Travel/POI: Lower Antelope Canyon (下羚羊峽谷), Arizona

Antelope Canyon was formed over millions of years by the erosion of Navajo Sandstone due to flash flooding and other sub-aerial processes. Rainwater, especially during the monsoon season, runs into the extensive basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand as it rushes into the narrow passageways. Over time, these passageways eroded further, deepening the corridors and smoothing hard edges to form the canyon’s characteristic "flowing" shapes.

Antelope Canyon is part of the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park, located 10 minutes east of Page, near the Arizona–Utah border. Although it is a single slot canyon, there are two sections within the park that visitors can explore: Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon.

You must have a prior reservation with an authorized Navajo guide to visit either Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon. The canyon is open year-round; however, most people aim to visit mid-day between March and October—particularly on weekends—when light shafts appear, making for better photographs. Crowds peak during this time, so it is recommended to make reservations well in advance.

Though uncommon, Antelope Canyon may close on days of heavy rain or snow. This is more likely to occur between June and September, during Arizona's monsoon season. Be sure to check the weather forecast before booking your tickets.

We visited Lower Antelope Canyon three times—in 2017, 2019, and 2023. Even after multiple visits, I still love it every time.

羚羊峽谷是由納瓦荷 (Navajo) 砂岩在數百萬年間，因山洪暴發和其他地表侵蝕作用而形成的。尤其是在季風季節，雨水會流入狹縫峽谷上方廣闊的盆地，在衝入狹窄通道時，速度加快，夾帶泥沙。經過一段時間，這些通道逐漸被侵蝕，使走廊的深度加深，堅硬的邊緣也被磨平了，最終形成了峽谷獨特的「流動」形狀。

羚羊峽谷是鮑威爾湖納瓦荷部落公園的一部分，位於佩吉市 (Page) 以東 10 分鐘車程處，靠近亞利桑那州和猶他州的邊界。雖然它是一個狹縫型峽谷，但公園內有兩個區域可供遊客探索：上羚羊峽谷和下羚羊峽谷。

但是你必需預先與授權的納瓦霍族導遊預約才能參觀上羚羊峽谷或下羚羊峽谷。峽谷全年開放；然而大多數人會選擇在三月至十月的中午前往，因為此時光線充足，可以拍出更好的照片。尤其是在週末，這段時間遊客最多，因此建議您提前預約。

有時羚羊峽谷可能會在暴雨或暴雪時關閉，但這種情況並不常見。這種情況很有可能發生在六月至九月之間，也就是亞利桑那州的季風季節。預訂門票前請務必查看天氣預報。

我們三次都是參觀下羚羊峽谷——分別在 2017 年、2019 年和 2023 年。雖然去過三次，但是每一次都還是非常喜愛這裏。

Photo Date: 2023.09.17

Flashback 回顧

2017

Upper Antelope Canyon is shaped like the letter “A,” with a narrow opening at the top and wider walls toward the bottom. Tour guides drive visitors about 3.5 miles down a sandy road to the entrance, where guests walk directly into the canyon.

Visitors to Lower Antelope Canyon park in a lot about 10 minutes away from the canyon and walk with their guide to the entrance. To begin the tour, visitors descend several ladders to reach the bottom of the canyon, and at the end, they climb back out. This canyon has the opposite shape—a “V”—with walls that are wider at the top and taper down toward the ground.

Lower Antelope Canyon has one-way traffic, where visitors enter at one end and exit at the other. In contrast, Upper Antelope Canyon has two-way traffic.

General tours are usually shorter and less expensive than photography tours. Tour rules may change, so be sure to check the tour company’s website before your visit. For example, as of 2023, bags are not allowed due to vandalism concerns. (The tour guide mentioned incidents where individuals had hidden spray paint in bags to create graffiti and someone had attempted to scatter ashes.) This rule was not in place in 2017 or 2019.

We have used both Ken's Tours Lower Antelope Canyon and Dixie's Lower Antelope Canyon Tours. In 2017, the Lower Canyon tour cost about $33 per person, and in 2023, it was around $63 per person. Prices are subject to taxes and additional handling fees.

From the photos taken in 2017 (see below), you can also see how crowded the canyon can get. According to our tour guide, since tour buses are now allowed to transport passengers directly to the site, crowd levels have increased. Therefore, it’s recommended to book tickets as early as possible to secure your preferred time slot.

上羚羊峽谷呈字母「A」形，峽谷頂部開口狹窄，底部壁面較寬。導遊會開車載著遊客沿著一條沙路行駛約 3.5 英里到達入口，然後遊客可直接走進峽谷。

而參觀下羚羊峽谷的遊客可以在距離峽谷約 10 分鐘車程的地方停車，然後跟著導遊步行到入口。遊覽一開始時，遊客需要沿著幾個梯子下到峽谷底部，最後再爬上去。下羚羊峽谷的形狀相反，呈「V」形，頂部開口較寬，底部逐漸變窄。

下羚羊峽谷為單向行，遊客從一端進入，從另一端出來。而上羚羊峽谷則為雙向行。

普通旅行團通常比攝影團行程短，費用也更低。旅行規則可能會有所變更，因此請務必在出發前查看旅行社的網站。例如，自 2023 年起，出於對破壞行為的防犯，禁止攜帶任何(不論大小)袋子。 (導遊提到，曾有人將噴漆藏在袋子裡去塗鴉，也有人試圖撒骨灰。）但是在 2017 年和 2019 年並沒有這個規定。

我們參加過Ken's Tours 下羚羊峽谷之旅和Dixie's 下羚羊峽谷之旅。 2017年，下羚羊峽谷之旅的票價約為每人 33 美元，而 2023 年則漲到每人 63 美元。價格還需要加上稅金和其他手續費。

從下面 2017 年拍攝的照片中，你也能看出峽谷當時有多擁擠。根據我們的導遊介紹，自從旅遊巴士允許直達景區後，人潮增加。因此，建議儘早訂票，以確保你能選到想要去的時段。

Photo Date: 2017.09.18

2019

We visited Lower Antelope Canyon again on November 18, 2019, with my husband's high school friends and their spouses. The cost was about $48 per person, plus additional fees. At the time, there were not many people in the tour group, so we had plenty of time to take pictures. When the sunlight hit different parts of the canyon and you took photos from various angles, the images had a dramatically different appearance.

2019 年 11 月 18 日，我們和先生的高中朋友及他們的配偶再次參觀了下羚羊峽谷。費用大約是每人 48 美元，另加額外費用。當時旅行團人數不多，所以我們有足夠的時間拍照。當陽光照射到峽谷的不同位置，從不同的角度拍攝峽谷，照片就會呈現出截然不同的景象。

Photo Date: 2019.11.18