Thursday, September 12, 2019

Antelope Canyon Day Tours - What You Need To Know


Antelope Canyon Day Tours - What You Need To Know

Antelope canyon in Arizona is one of the most unique places in the world.  It is considered to be a photographer’s paradise as well as one of the most difficult areas to photograph effectively.  This is quite simply because it is a crack in the earth that ultimately is relying upon sunlight from directly above to illuminate your entire landscape.  The walls of the slot canyon have been smoothed over time by rushing water, creating a flowing effect that allows for sunbeams to travel and from the ground above all the way to the canyon floor.  To capture the sun beams on film, must be present at certain times of the year when the sun is directly overhead.  During these timeframes, photographers flock from all over the world to try their hand at photographing this unique space.  The walls of the canyon were carved by water it is produced by flash flooding instead of a river the way the majority of slot canyons are produced.  This creates a completely dry environment on the canyon floor, as well as the sculpted walls that make this area so unique.  It also makes it dangerous to tour if you’re not familiar with the special circumstances.  There have been tourists hurt and killed over the course of the last few decades, which ultimately resulted in the installation of security and safety devices within the canyon as well as a monitoring of local weather by both the national weather service and the weather service operated by Navajo nation.  If there is any chance of rain within the area that can contribute to flash flooding in the canyon, then tours are not allowed until this weather has passed.  Many times, this means that tours will be shutdown even though there is no rain visible from the canyon entrance.  This can provide frustration and disappointment for people who have driven from faraway areas like Las Vegas to tour the canyon, however it is for your own safety.  Navajo nation does not allow for self guided tours, and requires either on Navajo guide for a person who has been certified by Navajo nation as being familiar with the unique area.  For this reason, it is highly suggested that you do not attempt your antelope canyon tour on your own.  Instead, it is a far better idea to book a tour with a tour company who offers the multiple park excursions, thereby being able to take you to a different area if antelope canyon is closed for the time you are there.  Even if you were to attempt it on your own, you’re still going to need to buy your tickets in advance to the fact that long lines will sometimes create situations where tours are sold out and people are not able to take the tour that they drove there for.  A guided tour that is arranged by professional tour company will take care of all of these issues for you in order to remove the possibility of disappointment.

What You Need To Know About Antelope Canyon


What You Need To Know About Antelope Canyon

You’re not allowed to take a self guided tour of antelope canyon.  This is one of the biggest mistakes that people make when they come to Las Vegas and then decide they’re going to visit a national park that within driving distance.  Even though antelope canyon isn’t technically a national park due to the fact that it is controlled and owned by Navajo nation, it is still protected space that is ultimately one of the most unique areas on earth as well as one of the most visually stunning.  This slot canyon located just to the east of Page Arizona was created by the rushing water of flash flooding over many thousands of years.  This is unique to only a few places on earth, because the majority of large canyons like this are created by the flowing water of rivers or streams.  Antelope canyon was created by flooding that comes and goes, meaning that the bottom of the canyon floor is dry when you tour it.  This also means that there are going to be times when you’re not allowed to enter to do the fact that flash flooding is unpredictable and can cause damage or death.  There have been several instances of tourists hurt or killed over the years by being overcome by flash flooding that was not able to be visually seen from the entrance to the canyon.  There’ve been the installation of safety devices over the years as well as a policy put into place where Navajo nation does not allow for tours to happen if there’s any chance whatsoever of rain in the area that can contribute to a flash flood through the canyon.  If they run their own weather service in addition to the national weather service in order to maintain this policy.  You’re also not allowed to tour the area on your own, needing a Navajo guide or a person who has been certified by Navajo nation as being familiar with the area.  This is for the safety of the patrons who want to tour.  It can be quite frustrating if you drive all the way from Las Vegas only to find out that the area is closed, especially if you cannot see rain developing overhead.  They will not take any chances and there are no exceptions to this rule.

Is highly suggested that if you plan on visiting antelope canyon you do so by utilizing a tour company that will be able to visit a different area would this particular canyon be closed.  It is almost impossible to predict whether antelope canyon will be open or closed until the morning that you would plan on touring it, and even though you have to buy tickets in advance if you were to avoid getting shut out of the tour on the day you were there, there’s still a good chance that you will not be able to tour when you get there.  Only professional tour companies are able to create packages that will ultimately visit other areas if their patrons cannot visit antelope canyon.  Leave it to the professionals.

About Antelope Canyon


About Antelope Canyon

Antelope canyon is one of the most unique places on earth, a slot canyon carved from sandstone by rushing water over thousands of years, making it a photographer’s paradise.  Most canyons are created by Rivers which will run over the course of the same area for many thousands of years, but antelope canyon is different.  When you tour this area you will notice that the floor of the canyon is dry, and you may wonder how this crack and the earth was created if there is no flowing water moving through it.  As surprising as this is, antelope canyon was created by the rushing waters of flash floods over a soft rock surface.  This is why antelope canyon has the look that it does, with flowing and smooth rock walls which tower above the floor of the canyon itself.  One of the most unique aspects of antelope canyon is that during certain times of year when the sun is directly overhead, light beams will travel all the way from the opening at the top to the canyon floor.  When photographed with the wide open aperture, they can be captured in stunning photographs that are not able to be recreated anywhere else on earth.  With the colorful background of this move canyon walls, and the completely unique look of light beams coming through the dark to the sand floor, even the photographs do not do it justice.  It is something that you must see in person to truly appreciate, but this can be more difficult and challenging than you might expect.  The very thing that created antelope canyon is in play today, and any moment flash floods can create a dangerous situation that could trap tour groups inside the canyon and ultimately harm them.  This is happened in the past, leading to some very strict regulations to happen regarding the tours.  Safety equipment has been installed and there are no tours available on any day when the possibility of rain is there, I even within many miles of the canyon itself.  Many people do not understand that you do not have to be able to see the rain in order for it to ultimately arrive in the canyon, which is why Navajo nation operates their own weather service in order to make determinations on whether the canyon will be able to be toured on that day.  In a nutshell, you must go to antelope canyon in order to be able to tour it, even though you might not be able to make a determination until that day if the tour will be available.  You’ll also need to buy tickets in advance due to the fact that the tours sell out quickly.  You’re not allowed to self tour, an ultimately have to have either a Navajo guide or a qualified field guide leading your tour.  This is why it is suggested that you do not attempt to do this on your own, and leave the tour plans to the professional groups.