Lower Antelope Canyon Family Adventure Guide

Ready to explore surreal flowing sandstone slot canyons hidden below the sandy landscape? Join us on our family adventure in Antelope Canyon!

We said goodbye to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and traveled through the Navajo Nation to Page, Arizona. Cattle, horses, and other livestock are free roaming throughout the area, with little pullout areas with vender stalls every couple miles.

What is Antelope Canyon?

Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon on Navajo land. It includes six separate slot canyon sections -- Upper Antelope Canyon (or The Crack), Rattle Snake Canyon, Owl Canyon, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Canyon X and Lower Antelope Canyon (or The Corkscrew). Slot canyons are small canyons formed when water flows into a crack in the bedrock. In Page, a creek that empties into the Colorado River would have flash floods that wore away the sandstone. This was followed by hot, dry periods where sandstorms brushed against the canyon walls, causing the striated / swirled canyon walls.

Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon?

Upper Antelope Canyon is famous for the sun ray shot that appears when the sun is in just the right location, but it is only 100 yards long. Lower Antelope Canyon is not as famous, but still amazing (and closer to a mile in length).

Lower Antelope Canyon is in the shape of a “V” with narrow footing and wider ceilings. Whereas Upper Antelope Canyon is shaped like an “A” with a wider pathway that narrows as you approach the top of the canyon.

The tours of upper Antelope Canyon are a little more crowded, but Lower Antelope Canyon is becoming more popular now.

All things considered, we opted to tour the Lower Antelope Canyon section and we were not disappointed!!

Being on Navajo land, Antelope Canyon is only accessible through certain Navajo tour companies. We used Ken’s Tours based on recommendations from others.

Our Family Adventure in Lower Antelope Canyon

The Navajo Nation does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so figuring out the correct time can be tricky. I booked a 11 am tour, so we left the Grand Canyon by 7 am to be safe (and factoring in some stops along the Desert View Drive). Once in Page, the Utah boarder is a few miles away, so cell phones bounce back and forth between time zones. Depending on the tour company you select for your tour, they will specify which time zone they operate in. We ended up arriving before 10 am, but were able to swap for slots on the 10 am tour.

You cannot bring any backpacks/purses into the canyon. You also cannot record any video (so no GoPros) and no selfie-sticks. The tour lasts about an hour, but does require climbing stairs and squeezing through the canyon walls.

You start off with a safety briefing and then a short walk out into the desert. Lower Antelope Canyon is the kind of place that you would never find unless it was pointed out to you. The entire canyon is below ground level. All that you can see to give it away is the wavy narrow chasm – and you can’t really see that unless you are really see close up!

Once at the canyon entrance, you descend 5 sets of metal staircases into the long narrow slot canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon runs north to south, so the lighting is always amazing! With the sun shining through the top of the underground canyon, shafts of light cut into the canyon, illuminating the orange and gold sandstone walls. The effect is surreal! At every turn there was a new formation, swirl, or wave to explore. I could have spent hours in the canyon photographing the angles and colors!

At the end of the canyon, you climb up another metal staircase and squeeze through the sandstone on the desert floor. We explored some dinosaur prints and made the short hike back to the tour station, where we enjoyed popsicles while we dusted off.

The Family Verdict

No trip to the southwest is complete without visiting some part of Antelope Canyon! We were given enough space to explore and take photos without feeling like we were rushed through to make room for the next tour group. The guide pointed out great photo opportunities and shared a ton of great information with us. Lower Antelope Canyon is one of my favorite stops on our road trip!

If you loved this family adventure guide, check out my review of nearby Arches National Park and follow along on our road trip through the American Southwest!

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