Antelope Canyon

• Highlights
• Perfect day
• Map & getting there
• Where to stay
• When to go
• Mistakes to avoid
• Quick answers

Rock that water carved into waves

Antelope Canyon is cut into Navajo Sandstone. Over thousands of years, flash floods and wind have worn the rock into smooth, curving walls that look like frozen waves. The Navajo name for the Upper canyon, Tsé bighánílíní, is often translated as "the place where water runs through rocks".

The two canyons are quite different. Upper Antelope is about 200 metres long, and you walk through it at ground level with no climbing. Lower Antelope is longer, about 400 metres, and narrower, with metal stairs and ladders.

It is also a place where water can kill. Rain falling miles upstream can send a flash flood through the canyon with little warning. In August 1997, eleven tourists died in Lower Antelope Canyon. Today the ladders are bolted in place, there is a weather radio and an alarm horn at the entrance, and you can only visit with a guide.

What to see

• The light beams: thin shafts of sunlight that reach the canyon floor. You see them mostly in Upper Antelope, around midday in summer, on a clear day.
• The swirling walls: smooth sandstone that looks like waves, changing from orange to pink and purple as the light moves.
• Lower Antelope Canyon: longer and narrower than Upper, with metal stairs and ladders.
• Horseshoe Bend: a few minutes from the canyons: the Colorado River curling around a huge rock in a U-shape, about 5 miles south of Page.
• Lake Powell: a huge reservoir right next to Page, with boat trips and kayaking.

Both canyons are on Navajo Nation land. Please treat them with respect, listen to your guide and stay with your group.

A perfect day in Page

Page is small and everything is close. Book your canyon tour for the middle of the day if you want the light beams, and use the early and late hours for Horseshoe Bend.

1. Early morningGo to Horseshoe Bend for sunrise. It is cooler and much quieter than later in the day.
2. Late morningCheck in at your tour company about 30 minutes before your slot.
3. MiddayTake your canyon tour. In summer, the light beams are best from about 11:00 to 13:30 on a clear day.
4. AfternoonHave lunch in Page, then see Lake Powell from the shore or on a boat trip.
5. EveningGo back to Horseshoe Bend for sunset, when the red rock glows.

Where it is and how to get there

Page is in northern Arizona, close to the border with Utah.

• By car The easiest way. Page is about 4.5 to 5 hours from Las Vegas (roughly 280 miles) and about 2.5 to 3 hours from the Grand Canyon South Rim.
• A guide is required Both canyons can only be entered with an authorised Navajo guide. You cannot walk in on your own.
• Day trips from Las Vegas Many day tours leave from Las Vegas. They pack several stops into one long day, so check how much time you get in the canyon.
• Prices In 2026, one Upper Antelope Canyon tour from a Navajo-run company costs $85 plus a $15 Navajo Nation permit, about $100 a person before tax and booking fees. Its 11:40 slot is higher, about $120. Other companies and Lower Antelope tours have different prices, so compare.

Before you go: tour slots open only one to two months ahead and popular times sell out. The tour company we checked asks you to arrive 30 minutes before your slot, allows only transparent bags, and bans tripods, monopods and selfie sticks inside the canyon. Page uses Arizona time, which does not change in summer, so check the time zone on your booking.

Where to stay: Page or Lake Powell?

When to go

• Spring March to May. Warm days and fewer crowds than summer. The light beams are less reliable than in summer.
• Summer May to September. This is the light-beam season, with the sun high around midday. It is also the hottest and busiest time, and summer storms can mean flash-flood warnings and cancelled tours.
• Autumn October and November. Cooler and quieter. There are no beams, but the walls show deeper pinks and purples.
• Winter December to February. Cold and quiet, with soft light and no beams.

Our tips for Antelope Canyon

• Pick midday for the light beams. They need the sun high overhead. In summer, aim for a tour between 11:00 and 13:30, and know that clouds can hide them.
• Book early. Slots are limited and open only a month or two ahead. The best times go first.
• Take your phone, not a tripod. Tripods and selfie sticks are banned inside Upper Antelope on the tour we checked, so ask your tour company about its camera rules.
• Respect the weather. Flash floods can come from rain miles away. If a tour is called off, accept it. It is not worth the risk.
• Take water and sun cream. The tour is short, but Page is hot and dry in summer.

Don't make these mistakes

• Turning up without a booking. Both canyons are guided only, and popular slots sell out.
• Booking a day trip without checking the canyon time. Some tours from Las Vegas fit several stops into one long day, so the time in the canyon can be short.
• Expecting light beams in winter. The beams are a midday, summer thing.
• Ignoring weather warnings. Flash floods have killed visitors here.
• Skipping Horseshoe Bend. It is only a few minutes from the canyons.

Quick answers

A note on prices: fees, opening hours and timetables change, and we update them every year. The details in this guide were checked in autumn 2026 and may be different by the time you travel, so please confirm them on the official website before you book.