Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend: Day Trip from Sedona

4.87

(1101 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I remember is the way the light sliced through Upper Antelope Canyon — thin, almost sharp, like someone had drawn lines with a blade. Our guide, Robert (he grew up nearby), kept pointing out shapes in the stone — animals, faces, even what he swore was Elvis. I tried to see it but mostly just saw ripples and that deep orange dust on my shoes. The air inside was cool and still, which felt strange after the dry wind outside. It smelled faintly of earth and something older. We shuffled single file; everyone got quiet at some point, maybe out of respect or just awe — not sure.

Earlier, we’d stopped at Horseshoe Bend after a short walk that left me breathless (I blame the sun). Standing at the edge was… well, my knees didn’t love it, but wow. The Colorado River made this perfect curve below us — blue-green against all that red rock. Someone’s hat blew off and we all laughed; I think everyone needed that moment to break the tension of being so high up. Lunch in Page wasn’t fancy but hit the spot — turkey sandwich, chips, cold water that tasted better than any bottled water should.

Robert told stories as we drove through Oak Creek Canyon and past San Francisco Peaks — about Navajo legends and how fast storms can roll in here (didn’t see one today but you could feel weather always lurking). We had a quick stop at Cameron Trading Post where I bought a tiny turquoise ring; the woman behind the counter smiled when I tried my rusty Spanish. The drive back to Sedona felt long in that good way — tired legs, red dust everywhere, mind still turning over those canyon shadows. I keep thinking about that hush inside Antelope Canyon; it sticks with you.