Day 2 (P1) of 10 of our Epic Summer Journey

WE EXPLORED THE BEAUTIFUL SANDSTONE CREVICES OF A SLOT CANYON!!

DAY 2 - Part 1: Lower Antelope Canyon

One of the very first things that we did when booking our trip was schedule a tour to see one of the most visited slot canyons in the American Southwest located on Navajo reservation land. Named for the herds of pronghorn antelope that roamed the area years ago, we decided on the Lower Antelope Canyon, with a depth of about 120 feet, to which you descend via steep staircases.

This is where we entered and descended 120 feet down to the Lower Canyon.

I have a terrible fear of heights (not so much claustrophobia... because some of the passageways here are pretty narrow), so admittedly was a little worried when I began researching the tour. I am happy to report that I had NO anxiety going down the stairs - at all! I read in advance that backpacks (and a whole list of other items) weren’t allowed and it was best to wear close-toed shoes (although in hindsight, I think my Tevas would’ve been fine... just don’t wear flip flops because it's pretty sandy in the canyon).

We booked through Ken’s Tours for 9:00 a.m. ($40/pp) and I think we finished up right around 11:00 a.m. Since there were 9 of us and they fill time slots with 10 groups of 10 guests each, we were able to share this experience as a family with no outsiders. Our tour guide (I *think* his name was Kameron) was fantastic! He was extremely friendly and knowledgeable... giving us all the names of the different formations as we passed (I was overwhelmingly awe-stricken during the tour, so didn't snap photos of the majority of them ~ such as the Lion, the Growling Bear, the Indian Chief, the Eagle, etc... though I did manage to capture the Lady in the Wind). With that being said, one thing to keep in mind is they are conducting 10 different group tours in these timeframes, so it’s a little like herding cats sometimes.

The Lady in the Wind

Another of Lady in the Wind

These are only a small portion of all the amazing photos we took, but because of its beauty, I decided Antelope Canyon deserved a blog post of its own (which is why I decided to divide Day 2 into parts):

There is something to be said to walk among and explore these canyon walls, running your hands along the sandstone crevices that began forming MILLIONS of years ago by just water, wind and flash flooding. It was so surreal and humbling! 

There were several locations throughout the 1/4 mile trek that had these dots on the rock formations that you see in the photos below.

This is the little crevice we crawled out of!

These photos were all taken from my iPhone and as you can see... this place can make even the novice photographer look like a pro! I literally took almost 300 photos here (so you can guess why it was hard to narrow down to less than 1/10th of them).

It is absolutely unbelievable how gorgeous these rock formations are and to say the Lower Antelope Canyon tour was hauntingly beautiful would be a vast understatement. Everything about it was breathtakingly phenomenal. I’d seen hundreds of photos online prior to visiting but nothing compares to seeing nature’s work of art in person. It is one of Mother Nature's masterpieces and one of the most spectacular places I have ever visited!

So, if you're planning a trip out west... this is absolutely a must-do that should be on the bucket list to be able to fully appreciate its beauty!

Cheers, y'all!

xo

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." ~ Leonard Cohen