Antelope Canyon is a famous slot canyon located in the red rock deserts of northern Arizona near the town of Page. The canyon is characterized by its narrow sandstone walls carved intricately by erosion and water in a process that took millions of years.

Antelope Canyon became such a popular tourist attraction that now you must make a reservation for a tour to see it. Before purchasing your tickets, I’ve outlined a few things you should know.

Upper vs. Lower Antelope Canyon

There are two main sections to this canyon: Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon.

Upper Antelope Canyon is the part of the canyon above the Earth, and the Lower Antelope Canyon is actually underground. Both offer fantastic views and an unforgettable experience.

Upper Antelope Canyon is definitely the more popular of the two, but it does come at a higher price. Upper Antelope Canyon tour companies will charge at least $30 more per person than any tour you book of the Lower Canyon. 

Surprisingly, many people will recommend the Upper Canyon tour over the Lower Canyon.

So, in this post I will be sharing my complete experience touring the latter so you can decide for yourself if it’ll be worth it to you to save some money and go with the Lower Antelope Canyon.

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Dixie’s vs. Ken’s Tours

First I would like to point out the two Lower Antelope Canyon tour companies available in Page: Dixie’s Tours and Ken’s Tours. As far as I know there really aren’t any major differences between the two.

They both cost the same price, both take the same amount of time, and the meeting point for both tours are right next to each other!

We ended up going with Ken’s Tours just because they had a time slot that worked out better for our schedule. I was super happy with my experience with Ken’s, I will talk a little more about their tour style later on in this post. 

A big pro of having two companies to choose from is that if one doesn’t have the time or day you want, there’s a good chance that the other will. But I would still recommend booking your tour as soon as you can and not waiting until the last minute.

When Is the Best Time of Day to Visit Lower Antelope Canyon?

There is a lot of information going around online that says the best time to visit Antelope Canyon is in midday so you get the best lighting for photos and see the famous light beams.

However, the light beams are only visible in the Upper Canyon. I believe this is part of the reason why the Upper Antelope Canyon tours cost significantly more. 

If you check the schedules for both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon tours, you’ll probably find that the time slots between the hours of 11 AM-1 PM get booked very quickly.

I think most people aren’t aware that you don’t see the light beams in the Lower Canyon so planning your trip around seeing Lower Antelope Canyon during midday isn’t really necessary. There will probably be more people there during those times anyway.

We had a 3PM start time and we still got some amazing photos and had great lighting.

I’ve also heard of people doing their Lower Canyon tour as early as 7 AM and they still had good lighting to see the canyon in all its glory. 

So essentially it really doesn’t matter what time you visit the Lower Antelope Canyon.

Any time of day will give you awesome views and photos of the canyon. I would just pick a time slot that would work best for your schedule.

When is the Best Time of Year to Visit Lower Antelope Canyon?

Spring & Fall

Like most attractions in this part of Arizona, spring and fall will bring the mildest temperatures resulting in a more comfortable experience hiking through the canyon.

I wasn’t so lucky to visit during one of the nicer seasons and instead I did the Lower Antelope Canyon tour in late June. It was really hot (temperatures in the high 90s °F) but with sunscreen, a hat, and a water bottle with me it really wasn’t too bad. 

The entire slot canyon was shaded for us since the sun wasn’t as high in the sky for our afternoon tour. It felt much cooler inside the canyon. The shade is the only reason it was bearable in that heat. 

So if your only opportunity to visit the Antelope Canyon is in summer, then I would still go ahead and do it. Just pick a tour time in the morning or afternoon.

How Challenging is the Lower Antelope Canyon Hike?

The round trip hike starting and ending at the tour meet up spot is just 1 mile long. 

As your tour guide takes you from the meeting spot, you will walk down a slight incline to the entrance of the slot canyon. This part has zero shade, and lasts for probably 0.25 of a mile or so. 

Then you will begin the descent into the slot canyon. You will be required to go down a few flights of narrow metal stairs that will take you down to the sandy canyon floor.

After the stairs, it is a completely flat walk through the entire canyon until you get to the end where you’ll go up another set of stairs which take you right back to the meeting spot at the top of the canyon.

So if you are a frequent hiker, you’ll have no trouble with the Lower Antelope Canyon hike.

It’s a pretty easy intensity, but if you aren’t used to hiking, then maybe the Upper Antelope Canyon tour would suit you better since it’s a little shorter in length and no stairs are required.

How Long Does the Lower Antelope Canyon Tour Take?

From start to finish I’d say the entire tour took about 1.5 hours. We got to the meeting spot at 3 PM, and finished the tour a little after 4:30 PM.

We had a full hour inside the slot canyon which I thought was sufficient. It felt longer than an hour to me honestly.

I guess I wasn’t paying much attention to the time as we were walking through, but it just felt like the canyon went on and on forever. It was so beautiful I didn’t want the tour to come to an end!

My Experience with Ken’s Tours of Lower Antelope Canyon

I was really happy with how Ken’s Tours conducted their Lower Antelope Canyon tours. I would recommend them for anyone looking into doing a Lower Antelope Canyon tour. It will be worth the money.

Types & Price of Tours

We booked the General Tour priced at $78 per person including taxes, fees, and the Navajo park permit.

The Navajo park permits are only $8 and mandatory for touring both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. It is easily added into your total price when you book.

Ken’s Tours has other more expensive tour packages available such as the Deluxe Tour and the Combination Package which just add on a few more extra experiences such as a horseback ride or exploring Navajo heritage sites.

You can view all of their different tours here.

What to Expect With a General Tour

For the General Tour, there were probably around 25 other people gathered with us at the meeting point who shared our same time slot at 3 PM. Then, we were split into even smaller groups (about 5-8 people per group) and each small group had their own tour guide.

My partner and I just so happened to be picked in group 1 which was the first group that went into the canyon.

Our tour guide led us out onto the hike where the other small groups followed shortly behind. Once we got to the entrance of the canyon, our group went in first and it seemed like the other groups followed after about 5 minutes or so. 

I really liked this strategy because the small groups felt more personal and it never felt overcrowded at any time.

I never once saw another person from the other groups behind us. We did hear them at times, but they were far enough away to where it didn’t feel like people were rushing us from behind.

The entire tour went at a great pace, it didn’t feel too fast or too slow.

The tour guide took tons of pictures for us all at the best photo spots throughout the canyon. There’s no need to worry about getting the perfect photo here because you will have plenty of opportunities.

While he took pictures for other people in our small group, it gave us a chance to take a break and really take in all the beauty around us. 

Our tour guide also had tons of knowledge and information to share with us about the canyon which was nice. 

Is Lower Antelope Canyon Tour Worth It?

Absolutely. Touring the Lower Antelope Canyon is one of my favorite memories in Arizona to date.

It isn’t the cheapest thing to see, but it is so insanely beautiful. A true work of art created by the Earth. If you have the opportunity to see either of the Antelope Canyons you should definitely take it. 

If you’re only in it for the photos of the light beams, then you should stick to doing the Upper Antelope Canyon.

But if you just want to see the intricate carved walls of the sandstone canyon then I would recommend the Lower Antelope Canyon. It’s much cheaper than the Upper Canyon, but the canyon itself looks practically the same in both the Upper and Lower sections.

I hope you found this article helpful in planning your trip to this one of a kind destination in Arizona. Antelope Canyon is a sight to behold and I’m grateful I was able to experience it.

If you end up going with Ken’s Tours of the Lower Antelope Canyon I hope you have a wonderful time and really take in every moment. Thank you so much for reading!