"A" is for Antelope Canyon on Navaho Nation Land

"Antelope Canyon" pastel and watercolor ©Mary Montague Sikes

Although my theme for the A to Z Blog Challenge is mostly National Parks, my choice for "A" is Antelope Canyon which is on Navaho Nation Land and is not a National Park.

In 2012, we were visiting Sedona, Arizona and having breakfast in a little restaurant there. The couple seated next to us was talking with the waitress about Antelope Canyon, their destination for the day. We had never heard of the slot canyons, located near Page, Arizona, but they sounded fascinating. Although it was a 3-hour trip, we decided to go there the next day.

The drive from Sedona to Page was beautiful. We stopped along the way for lunch at a restaurant operated by the Navaho. At the entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon, we paid the fee and waited for the next guide to take us down. Although information says the tour is easy, it actually requires climbing up and down ladders at several points. Also, it might be difficult for someone heavy to pass through several very narrow passages in the canyon. As an artist, I loved it. The colors are glorious and surreal.

The canyon gained its name because long ago pronghorn goats roamed there. Now it can be dangerous when flash flooding sends water rushing through the tight passageways. A few years ago, a group of tourists died in the Lower Canyon during an unexpected flash flood.

We did not have time to go to the Upper Antelope Canyon two years ago. Hopefully, we can return someday and discover what we missed there.

A to Z Blogfest Around the World in 30 Days -- Page, Arizona

Antelope Canyon One MMSikes

The Passenger to Paradise didn't have to think very hard to get her "P" travel post for the A to Z Blogfest Challenge post. After all, she just returned from an amazing trip to Arizona. Probably the most memorable experience of the entire adventure was the three-hour drive from Sedona to Page.

Before last week, the Passenger and her DH had never hear of Antelope Canyon. They certainly had no idea there were both a Lower and an Upper Canyon. After overhearing a couple in a restaurant discussing Antelope Canyon with their waitress, they decided to find out more. At a Sedona tourist information center, they learned that some of the most fantastic scenery in the world could be found within the walls of the narrow slotted canyons. Although they wanted to travel north to visit the Grand Canyon again, they decided they would first head farther north to Page. The canyons were only about three miles east of that community which is located just south of the Utah border.

Leaving Sedona at about 7 a.m., the Passenger and her DH reached Cameron Trading Post at 10 a.m. where they stopped for a delicious breakfast. The post is on the Navajo Indian Reservation and features some major local crafts for visitors to buy and a little museum that displays some of the older relics. It's about an hour's drive from there to Page.

Before reaching Page they had to decide whether to tour the Upper Antelope Canyon or the Lower Antelope Canyon or maybe both. They decided on the Lower Canyon (which was really the upper location on the map). It was amazing. After paying $52 in fees, along with another couple, they followed Chris, their guide, into the Canyon. The Passenger put her camera down only long enough to climb ladders and rocks ever deeper into the Canyon during the hour-long excursion. There were photo ops everywhere--front, back, up, and down.

Olen and Monti

At the end of the day, it was too late to drive back down to the Grand Canyon before sunset. Now they have to plan another Sedona trip to visit that Seven Wonder of the World once again.

The Passenger took dozens of photos. She could not get enough of the scenic beauty of the Canyon.