walls will seem to undulate as you walk through the labyrinth of corridors, while the light plays peekaboo from the openings above.

A few things to note about the Upper Canyon: Since it’s more popular, it’s more expensive than the Lower, and more crowded, as you might expect. Tours can get backed up and you might feel like you’re being herded around with not much time to fully enjoy the sights. Visiting off-season is optimal if at all possible.

If you’re looking for an adventure with more rugged terrain, head to Lower Canyon. Due to its V-shape, you’ll have to squeeze through narrow passages, climb over rocks and go up and down several ladders. Make like Indiana Jones, as the experience is more of a hike with fun obstacles. Additionally, the canyon is brighter and, when the sun hits the walls, it creates its own special light effects on the wave-like sandstone forms.

Tours last about 1.5 hours, same as those of Upper Canyon, but you’ll get to spend more time in the canyon itself since the tour starts only steps away from where you park your car at the company’s office. Also, the pace is slower due to less people, so you’ll be able to take your time as you explore this impressive natural formation. And to top it off, tours cost about half of those of Upper Canyon, so it’s lighter on the wallet.

Horseshoe Bend is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular landscapes in the state. This near-perfect circular canyon, which is located in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, was carved into the earth by the Colorado River and is a result of erosion.

For the best view of this natural masterpiece, hike the 1.5-mile roundtrip path to the overlook and gaze at the sheer, sandstone cliff walls. Look down 1,000 feet below to the mighty Colorado River and marvel at its blue-green color.

To get a more intimate look at this dramatic formation, opt to do a half-day Horseshoe Bend Rafting Trip with Wilderness River Adventures.

You’ll board your raft next to Glen Canyon Dam. In 1963, a reservoir, Lake Powell, was created by the construction of the dam, flooding much of the canyon hundreds of feet in depth. Nearly five million cubic yards of concrete, enough to build a two-lane highway from Phoenix to Chicago, were used to construct the dam. It serves to provide electricity for 1.7 million people.

Your guide will share with information about the geology and history of the area as you leisurely float down the river. You’ll learn about John Wesley Powell, famed explorer of the American West. A one-armed Civil War veteran, Powell and his mountain men took off in 1869 on an arduous 1,000-mile, three-month expedition to map one of the last blank spaces left on the U.S. map—the Green and Colorado Rivers through what would become known as the Grand Canyon.

When Powell arrived at what is now Glen Canyon, he described it as a “land of beauty and glory,” and named it for its many glens near the river. A hundred or so years later, when the canyon was flooded by the Glen Canyon Dam, it formed a lake named for the one-armed explorer.

On the trip, you’ll see plenty of desert varnish on the canyon walls, which is responsible for their striking hues and textures. This reddish orange-to-black coating is composed of various minerals.

Unique formations dot the route and you might spot some that resemble facial shapes or animals,  or perhaps Star Wars characters like Jabba the Hut. And there’s even a pair that looks like the logos for the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles football teams!

At Petroglyph Beach, you’ll get off the raft and take the trail to see the petroglyph panels. These petroglyphs are symbols that have significance and meaning to the Native Americans of the region, primarily the Hopi and the Navajo, and are considered sacred. Some date back 12,000 years. Animals, such as bighorn sheep and possibly birds, along with an assortment of geometric shapes and hunting scenes are depicted on this impressive panel.

As you head around Horseshoe Bend, the formation will appear even more massive than when you viewed it from above. It takes centerstage in sentinel fashion and you can appreciate its true size from how long it takes to circumnavigate it. This perspective also makes you feel small and insignificant in relation to such a behemoth.

In total, you’ll raft fifteen miles and finish the trip at Lees Ferry, where you’ll board a bus for the ride back to Page.

When you go