Antelope Canyon with kids or bad knees
Antelope Canyon tours set firm age limits, and each canyon tests legs in its own way. Lower means stairs and ladders, while Upper now ends with a climb over the top. Canyon X starts and finishes on a steep path. This guide lists the ages tour by tour, then sorts the canyons by how hard they are on knees and on small children.
Ages, tour by tour
The two booking sites do not always agree on ages. Where they differ, plan around the stricter one.
| Tour | From | Youngest | Child rate | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper with AACT | ~$92 | 8 | 8–12 | No baby carriers; exit climb over the top |
| Upper ticket, National Park Express | ~$90 | 8 on Viator | 7 and under on GetYourGuide | Car or booster seat for 8 and under, bring your own |
| Lower with Dixie's | ~$94 | Infants 0–3 in a carrier | 4–7 | Adult price from 8 |
| Lower with Ken's | ~$75 | Infants 3 and under | 4–12 | No walking sticks |
| Ken's small group, max 10 | ~$118 | Non-walkers in a carrier | One price for all | Sold on GetYourGuide only |
| Antelope Canyon X | ~$82 | Infants 7 and under | 8–17 | Child seats in the 4x4; steep path |
| Secret Antelope | ~$159 | 6 | None | Rough 4x4 ride |
| Kayak and hike | ~$119 | 5 on Viator | None | Under 14 with a parent |
| Photo boat | ~$199 | All ages | Up to 12 on Viator | Infants on a lap |
Dixie's and Ken's let the youngest children into Lower in a chest or back carrier. AACT draws the firmest line in Upper, with no one under 8 "due to intensity" in the listing's words, and it bans baby carriers along with every other bag. With a child under 8 in the group, Lower with either outfitter is the simplest answer.
Car seats in the 4x4s
Tours that drive you to the canyon usually want proper seats for small children. The National Park Express Upper listing on GetYourGuide requires a car or booster seat for children 8 and under and tells guests to bring their own. Viator's Canyon X listing names a car seat for ages 0–3 and a booster for 4–8 among the things not included. Deer Spring asks you to bring a child seat for Secret Antelope if you need one. Lower needs none of this, since you walk to the entrance from check-in in about 10 minutes.
Stairs down and ladders up in Lower
By Dixie's count, a walk of about 10 minutes over rock and sand leads from check-in to the entrance, then five flights of stairs drop about 115 ft (35 m) into the largest chamber. The way out climbs eight handrailed ladders, and the whole loop runs about 1.1 miles (1.8 km). Ken's describes steel stairs and ladders from 3 to 25 ft (1–8 m) long, with handrails on any longer than 8 ft.
Dixie's Lower Antelope walk, from ~$94, includes all fees and taxes and charges a child rate for ages 4–7, while infants up to 3 ride in a carrier. For parents the hard part is the no-bag rule, which reviewers say holds even for water and medical needs, so the diaper bag stays in the car. Back-to-back groups can also hurry the last group through, which matters when a small child wants to stop at every ladder.
Ken's Lower walk, from ~$75, prices children from 4 to 12. A reviewer of 70 with arthritic knees found it manageable, while others found the heat and the ladders hard going. For a calmer pace, Ken's small-group walk, from ~$118, caps groups at 10, and some families had the guide to themselves. The catch is the price, about $40 more than the standard walk, and it sells on GetYourGuide only. Children who cannot walk ride in a chest or back carrier, and no animals are allowed, service animals included.
Lower with children as young as 4
Dixie's charges a child rate for ages 4–7 and takes infants in a carrier, from ~$94 with fees and taxes included. On Viator you can cancel free until 24 hours before and pay nearer the date.
An easy floor in Upper, then the climb out
Upper used to be sold as the gentle canyon. Its floor is wide and mostly sandy, and the trucks drive you up the wash to the entrance. Recent tours, though, run one way through the canyon and leave over the top. On AACT's route that exit means 21 steps up and 112 steps down, about 15 minutes in all, and AACT asks guests to skip skirts and open-toed shoes. Upper with AACT, from ~$92, takes no one under 8, and the exit climb lands in the hottest part of a summer day if you book the midday beam slots.
National Park Express's Upper ticket, from ~$90, sends you to one of four outfitters depending on the option, and the walking differs between them. Most options drive you in, but at least one walks the whole way, about 2 miles (3.2 km) there and back according to reviewers. Pick a transport option if walking is the problem; reviewers called that version good for retired travelers. Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon? compares the two in full.
Canyon X and Secret Antelope
Antelope Canyon X, from ~$82, has the toughest start and finish of the main tours. A steep path with stairs leads down into the canyon and back up at the end, and Taadidiin asks every guest to walk it unassisted. Canes and hiking sticks are not allowed, and walkers are out too. Once inside, the floor is easy. Reviewers on Viator describe several generations of one family managing it together.
Secret Antelope with Deer Spring, from ~$159, has the shortest walk on our list, about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) in the canyon. The trade-off is the ride. Its 4x4 spends 25–30 minutes on rough Navajo dirt roads, and the listing rules out guests with back problems as well as pregnant women. Children must be 6 or older. The guide to quieter slot canyons describes both in more depth.
Walking aids and wheelchairs
Strollers are banned on every listing that mentions them. Canes and walking sticks are refused on Ken's tours, on the Lower ticket sold through National Park Express and at Canyon X, so anyone who relies on one should ask the outfitter before booking. Every listing that mentions wheelchairs rules them out, and Lower's ladders make the reason plain. AACT's Viator listing and Ken's small group also turn away service animals.
The water side holds the one accessible option we found. A 1.5-hour resort cruise from Wahweap Marina carries a wheelchair-accessible badge and looks into the flooded end of Antelope Canyon from the deck, though its reviews are only middling. The small photo boat is not wheelchair accessible, but one reviewer described the captains helping a disabled guest. Antelope Canyon by kayak or boat covers both.
Summer heat and the clock
Summer afternoons in Page climb toward 100 °F (38 °C), yet most tours make you leave water bags in the car like any other bag. Give children a long drink before check-in and keep more in the car. A morning slot is cooler for small children, while the midday Upper beam slots are the hottest of the day (see when to see the light beams). Waterhole Canyon closes outright once the temperature reaches 95 °F (35 °C), and best time of year to visit shows which months are gentler.
Several listings refuse late guests without a refund, and a phone that switches to Navajo time can make a family an hour late without anyone noticing. Arizona time or Navajo time? explains how to avoid it.
Which canyon for grandparents
- Steps are fine with a handrail. Lower with Ken's or Dixie's, taken slowly; Ken's small group of 10 feels calmer;
- Ladders are out, a short climb is fine. Upper on a transport option, after asking which exit that outfitter uses;
- Short walks only, a rough ride is fine. Secret Antelope, with about 0.3 miles on foot;
- No walking at all. The photo boat, with about 400 yards (370 m) to the dock, or the resort cruise for wheelchair users.
To price the trip for everyone, the cost guide adds up a family of four.