Upper Antelope Canyon, Lower Antelope Canyon & Monuments Valley

Upper Antelope Canyon

Day 1:

Friday – March 27, 2015.

The best part about being a consultant is you get to travel a lot. I used to work in Investment banking and hated it. I would like to say worked on Wall St. but that would be an exaggeration J. But that’s my past and I am happy it is History. The good thing about consulting is travelling and the bad part is that you are stuck with client from the time you step into the office. When you leave it is almost dark and lose all the opportunity to explore the new place. But, it is not that bad either you get to try new restaurants and put on some good weight.

This time I was in Dallas, Texas and had heard so many good things about the Antelope Canyon that I had to see it for myself. If you end up following National Geo on Instagram you will be surprised how little you know about the World we live in.

I flew from Dallas TX to Phoenix AZ. If you like to spend a little more there is an airport in Page Arizona which is where the 2 slot canyons are located. But, I drove from Phoenix to Page a distance of about 4 hours. There are a lot of monuments and local hikes on the way to Page and you should research these in case you have some time to spare.

A bit about my driving skills- I live in NYC and if you have ever lived in NYC you will realize how much of a pain it is to own a car. So I was basically sitting behind the wheel after 2 years. Hence a bit nervous. The mid way point is Flagstaff and I was contemplating between staying the night in Flagstaff or driving up to my campsite in Page. I decided to drive so finally I reached Page at midnight (Lost my way and took me 40 mins to recover, STUPID). I had booked my campsite but again going to the site would have been another 20 mins. The troubles are not over yet, all the motels in Page were booked. Apparently, every university had a spring break and students were travelling to enjoy the warm weather. I got a room in Motel 6 for like $63.

Day 2: Upper Antelope Canyon, Lower Antelope Canyon and The Horseshoe Bend

Upper Antelope Canyon

Sat – March 28, 2015

When travelling I always try to wake up as early as possible. This gives me a lot of daylight and hence I can visit more sites and explore the area. My first stop was the lower canyon. From Page it is about 10 to 15 mins drive. Note that you will need a guide to travel to the canyon.

If you like to see the beam it only occurs in the upper canyon and lasts for about 2 hrs, I may be wrong. The best strategy is to go to the upper canyon and ask the adventure guide you have booked. When I went I took the trip at 10:30 AM and they told me that the beam will be visible. I was satisfied to see the beam and picture it.

The thing I hated about this trip was-

that there are too many people inside the canyon to see the beam and hence you will never be able to get a picture without anyone else in the frame. There is a photography tour guide which I believe costs $150 and I am not sure how that is better as the crowd is still present. The advantage of the photography tour is that the company will allow you to carry your tripod and you can stay in the canyon as long as you want (I believe it is longer than the general tour).

The Beam

With the normal trip I spent $50 and was always told to hurry up. I took my sweet time to capture the beam but my guide, who was great, came back to find me. When I spend $50 on something that is not man made and is gift of natural soil erosion I should not be paying $50.

Lower Antelope Canyon

Lower Antelope Canyon:

I loved this Canyon!! It is less touristy and costs only $20 which I think is reasonable. The guide was amazing (Lower Canyon Tour company guide). This canyon is longer than the upper canyon and is more picturesque. You can take as many pictures as you want and only one group is allowed at a time in the canyon which means you will not have other people in your frame.

One of my favorite part is the Lady. I am not great at taking picture but I own a DSLR and my guide told me a few settings to enhance my images.

The Lady

Let me tell you this if you are not too excited about the beam I would highly recommend the lower canyon. Also, the guide companies have photographer’s tour and I believe they might allow you to carry a tripod with this option ($50).

If you decide to visit both the canyons and would like to capture the beam book the trip sooner and you can visit lower canyon after the upper canyon. The upper canyon takes about 90 mins and the lower canyon about an hour. So if you start at 9:00 AM in the morning you should be done with both the canyons by 3:00 PM. They are close to one another so travelling time between them is like 5 mins. Carry a lot of water and some food as the guide companies do not sell any beverages or food or coffee.

Camping:

I carried my own tent and had booked a campsite at the Lake Powell Resort. The resort is great and the camp site was amzing. The restrooms and showers were clean. The shower costs $2 and they also have laundary facility. They have a lounge, a restaurant and a swimming pool (who needs a pool when you have a lake to jump into).

This is the annoying part – since I was late the previous night I had stayed in motel 6 and I did not call the resort to inform them that I was not making in on Friday, they cancelled my entire booking and basically I had to pay again for one night. I call it BULLSHIT. Why would you cancel my entire booking for 2 nights when I had fully paid for it? The answer was “that is our policy and when you make your reservation they tell you…..blah blah blah”. So the end result was that I had to pay again.

The Bend

The Bend:

I loved the bend as well. I went there in the evening hours as to see the sunset. It is hard to describe the magnificence of the bend in words. I sat there for like an hour to capture it entirely and then started taking pictures. The bend is free, parking is free, no guides needed and no need to hurry up. All in all a great experience.

Don’t miss it.

The Day doesn't end here I go to bar at the resort and start talking to this family who own a boat on the marina. We have dinner and get invited to see the boat and party. The day just got interesting. Nothing beats a few drinks on a boat with awesome company.

Day 3: Monuments Valley

Sunday – March 29, 2015.

Sunrise at Lake Powell Resort, Page, AZ

I woke up at 6:00 AM again go to the restaurant and get some food in my belly. The best part about starting your day that early is you get to see the sun rising from behind the mountain. The scene lasts for a few minutes but the memory of such a beautiful morning will last forever. You can see the sun slowly engulf the mountain in its glory, its passion and its vastness. I feel lucky to come across so beautiful. The day can only get better after such a magnificent view.

Monuments Valley

I start driving towards the Monuments valley. The drive is about 3 hours but I did some detours and stopped to take some pictures. So it took me like 4.5 hr. On the way to the Monuments Valley is this beautiful little monument called Navajo National Monument

Navajo National Monument

It’s totally free and I have heard you don’t have to pay to camp here as well. In case you want to save some money camp here. Note they might not have showers. I met a German couple in the lower canyon who told me to do this detour and I am glad I did it. If you are driving towards the Monuments Valley you will see signs for it. The visitor’s center plays movies which explains the idea behind the valley.

Much before you reach Monuments Valley you will realize you are getting closer to it. Huge rock pillars will welcome you at different points on the highway and you are forced to stop and click some panorama pic with your Iphone. I was camping a little outside Monuments Valley a resort called Gouldings the best part about the camping site was that you could pick you site and hence if you reach a bit early you can pick a site with most amazing view.

Gouldings Camping Site

Monument valley is about 5 mins drive from the campsite and costs about $20. If you are driving I would suggest you drive inside the valley and not to opt for the guided tours. The advantage is that you can stop at various points and take your time to engulf the beauty of the Monuments. With guided tours you are following your guided route. Also, I believe it is possible to camp inside the valley which sounds amazing. Lastly, you can also do horse rides inside the valley at a price $$$.

Three Sisters

My favorite spot were the three sisters and the Artists points. Simple fabulous!!! You have to see it to believe it. The next day I drove back to Phoenix. If you have some time at your disposal I highly recommend stopping at various spots on the way back to phoenix.