Antelope Canyon in Arizona
 

Hey folks, just discovered this amazing place as a necessary visit in one's life. So I'd like to go check it out.

Thinking about heading out to Arizona on a Friday morning and then coming back late on a Sunday night. Would like to maximize time and visit Upper & Lower Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Rainbow Bridge. Is this possible in my time or do I need to cut something out, possibly Rainbow Bridge?

Any tips to make this an efficient trip as well as getting the best pictures possible in Antelope Canyon?

Doable if flying into PGA. Otherwise 4-5 hours driving each way from PHX or LAS.

Some useful threads on FT:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/west/...ival-trip.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...e-arizona.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/west/...ggestions.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...ke-powell.html

It's probably too much. Using Page as a base of operations....

-- Rainbow Bridge is basically a day.

-- Upper and Lower Antelope could be combined into one day, but given that you need to buy a timed entry for Lower and be taken by a guide on Upper you may find it difficult to do both in one day without advanced planning.

-- Horseshoe Bend takes only an hour or two, if you're just looking to wander around the rim and take pictures.

As Tanic noted, if you can't fly into Page with well-timed flights, you need to add several hours of driving each direction from any major airport.

I did both of the slots in Antelope Canyon last April, so can give you a few pointers as to timings.

Ideally, a car is necessary to get around, because the timings are fairly critical if you want to get the best photos in the Upper Canyon (which is where you get to see the shafts of light). These only appear for a short time around midday.

I stayed in Page over night, and booked a tour with Ken's Tours of the Lower Canyon for early on the next morning. You have to drive out to the canyon yourself for that tour. The timing of the tour is less critical than the Upper Canyon tour, as little light gets into the canyon, even at midday. Ideally, a tour about 0900 will see you finished there about 1030 with time to drive back into Page for the Upper Canyon Photographic tour. These leave the offices at 1130 from March 1st onwards.

You are taken out to the Upper Canyon in open sided trucks over pretty rough terrain with a lot of dust, so take glasses or googles and a hat if you want to be comfortable. I recommend the photographic tour, simply because the guides know exactly what time and where the light beams are going to appear in the canyon, and will do their best to make sure that you are in the chamber and there is nobody else in camera shot. If you take a regular tour, which goes in every 20 minutes or so, the groups are much larger, and you are simply walked from one end of the canyon to the other and back. You are very likely to miss the one thing that makes the Upper Canyon unique.

I got back into Page about 1430 in the afternoon, so if you are looking to get to the Horseshoe Bend, you still have plenty of time, although the sun may well be in the wrong place for the best shots.

Final recommendation is to have a good read of the guides about the best way to photograph the canyons, have a decent camera (although modern day point and shoots can still produce fantastic results). You cannot use flash photography in the canyons, so know how to set up your camera for long exposure shots and if the guide offers to set up your camera for you, hand it over. They know pretty well how to set up and camera to get some stunning photos. Finally, clean your camera thoroughly afterwards. Otherwise, you risk all of your subsequent photos having dust flecks all over the photos.

S6 Galaxy good enough?

Or just go and enjoy the scenery and download the pics that a professional took. :-)

Well I need at least 1 quality selfie :)

Actually, the canyons are one place where I really would disagree. You are about 50 foot below ground in a very narrow space so no scenary. With the naked eye you sometimes can't appreciate the changes in texture, color and rock formations that a camera can pick up.

I'm not a pro photog, but some of the photos I took are incredible, taken with a Nikon mid range dslr. My travel companion got equal or better images with her Ipad and a lens that can be fitted to a mobile phone.

One from the Lower Canyon
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i4syy3ebf7ck3hp/DSC_0619.JPG

Upper Canyon First Room with light shaft.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uwuoo4rmin0t2sa/DSC_0653.JPG

You just proved my point. I can go, hike, not carry any camera, and now I can enjoy your pictures.

Richy, are people able to get selfies in the light?

You can't hike in the area on your own. The area is on Navajo land and the only access is through recognised tour groups.

Yes, although it is easier to get someone else to take it for you. The tour guides are usually happy to help you out if you don't want to ask anyond else. As far as the light is concerned, you'll be taking photos at speeds down to .5 seconds or longer. A tripod is highly recommended for best results.

I found this post particularly informative and have two follow up questions:
1) Are the Upper and Lower canyons different enough in their own right, such that you would consider it a 'must' to visit both?
2) I read on one of the tour guide's website that National Park entry is not included. Given that we are planning to visit Antelope Canyon in addition to GCNP, Monument Valley, Sedona and Jushua Tree, what are our best options for paying for National Park entries?

Any advice appreciated.

Info on America the Beautiful passes: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm
Purchase from USGS: https://store.usgs.gov/pass

David