Geology Lesson: Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend
We made the trek out to Page, AZ through Navajo country to visit a few places on our Northern Arizona list of things to do. It's 2.5 hours from Flagstaff, but beautiful country...you even pass by where the Grand Canyon starts!
Most of our drive was through Navajo land, where homes (see bottom left) are dwarfed by the large rock structures.
Near the "start" of the Grand Canyon, at its eastern most point.
On our way to our main destination, Antelope Canyon, we stopped by Horseshoe Bend. 200 million years ago, Horseshoe Bend was part of "sand seas", known as ergs, that later formed into Navajo sandstone, and then eroded to form what we see today. It's about a 1.5 mile, roundtrip hike to the edge, which is a 1000 ft drop, with no fencing or railings...for those with no fear of heights, it's pretty great.
Horseshoe Bend. The water is the Colorado River.
Onward to the the slot canyons at Antelope Canyon, a Navajo Tribal Park.
Note the outline of a 'bear' in the center of the photo.
The Navajo name for the Upper Canyon, which we visited, is Tsé bighánílíní, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." This is apt, as the canyon was formed mainly by flash floods running through the Navajo sandstone.
Curt did a great job capturing the light streaming in from the top of the canyon...and the reality of how crowded the canyon is.
The canyon was first documented in the 1930s, but became popular after a photographer from Utah started publishing photos. The canyon is noted for its ever changing light and falling sand...which comes down like a shower on your head in some spots.
Due to flash floods, which took the lives of some 10 visitors in 1997, you are now required to have a local tour guide.
There are lots of tours available...of varying degrees of quality. That makes for lots of folks in the canyon. So many people in fact, that you are basically only allowed to take yourself and your camera into the space.
When you visit the Upper Canyon there is no climbing involved...it's just an easy, flat walk through the canyon.
All the tours drive you to the canyon; Curt (hand at left) got really excited about the "desert vehicles" that some tours offered. (We rode in a pick-up).
Fancy desert vehicles...no sand in your hair!
Our tour cost $40 each, and our guide offered a lot of advice on where and how to take photos...which is the main purpose of the tour. Photos are tough, due to the low-light in most of the canyon, and tripods are only allowed on certain tours. In any case, below are some that we got for our trouble!
These people refused to move! But still, this gives you a great sense of what it looks like inside the canyon.