Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon?
Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon are two separate slots east of Page, each walked with its own Navajo outfitters. Upper is the famous one, home of the light beams and the biggest crowds. Lower asks more of your legs and gives back more shapes and steadier light. This guide sets them side by side and matches each to a kind of visitor.
The two canyons at a glance
Both walks last about an hour on paper and leave you 30–60 minutes inside the rock. Almost everything else differs.
| Upper Antelope | Lower Antelope | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | A-shaped, a broad floor under a narrow top | V-shaped, a tight floor under a wider top |
| Getting in | 4x4 or van from the check-in, about 10 minutes on pavement then 10 in a sandy wash | A walk of about 10 minutes from the check-in |
| On foot | Sandy floor, then an exit hike over the top | Stairs down, ladders with handrails up |
| Light | Midday beams in summer | A glow all day, rarely a true beam |
| Price from | ~$90 plus permit, ~$92 with AACT | ~$75 with the permit included |
| Youngest age | 8 with AACT | Child tickets from 4, babies carried |
| Crowds | The busiest canyon near Page | Busy too, with groups back to back |
Upper Antelope, the A-shaped slot
The Navajo call Upper Tsé bighánílíní, "the place where water runs through rocks". Its floor is broad and sandy, and the walls lean together overhead until only a crack of sky remains. That shape is why sunlight drops in as a shaft around midday in summer, which is why Upper ends up on the posters. The canyon is cut into Navajo Sandstone, and you reach its mouth in a truck or van from the outfitter's office. Most Upper check-ins sit on AZ-98 east of Page, though Chief Tsosie's slots start in town. The ride takes about ten minutes on paved road and another ten bouncing up a dry wash.
Older blogs promise a flat stroll in and back out the same way. Lately the route runs one way, and you leave by climbing up and over the canyon. AACT counts 21 steps up and 112 down on that exit, about 15 minutes in the open, and the Tse Bighanilini route has about 150 stairs. Upper is also the pricier of the two and the more crowded, with groups often only a few yards apart.
Lower Antelope, the V-shaped slot
Lower carries the Navajo name Hazdistazí, "spiral rock arches", and it starts as a thin crack in flat ground. Both Lower outfitters check you in off Indian Route 222, Dixie's under a green roof and Ken's in its own building nearby. From there you walk about ten minutes over bare sandstone before going down into the rock. Dixie's describes five flights of stairs down into the largest chamber, followed by eight ladders with handrails that climb back up through the slot. Ken's steel stairs run 3–25 ft long, with handrails on any longer than 8 ft. The full loop covers about 1.1 miles (1.8 km).
Because the canyon opens wider at the top, light reaches deeper for more of the day, and the walls glow from morning to late afternoon. The corridor twists more than Upper's, so the shapes change every few steps. It costs less, the permit is usually inside the price, and groups stay at 15 or fewer with Dixie's and Ken's.
Which canyon suits which visitor
- You want the light beams. Upper, on a slot near midday between spring and early autumn; when to see the light beams narrows down the weeks;
- You want photos without the beam crowd. Lower, where the walls glow at any hour and the shapes keep changing; our photography guide covers the settings;
- Your knees complain on stairs. Neither is flat any more. Upper's floor is easy but the exit climb is not, while Lower's ladders come with handrails all the way;
- You are on a budget. Lower, from ~$75 with the permit included;
- You travel with young children. Lower sells child tickets from age 4, and AACT's Upper tour turns away anyone under 8;
- You hate crowds. Neither one. Canyon X and Secret Antelope see far fewer people.
Upper with the outfitter itself
AACT sells its Upper tour under its own name on both sites, from ~$92 on GetYourGuide. Viator charges about $119 with fees and taxes inside. Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before on both. Ages start at 8, and the walk ends with the climb over the top.
Doing both in one day
Plenty of visitors book both, and the order matters. Take Lower in the morning, when the ladders are cooler and the light already glows, then Upper with AACT around midday for the beams. The check-ins sit a short drive apart, about 5 miles (8 km) east of town, but each wants you there 30–45 minutes early, so leave a two-hour gap at least. Both run on Arizona time, which your phone may not show, and the clock guide explains that trap.
Dineh Tours does both in one outing, from ~$369, with hotel pickup in Page. You pay heavily for the convenience. The price runs to more than twice two separate standard tickets, and Viator reviewers say you still join the public groups inside each canyon.
For a calmer Lower, Ken's small-group walk, from ~$118, caps the group at 10 and keeps the 24-hour free cancellation. It sells only on GetYourGuide, and it costs about $40 more than Ken's standard walk at ~$75.
What the two have in common
Both canyons lie on Navajo Nation land in the LeChee Chapter, inside Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park, and neither can be entered without a licensed Navajo guide. Neither allows bags of any kind. Both close when rain falls upstream, and both get crowded at peak hours. Prices and refund rules differ from listing to listing, as what Antelope Canyon tours cost sets out. For ages and stairs in detail, see the guide to kids and access. For somewhere calmer, read about the quieter slot canyons near Page.