Canyons of Arizona - Jun '06

Antelope Canyon is located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona

Near Page on US Route 89

Antelope Canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack, and Lower Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew.

Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest

Antelope Canyon was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone, primarily due to flash flooding and secondarily due to other sub-aerial processes.

Rainwater, especially during monsoon season, runs into the extensive basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand as it rushes into the narrow passageways.

NABMA members enjoying magnificent sceneries

Over time the passageways are eroded away, making the corridors deeper and smoothing hard edges in such a way as to form characteristic 'flowing' shapes in the rock.

Antelope Canyon is a popular location for photographers and sightseers

Photography within the canyons is difficult due to the wide exposure range made by light reflecting off the canyon walls.

This is a draw for photographers who want to hone their skills in a challenging environment, but a bane to casual snapshooters lacking the knowledge necessary to obtain pleasing results.

Antelope Canyon is visited exclusively through guided tours. Our Guide in Kokopeli pose. According to Hopi Indian legend, Kokopeli (the flute player and traveling prankster) was the symbol of happiness, joy, and fertility

Upper Antelope Canyon, called Tse bighanilini, "the place where water runs through rocks" by the Navajo, is located at 36°51′28″N, 111°22′20″W

Upper Antelope Canyon is the most frequently visited by tourists, due to two considerations. First, its entrance and entire length are at ground level, requiring no climbing. Second, beams (shafts of direct sunlight radiating down from openings in the top of the canyon) are much more common in Upper than in Lower. Beams occur most often in the summer months, as they require the sun to be high in the sky.

Upper Antelope Canyon is very beautiful to visit year round.

Summer months provide two types of lighting. To get rich colors (reds, blues and purple), try the mid morning and mid afternoon tours.

Light beams start to peek into the canyon March 15 and disappear October 7 each year. Beams are at their grandest from May to September.

Hard to forget sceneries

On August 12, 1997, eleven tourists, including seven from France, one from the United Kingdom, one from Sweden and two from the United States, were killed in Lower Antelope Canyon by a flash flood. Very little rain fell at the site that day, but an earlier thunderstorm had dumped a large amount of water into the canyon basin, several miles upstream.

NABMA members at the entrance of Upper Antelope Canyon.

Buckskin Gulch lies within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area of the Bureau of Land Management.

Buckskin Gulch is reached via US Highway 89 or U.S. Highway 89A, and is approximately half way between the towns of Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona.

The Buckskin Gulch in southern Utah is one of the main tributaries of the Paria River, which is itself a major tributary of the Colorado River.

It is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the southwest United States and may very well be the longest in the world. As such it is one of the premier destinations for slot canyon hikers, and receives a high amount of foot traffic.

With a distance of 20 miles (32 km), hiking this canyon in one day is do-able but not easy.

There is a ranger station right near the bridge over the intermittently-flowing Paria River, and the dirt road to the Gulch is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the station. You then go 10 miles (16 km) down the dirt road to the jump-off point. The Wire Pass entrance shares the same trailhead, Wire Pass Trailhead, with the equally spectacular Coyote Buttes, home to The Wave, a famous sandstone rock formation.

Buckskin Gulch does have the characteristic swirls and curves worn by countless years of floods and there are innumerable photogenic rock formations which, given a vivid imagination and the right kind of light, can resemble all kinds of distorted creatures and strange objects

Buckskin Gulch wildlife 1

Hiking Buckskin Gulch is extremely challenging. Be prepared with extra clothes to wear for warmth after wading through cold, stagnant pools of water, rather than depending on campfires, which are prohibited in this confined environment.

Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch generally do not require rappelling equipment, but there may be a few pour-offs or the necessity to wade in ankle- to chest-high water and/or mud.

The Gulch has some open, shallower sections, but is less than 3 meters wide for most of its length.

Also along the route, small areas of quicksand can be found. Slot canyons are particularly dangerous due to the risk of flash floods.

As you walk along the sandy bottom you will continually be confronted with evidence of previous floods. Dozens of logs have been wedged between the canyon walls, and piles of huge boulders have been jammed into narrow constrictions. The characteristics change from year to year.

Hikers should check conditions carefully and not rely on seeing the sky to judge the weather. If there is even a slight change of rain, do not enter slot canyons.

There are always some residual pools of water and mud; the extent depends on how recently the canyon has flooded. Occasionally swimming will be necessary but normally the pools are just 2-3 feet deep and a few meters long.

A trip through the dark, narrow canyon is a unique experience you will never forget.

The walking surface is roughly half sand - sometimes hard and damp but mostly soft and dry - and half stones or boulders, so progress is more difficult than might be expected as the terrain is largely flat.

Time estimates vary great with this canyon depending on current conditions and time spent taking photographs

Additionally, the lack of sun-light in the canyon can make it much colder than the surrounding exposed desert. At one point along the route, there is a 15-foot (4.6 m) drop-off that usually has rope, but it is a good idea to bring at least 30 feet (9.1 m) of rope to navigate some of the pour-offs.

The canyon was created by water, and water continues to shape it and change its character.

Storms more than 50 miles (80 km) away can send hundred foot high walls of water down the narrow canyons and hikers have been killed in such events.

One can never predict what the last flood might have taken away or left behind. According to BLM statistics there are about 8 flash floods a year, on the average, in Paria Canyon and its tributaries. About a third of the floods occur during the month of August, so if you are planning a trip in late summer you should be especially cautious. Flash flood danger is lowest during the months of April, May, and June.

Unbelievable sceneries

Watch for rattlesnakes!!! The popular rattlesnake in the canyon is some type of midget and they are small, usually less than 12" long, and hard to see. These midget rattlesnakes often have rattles that are to small to hear. Pay careful attention to where you put your hands and where you sit.

What a nature art !

The walls of both canyons are rather dark, and the depth means that the sun rarely illuminates the narrow passages fully and there are fewer pretty patterns of light and color such as often found in, for example, Antelope Canyon

There is no drinkable water except for a clear, shallow stream that flows for the last half mile before the confluence with the Paria River.

Buckskin Gulch lies within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area of the Bureau of Land Management.