United States / Las Vegas & the Southwest Canyons / Page: Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe BendPage: Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend
Slot Canyons, Light Beams and Lake Powell
A small town on Lake Powell with two of the West's most photographed sights: Antelope Canyon, the wave-carved slot canyon on Navajo land that can only be visited on a guided tour (Upper or Lower; about US$100-130 with the Navajo permit, book weeks ahead; midday light beams in summer), and Horseshoe Bend, the Colorado River's loop 300 m below a cliff-top overlook (car park fee). Boats and kayaks on Lake Powell fill the rest. The Navajo Nation keeps daylight saving time while the rest of Arizona does not, so check which clock a tour time is in. Four and a half hours from Las Vegas, two and a quarter from the Grand Canyon.
Highlights
- Upper Antelope Canyon's light beams
- Lower Antelope Canyon's ladders and curves
- Horseshoe Bend at sunset
- Lake Powell boat or kayak trip
- Glen Canyon Dam overlook
Things to do
- Guided Antelope Canyon tourMorning · 2h
- Horseshoe Bend overlookEvening · 1h 30m
- Lake Powell boat tourAfternoon · 3h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: March – October
Worth knowing
Extreme Desert Heat
⚠️ Summer days pass 40 °C in Las Vegas and the desert below the rims (the Grand Canyon's floor reaches 45 °C). Hike only at dawn, carry at least 4 litres of water a person, never leave anyone in a parked car, and don't try the canyon trails to the river in the heat: rangers rescue hikers every summer.
Worth knowing
Monsoon Flash Floods in the Slot Canyons
⚠️ July to September brings afternoon monsoon storms: flash floods race through slot canyons and the Zion Narrows even when the sky above is clear, and have killed visitors. The Narrows closes at high flow and Antelope Canyon tours stop when rain threatens; check the flash-flood forecast at the visitor centre the morning you go.