When the light strikes: The beauty of the Antelope Canyon

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Do you see that picture above? Looks familiar? When your answer is yes, it is either, you’ve been here or there was a time when it is your desktop background. Yes, Antelope Canyon is famous wallpaper when selfies isn’t dominating your background wallpapers yet. It is no wonder.

The place is just begging to be captured and displayed for the world to see its majestic beauty. So if you haven’t seen it yet (pictures from other source not included), be sure to ready your backpack and add it to your checklist of must-sees.

LOCATION

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Antelope Canyon is divided into two parts; the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. The Lower Canyon is located north of the Upper Canyon. The canon is located at the Navajo Nation near Page, Arizona in the southwest of America.

The canyon is located specifically at the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation extending to a river on the north near Utah.

The canyon runs deep as 37 meters and extends at a length of 200 meters (Upper Antelope Canyon) and 407 meters (Lower Antelope Canyon).

CLIMATE

Summer is hot, while winter is cold in the canyons and the seasons of fall and spring are pleasant. However, it can be cooler when you’re down in the canyons, especially in the early mornings.

The months of April to October and mid-March until the early October are the good times to visit the canyons. Monsoon seasons are highly discourage due to the dangers of flashfloods.

TRANSPORTATION

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To go to the area, there is an airport on Page, which is just a few minutes away from Antelope Canyon. It only serves Denver and Phoenix flights, so you can opt for Phoenix and Las Vegas International is just 5 hours away from Page.

However, the entry to the canyon is restricted to those who have authorized guided tours due to the dangers of flashflood, which has been the source of numerous accidents in the area.

There are online reservations available in which you can specify the tour you want. The tours start at an early morning around 9 am and ends at noon. Photography tours usually start on at noon until afternoon. The fees range from $30 to $80 per person depending at the type and length of tour.

4X4 trucks will transport you at the entrance of the canyons, where the tours last for around two hours, still depending on what kind of tour you booked.

ATTRACTION

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Visiting the Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons requires climbing though stairways and narrow spots, where one slip is dangerous and with the sandstones in whirling formation towering over you at each side.

However, once you’re already inside, it’s a beautiful reminder why you risk it in the first place.

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The early mornings are already an opportunity to get acquainted on the beauty the canyons has to offer.

The bright sky is a wonder contrast to the prehistoric sandstones, creating silhouettes of golden browns and russets on the grooves and edges of the canyons.

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Exploring the canyons is like walking on a living art masterpiece. Each towering stones are like are perfectly sculpted by the skilled of nature. The beams of light passing through the opening above bring the place alive. Each reflections bounces through the maze of sandstones. It’s like being in an abstract paint.

All throughout the tour, the sight isn’t the only thing that will satisfy you. There are a lot of information, courtesy of your guides, that will fill your appetite for knowledge.

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Perhaps the most fulfilling of all is when you finally see the transition of colors commanded by the sun’s rays.

The sharp russets in the morning are softening in the afternoon, creating hues of crimsons and mauves clashing and blending with each other. It is truly a paradise.

However, such paradise is hard to believe to be the result of violent force of nature.

http://laurenceourac.com/when-the-light-strikes-the-beauty-of-the-antelope-canyon/

Images
(1) http://www.milespartnership.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/82239_CAVE_CTP_SW300_07-copy.jpg
(2) http://www.dreamflagstaff.com/gfx/maps/antelope-canyon-map-lg.jpg
(3) http://taketothehighway.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DSC_0125.jpg
(4) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Lower_antelope_stairs_md.jpg
(5) https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7337/9288500619_bbb37eb19a_b.jpg
(6) http://planetden.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Antelope-Canyon-%E2%80%93-A-Dreamy-but-Dangerous-Place-in-Southeast-America-1.jpg
(7) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8O-ZfAeLCbVGOakmYUak3i4yWUa3f2pxjSk2Ys_NY5VXWH3EGn9EwgtF3ZxuGPFAb6l15n1hJzxYOegpemimmA3YMiK1DhBE2hchR3ZXkedq5qPNopzILQle0UH2CRRGJk4Lz3OWhEk/s1600/Lower+Antelope+Slot+Canyon%252C+Arizona.jpg