Our most popular tour is our “3 Day National Parks Tour” which visits Bryce, Zion, the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. There is an additional stop on day two of this trip which is quite popular, but cannot be guaranteed as far as the destination. The additional stop on day two will either be Lake Powell or Antelope Canyon, with most people preferring to visit Antelope Canyon due to its amazing beauty and completely unique aspects. This cannot be a guarantee on the trip, however, and we can only tell if we will be able to visit the famous slot canyon within a few hours of actually getting there. Most people do not understand the aspects of a tour of Antelope Canyon, and assume it is like any other national park or protected space. It is actually not a national park and is protected space that is controlled by Navajo Nation. It is located in Page Arizona, and is on the way to Lake Powell so it is not like we are wasting time if we are unable to visit. In those circumstances we simply replace the Antelope Canyon portion of the trip with Lake Powell. But why is it unable to be predicted if we can visit Antelope Canyon?
Antelope Canyon is a unique place, created by erosion from flash flooding that has carved the slot canyon out of the sandstone walls. There are two main areas, “the Crack” and “the Corkscrew” which both offer unique aspects on their own. Different times of year make for more interesting visuals in Antelope Canyon due to beams of light showing down from the sky to the canyon floor, but the unique feeling of hiking between the high walls on both sides which obstructs all vision except for straight up is available all year long. Oddly enough, the reason that we cannot predict if we will be able to visit during our 3 Day Tour is the same reason that Antelope Canyon was created, flash flooding. You see, Antelope Canyon is subjected to rushing water that is powerful enough to sweep visitors away and is quite dangerous. Although Navajo Nation officials have taken safety precautions like installing rails and stairways as well as other safety equipment permanently into the canyon walls, there have still been instances where flash flooding caused injuries and deaths. This situation lead those in charge of the area to only allow for tours which are guided by professional companies like ours, and only on the promise that they will not lead tours through Antelope Canyon if there is even the slightest chance of rain within miles of the area. Even if the skies look clear over Antelope Canyon, rain miles away can still create a flash flood through the canyon. Therefore, Navajo Nation and the National Weather Service provide ongoing updates to tour groups in the area as to whether they will be allowed to tour the canyon or not on a particular day. For this reason, we cannot predict if we will be touring with your group, but if we do get to go through you will never forget it.