Antelope Canyon is a ‘slot
canyon’ in the Southwest of
North America. It is located on Navajo (pronounced as Navaho) land east
of the city of Page, Arizona. (Navajo
Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American Territory.)
Antelope Canyon includes two
separate, scenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as "Upper
Antelope Canyon" or "The Crack" (660 feet long) and Lower "Antelope
Canyon" or "The Corkscrew" (1335 feet long) and have a depth of
120 feet. The Canyons are located at an elevation of 3704 ft above MSL.
The Navajo name for Upper Antelope
Canyon is Tsé
bighánílíní, which means "the place where water runs through
rocks". Lower Antelope Canyon is Hazdistazí, or
"spiral rock arches".
Antelope Canyon was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone, primarily due
to flash flooding and
secondarily due to other sub-aerial processes.
Over time the passageways eroded away, making the corridors deeper and
smoothing hard edges in such a way as to form characteristic 'flowing' shapes
in the rock.
Antelope Canyon is a popular location for
photographers and sightseers, and a source of tourism business for
the Navajo Nation.
(Inside of the Upper
Antelope Canyon)
Upper Antelope Canyon
Upper Antelope Canyon’s entrance and entire
length are at the ground level, requiring no climbing. Besides, beams (shafts
of direct sunlight radiating down from openings in the top of the canyon) are
much more common in the Upper than in Lower Canyon during the summer months.
Lower Antelope Canyon
(Inside of Lower
Antelope Canyon)
(Stairs leading out of
Lower Antelope Canyon)
Lower Antelope Canyon is located a few miles
away. Metal stairways have now been installed to go into the canyon. It is in
the shape of a "V" and shallower than the Upper Antelope.
Flash flood danger
Antelope Canyon is visited
exclusively through guided tours, in part because rains during monsoon season
can quickly flood the canyon. On August 12, 1997, eleven tourists were
killed in Lower Antelope Canyon by a flash flood. At the fee booth,
a NOAA Weather Radio from the National Weather Service and
an alarm horn are now stationed. Despite improved warning and safety systems,
the risks of injuries from flash floods still exist. A flood occurred on
October 30, 2006, lasting 36 hours had caused the closure of the canyon
for 5 months by The Tribal Park Authorities. On July 30, 2010, several
tourists were stranded on a ledge when two flash floods occurred at the Upper
Antelope Canyon.
Horseshoe Bend
Besides the Antelope Canyon, we
also visited the Horseshoe Bend, offering a spectacular view of the river
Colarado flowing down a canyon. The pictures shown here will speak for
themselves.
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