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Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe bend

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Arizona is an absolutely stunning setting for a road trip and offers an unparalleled mix of gorgeous red rock views, national park hiking, delicious food, all steeped in Native American history. Among the various marvellous destinations in the area, by far the most popular and photogenic are The Grand Canyon National Park, Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon.

After spending our day at the Grand Canyon, Our next stop is Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe bend

HORSESHOE BEND

The Colorado River bends around the natural landscape of the region, creating a perfect horseshoe bend as it flows around the rocks. The scale and beauty of this place are magnificent, featuring a 270-degree curved view of the Colorado River. The water flows in from the right side of the view, completely goes around the bend, and exits to the left. The orange sandstone rocks are ancient, but pretty tough and extremely thick up to 2000 feet, and is quite safe to walk around as you admire the landscape surrounding the horseshoe bend. It takes a good 15 minutes to walk uphill to the site from the nearby parking.

Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe bend
Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe bend

ANTELOPE CANYON

Ever since I first saw a photo of Antelope Canyon, I was captivated by its lines and grooves that give it an almost fluid look. It is a slot canyon on Navajo land near Page, Arizona, and includes two separate canyons — Upper Antelope and Lower Antelope Canyon. Both these canyons can only be visited through a guided tour. Since this was such a last-minute trip, we didn’t have enough time to buy tickets in advance and were only able to visit the lower Antelope Canyon.

Our Lower Antelope tour started at the visitor center, where everyone waits to be divided into groups of 10 and assigned a tour guide. Once everyone on our 9:30AM tour gathered, we followed our guide down a rocky, sandy trail to the canyon. My excitement was building with each step, as I was eager to see if Lower Antelope Canyon was as stunning in person as it was in the pictures

Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe bend

I was not let down one bit, for as soon as my feet hit the canyon floor I was amazed. The Red-Canyon walls twisted and turned around me in an unpremeditated pattern, and my feet covered in orange-red sand were taking me further away from the sunlight. As I descended below the ground, one step after another, I was convinced we’d left planet earth. 

At times I felt like I was in a dream, blissfully unaware of the crowds around me and tour guide urging us along. I gazed with wonder in every direction, appreciating each groove and curve in the rock and how those small details contributed to making Antelope Canyon a truly unique and special place

Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe bend

All too soon, the tour was over and we emerged one by one from a thin crack in the earth.

Both my husband and I were really glad that we were able to visit the Lower Antelope Canyon on our Southwest road trip.

Our last stop of the day was at Lake Powell, amongst the largest man-made lake in North America, which boasts a backdrop of eroded red rock canyons, which are a part of the Glen canyons. Straddling the Utah-Arizona border and located on the Colorado River, this is another gem that offers a plethora of water sports and activities with stunning views to go with.

Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe bend
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2 COMMENTS

  • Dee

    Amazing photos! Thank you Navina for sharing!!

  • Ask The Dutch Guy

    Wow! That place looks really cool.

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