Antelope Canyon: Lower Hiking Tour with Navajo Guide & Entry

4.94

(5972 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were still laughing about my failed attempt at “Yá’át’ééh” when our guide, Talia, waved us over to the edge of the sandstone. She’d just shown us how her grandmother used to read the clouds for rain — I’d never thought about weather that way. The air was dry but not hot yet, and there was this faint mineral scent I couldn’t place. Talia pointed out a lizard skittering across the rocks; she said they’re quick because hawks are always watching from above. That stuck with me for some reason.

The first set of stairs into Lower Antelope Canyon looked steeper than I expected (I could feel my heart pick up), but Talia just grinned and said, “Don’t worry, we’ve got eight more ladders to go.” The descent felt like dropping into another world — suddenly it was cooler, almost echoey. Sunlight kept shifting on the walls in these wild pinks and oranges. At one point, Talia showed us how to hold our phones for photos so the colors wouldn’t wash out (mine still did). There was sand in my shoes by then but honestly, I didn’t care.

I lost track of time winding through those narrow passages. Sometimes you had to twist sideways or duck under a ledge — it made everyone laugh nervously or just go silent for a second. There was this spot where the light hit so perfectly that even Talia paused and said she never gets tired of it. I get why now. On the way back up, someone asked about the names carved into one wall; Talia explained they’re old family marks from before tours started. It felt strange and kind of moving seeing them there after all that color and silence.