Lower Antelope Canyon Review: My Honest Experience and Tips for Visiting
Points 2 Wanderlust contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Associate Program. If you make a purchase using one of these Amazon links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. See my Privacy Policy for more information.
Antelope Canyon Tours
Visiting Antelope Canyon is the perfect reason to visit Page, Arizona, even though it is almost a 5-hour drive from Phoenix. I was literally in awe as we walked through the slot canyon. The colors and formations make you feel like you are not on earth, and combining that with learning the history of the land, it really just made my day.
Antelope Canyon is located on a Navajo Nation reservation, so you have to do a guided tour to access the slot canyons. There are multiple tour groups to book through, and we decided on Dixie Tours because they included the Navajo fee in their booking fee. Our Lower Antelope Canyon Tickets cost $98.
In this Lower Antelope Canyon review, I will share my honest experience visiting on a Navajo-guided tour and tips to make the most of your trip to Page, Arizona.
Antelope Canyon Tours
You have the option to visit either Lower Antelope Canyon or Upper Antelope Canyon during your time there. We chose to visit Lower Antelope Canyon, which is what they consider the more adventurous Antelope Canyon tour, because of the steep staircases you have to walk down and the narrow passages. When you start the tour, you have to go down the stairs backwards. This was a little difficult because not only was I trying to hold onto my phone because, of course, I had no pockets, but the stairs felt a little slippery.
If you want to get the photos with the light beams shining through, try Upper Antelope Canyon tours. So if you have any physical challenges, I recommend visiting Upper Antelope Canyon. I will try Upper Canyon next time I visit.
There are some combo tours, but we had a packed day and were not able to add that on. This is a tour I would not want to miss out on next time I visit Page, Arizona.
What to know before visiting Lower Antelope Canyon: Tips, Packing, and Rules
For your Antelope Canyon Tour, there are a few things I would keep in mind to make sure your tour goes smoothly.
Antelope Canyon is not in the same time zone as Arizona; it has its own time zone, so check your booked tour for what time zone your booking is happening. As we were driving there, our phones kept changing time zones, so just keep that in mind.
When packing to head to Antelope Canyon, keep in mind that you cannot bring anything outside of your phone, water, and a hat. For photographers, you are not able to bring a lot of equipment, but your iPhone photos will be amazing.
Even though you cannot record video in Antelope Canyon, your iPhone photos will still be able to tell a story, and not being focused on taking videos kept me focused on the awe of the canyon.
Since no tripods, bags, or anything else, I would recommend wearing something that has pockets. I really wish I had, so I could hold on better to the stairs as we went down them. You literally have to walk down them backwards.
I would not recommend the Lower Antelope Canyon tour with little kids due to the stairs. Honestly, those stairs gave me a scare a few times, cause they felt a little slick.
While I did go in July, and it was scorching that day, I decided against bringing water and hurriedly drank water before we went down for the hike because I did not want to carry much. I really anti having things in my hands, and it was really helpful since everyone was asking me to take their photos. It is cooler in the slot canyons, so if you go during another season, you may want to bring a light jacket. I felt fine in the gym shark set that I wore.
Lower Antelope Canyon Photography Tip: Make sure to wipe your camera before you take photos so that you can get clear photos.
What my Lower Antelope Canyon Tour was Really like: Antelope Canyon Review
This Lower Antelope Canyon tour was one of the highlights of my trip to Arizona. We arrived at the tour about 30 minutes early to do check-in, where you will need to show an ID and have any other members of your party sign in.
Afterward, they give you a colored badge, and that is how they separate everyone in the same time group who has booked different experiences.
I would recommend visiting earlier in the day, so you can get some of the light peaking through.
In addition, as you go through the tour, your guide will help with photos and point out different formations in the rocks. Our Antelope Canyon Tour guide even sang the birthday song to one of my friends in his native language. We learned so much from him about the formations and the canyons themselves. I loved hearing about how water created the look of the canyons and how the area looks during the different seasons due the the wind, water, and other natural elements.
It was not super packed when we went into the canyons, and I loved that they gave each group a little bit of space between them. I would try to get towards the middle of your group so that you are not holding up the group behind you.
It did not feel super dusty inside the canyon as we walked through, but there were some sharp edges and lower areas, so make sure to look where you are going so you do not walk into anything. Our guide would often stop for group photos and to help us take really cool photos at different points so that we could capture the essence of the slot canyon.
Other Things to do in Page, Arizona
While you are in Page, there are a few other things to do in Page, Arizona. Check out Horseshoe Bend, which is located nearby and has an amazing view of the Colorado River after a mini hike. In addition, you can check Shell Gas Station for great views of a less touristy spot located between Horseshoe Bend and Lower Antelope Canyon.
There are also other great slot canyons to check out, such as Waterhole Canyon and Secret Canyon.
Antelope Canyon Review
Lower Antelope Canyon blew me away. The narrow sandstone walls, the shifting light, and the history shared by our Navajo guide made this feel like more than just a tour; it was an experience that I will never forget. If visiting Antelope Canyon is on your Arizona Bucket list, book early and give yourself time to soak in everything that Page has to offer.
Other Arizona Post
Horseshoe Bend Tips and Tricks for visiting
Shell Gas Station Cave: Where it is and how to take the iconic photos
Save for Later
| Travel Resources | Information about Resources |
| Airalo | If you need phone service while out of the country, check out Airalo to avoid all the fees. |
| Amazon | Find the perfect items for your next vacation! |
| Booking.com | If you want to book a mix of hotels and houses, check out booking.com! |
| Expedia | Need a package that includes flight + hotel, or want to add a car? Expedia is the perfect site to book an entire vacation. |
| Priority Pass | If you do not have a travel credit card, you can still get lounge access through Priority Pass. Click to learn more! |
| Ticketmaster | Heading to a concert or event, make sure to check out Ticketmaster. |
| Vrbo | Find the perfect rental house for your vacation and/or staycation. |
| Viator | The perfect place to find all your excursions |
I’ve seen hundreds of photos from the canyon, but I haven’t ever read about anyone’s actual experience. Thanks for sharing! It’s good to know that you can’t bring much at all with you. That’s actually really neat, like you said, it would keep me focused on the canyon and not distracted by other things.
I actually never thought about the fact that you would need a guide to visit the canyon, and from all the photos I have seen, I didn’t think about the fact that it would be extremely busy. But it makes sense, being such a gorgeous place, it is no wonder it is busy. Thanks for sharing your experience.
This was a great guide! Good to now you really can’t bring much. I’d probably leave my water too lol. So are cameras not allowed at all or is it more you can bring you camera, but you just have to carry it since no bags are allowed?
Had read a few guides about lower antelope canyon, but they didn’t mention you couldn’t bring that many things or that you couldn’t film in the canyon. If I’m in Arizona again, this canyon is definitely on my to visit list.
Yes! The tour I went through was very strict about what you could bring
This is a great guide for anyone wanting to do this trip!
This is on my bucket list. A lot of great information here. We are headed that way next fall so I’m going ot try to get there.
You will absolutely love it!
Beautiful review! I’ve been lucky to visit both Lower and Upper Antelope Canyon, and each offers such a different experience. The narrow passages and shifting light in the Lower Canyon are incredible, while the Upper Canyon’s famous light beams feel almost magical. Your detailed tips about the tours and time zone changes are super helpful — this post brought back amazing memories of that stunning place in Page!
When i head back I will try out Upper Antelope Canyon