Antelope Canyon by kayak or boat
Antelope Canyon does not stop at the Navajo tour gates. Its lower end runs into Lake Powell. Kayaks and small boats follow the walls in from the water, on a different trip from the famous slot walks. The walls are lower and no light beams fall, and no Navajo guide comes along. This guide covers the kayak and hike tours from Antelope Point and the photo boats from Wahweap. It ends with the fees and the weather that shape the day.
Where the canyon meets the lake
When Glen Canyon Dam was finished in 1966, the Colorado River began to fill Lake Powell, and the water crept up the side canyons, the lower end of Antelope Canyon among them. That flooded section is what the kayak and boat trips visit. It lies in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and the listings ask for the park's entry fee rather than a Navajo permit. Your guide is a kayak instructor or a boat captain, not a Navajo outfitter.
How the water side differs from the slot walks
From a kayak the walls rise straight out of the lake. They stand lower than in the slots on land and further apart, and no beams fall here; when to see the light beams covers those. Kayak tours end where the water runs out and the canyon narrows, and the last stretch is a walk up a sandy slot on foot. One reviewer found that walk less dramatic than the Lower Antelope photos had led them to expect, so treat the water side as an extra, not a replacement.
| Navajo slot walk | Kayak and hike | Photo boat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | ~$75–94 | ~$119 | ~$199 |
| Time | 1–1.5 h | About 4 h | 2 h |
| Who leads | A licensed Navajo guide | A kayak guide | A boat captain |
| On foot | Stairs and ladders in Lower, an exit climb in Upper | A steep path to the water, then a sandy walk in the slot | About 400 yards (370 m) to the dock |
| Light beams | Upper at midday in summer | None | None |
| Fees on top | Navajo permit on some listings, about $15–16 | Park entry, about $30 | Park entry, about $30 per vehicle |
| Bags | None allowed | A dry bag recommended | No limits listed |
Kayak and hike from Antelope Point
The kayak tours launch from the Antelope Point ramp, reached on Navajo Route 22B. You pass the park's toll booth, leave the car at the end of the road and meet the guide down by the water, at the bottom of a steep, sandy path; one reviewer had to help carry the kayak. Paddling takes 2–3 hours in all, roughly 1–1.5 hours each way, and at the far end the canyon closes in until the group beaches the boats and carries on walking.
Antelope Kayak Tours' paddle and hike, from ~$119, takes about 4 hours and scores 4.8 on both sites, from 619 reviews on GetYourGuide and 194 on Viator. Viator has the lower price at about $119, against about $139 with taxes included on GetYourGuide. Kayak and paddles come with the price, and so do a life jacket and a safety lesson. The catch starts with the park entry of about $30, paid on top. The afternoon wind can turn the return paddle into a slog, and this is not the famous Navajo slot walk, so it cannot stand in for Upper or Lower. Viator takes paddlers from 5, with anyone under 14 alongside a parent, and single kayaks carry up to about 250 lb (113 kg).
Other outfitters such as wazSUPkayaks sell similar trips on the lake, and so does Red Rock Adventure Co. One Red Rock listing is titled "Kayak Tour & Lower Antelope Canyon Hike", but its walk is the lake-side section, not a Lower tour on land with Ken's or Dixie's. Whichever you choose, carry a dry bag for your phone, because the listings warn that anything dropped over the side is not retrieved.
Photo boats from Wahweap
The boats leave from the Wahweap launch ramp, at the end of Wahweap Boulevard past Lake Powell Resort. Lake Powell Experience's 2-hour photo boat, from ~$199, takes up to six guests in an open-bow boat past Glen Canyon Dam and into the flooded canyon, where the captain slows down and helps with photos. Swimming is on offer in the warmer months. The ratings come close to perfect, 4.9 from 475 reviews on GetYourGuide and 5.0 from 245 on Viator.
The catch is that you never leave the boat, so you see the walls from the water and walk into no slot at all. The price is about twice a Lower walk, the park pass comes on top for each vehicle, and the six seats are shared rather than private, which is the only complaint on Viator. A GetYourGuide resale that appears to be the same boat costs about $22 more, so stick to the operator's own listing.
For a bigger, slower boat, the marina operator at Lake Powell Resort runs a 1.5-hour cruise from Wahweap that looks into Antelope Canyon without landing. It is the one boat listing we found marked wheelchair accessible, but its reviews are middling (3.9 from 20), and in winter it sails only with at least 20 passengers.
A slot on foot, without the crowds
If the water side feels too far removed from the famous slots, Deer Spring's Secret Antelope tour walks you into a quiet Navajo canyon and then to a private Horseshoe Bend overlook, from ~$159. Viator adds a $15 fee per person, and both sites cancel free until 24 hours before.
Wind and heat on the lake
Afternoon wind is the big variable. Reviewers on several kayak tours fought headwinds all the way back, and one outfitter moves guests to morning launches for that reason, so take the earliest slot you can. Summer highs in Page reach about 95–100 °F (35–38 °C), and one reviewer in June struggled with heat and headwinds together. Spring brings the windiest weeks, as best time of year to visit explains.
Storms cancel trips on the water too. The monsoon runs roughly from July to mid September, one kayak listing flags flash-flood risk in exactly those weeks, and Antelope Kayak's guides earned praise for bringing a group safely through a thunderstorm. A weather cancellation on the kayak trips means a new date or a full refund. The photo boat offers swimming only from about June to September, so outside those months plan to stay dry.
The lake itself moves. Its level rises and falls from season to season and from year to year, which shifts how far up the canyon the water reaches and so how long the walk at the end turns out.
What to pay and pack
- Park entry. About $30, waived with an annual National Park pass. Antelope Kayak's Viator listing charges it per booking, the photo boat per vehicle;
- Tips. Not included on any of these trips, so bring cash for the guide or captain;
- Water and sun. Some kayak outfitters expect you to bring your own water and sunscreen. A hat and a towel help too;
- A dry bag. For phones and car keys, since anything dropped in the lake stays there;
- Food. Not provided on the kayak trips or the photo boat.
The cost guide sets these fees beside the Navajo permit on the land tours.
Who the water side suits
A kayak trip suits active travelers who have already walked one of the slots, or who missed out on midday Upper tickets and want a canyon day anyway. Children from 5 can join Antelope Kayak's trip on Viator with a parent alongside, and our guide for families and slower walkers lists the ages on the land tours. The photo boat suits anyone who would rather sit, or who cannot manage ladders, and photographers can bring a full camera bag, since the listing sets no bag rules (compare photo rules and camera tips). The boat's listing reminds guests that Page runs on Arizona time, so check your phone against Arizona time or Navajo time? before you set off. If you would rather walk a quiet slot than paddle one, look at the quieter slot canyons on land.