Antelope Canyon, AZ, May 20, 2012

[Tony Crocker]

Tony was signed up with lizardqueen for a tour group to visit The Crack in Upper Antelope Canyon, which is on Navajo Nation land and they thus set the rules....they required a $25 pp guide fee for that... in addition to a $6 pp hiking fee.

If admin had driven out to the site last minute and taken the shuttle trucks to the admitted busy Crack, he probably would have found it to be

a complete junk show

Overland Canyon tours http://www.overlandcanyontours.com/upperant limits its groups to 8 per guide and the Navajo guide Jackie knew exactly where to point out features and set up the best pictures.

Upper Antelope Canyon is well known for the shafts of light shining in during the middle of the day.

Jackie threw some sand in the air here to be illuminated.

And here she had us look up an illuminated wall.

Some of our own "unguided shots" captured the light, rock striations and varied colors.

The lighting in Antelope Canyon is such that pictures sometimes come out even more dazzling than what you see in person.

Jackie's setup shots:
"Washington profile"

"Chief profile"

"The Heart"

"Abe Lincoln" (viewed at an angle from below left with a bit more imagination)

"Sunset Over Monument Valley"

This one (also The Heart) is viewed by looking straight up from a precise spot during the right time of day.

Jackie also had a few spots for people to pose together.

We finally reached the upper end

The terrain above and below Upper Antelope Canyon is fairly flat and sandy. There would be no sense on either approach of the impressive sights within. And no climbing or scrambling required to get there either. Perhaps it's best that this canyon has controlled access.

On the way back in I'm standing in front of "The Bell."

We ran into Xavier and his dad Alain who were unguided.

When we got back near the front the light was right for Jackie to set up "Holding the Candle" pictures.

One last view inside.

Back at the office with Jackie.

 

[Marc_C]

If admin had driven out to the site last minute and taken the shuttle trucks to the admitted busy Crack, he probably would have found it to be

a complete junk show

The terrain above and below Upper Antelope Canyon is fairly flat and sandy. There would be no sense on either approach of the impressive sights within. And no climbing or scrambling required to get there either. Perhaps it's best that this canyon has controlled access.

It's unfortunate. While I understand Admin's aversion to people in the backcountry, the sad truth is that it only takes a few assholes to ruin something for generations to come. A great example are any of the easily accessed petroglyphs and pictographs in the desert southwest, the pictographs in Buckhorn Wash being but one. Another is the Black Dragon panel in the eponymous Black Dragon Wash. This panel was levered off the wall sometime in the late 50's and was likely destroyed in the process. Controlled access with bunches of other tourists is unfortunately the best solution in many instances.