Antelope Canyon: Upper or Lower Canyon, which should you choose?

Sooner or later someone has to do it and take on this responsibility: figuring out which of the two canyons is better to visit, Upper Canyon or Lower Canyon. In this article, we’ll briefly look at both, trying to identify the pros and cons of each visit, so you can get an idea and (perhaps) reach a conclusion.
If, instead, you’d like to take a step back first, start with the basics, and understand what Antelope Canyon is, we’ve written an article about it here.

Upper Canyon or Lower Canyon: which one should you choose?

Upper Antelope Canyon

Let’s start by looking at the most famous canyon: Upper Antelope Canyon. The Navajo call it “the place where water runs through rocks,” and it is certainly the most famous and most visited section of the canyon. What is its fame due to? Well, there are essentially two reasons: 

• because it is wider, it is easily accessible. The canyon has an inverted V shape: narrower at the bottom, wider at the top.
• because it is deeper, it is cooler and darker, and it more frequently features the phenomenon of light beams filtering through (you know those amazing photos, with those shafts of light and the purplish coloring of the walls? That’s what we mean).

If we had to find one downside to visiting Upper Canyon, it would be that the tour route is out and back along the same canyon, for about 400 meters. This means that both on the way in and on the way out, you’ll cross paths with groups going in the opposite direction, making room for one another as you pass. Said like that, it may not sound like much of a problem! But in high season, it is definitely not something to overlook: there are many tour operators selling tickets for visits to Upper Antelope Canyon. As a result, you may find yourself visiting the canyon with hundreds of other people, feeling like you’re in an anthill. 
And it’s precisely when you feel like an ant that you’ll understand just how many people visit the canyon every day! Sometimes, it’s the sheer number of visitors that can spoil the experience.

Lower Antelope Canyon

Now let’s move on to the features of Lower Antelope Canyon. Starting with its physical characteristics: Lower Antelope Canyon is less deep than Upper, but it is veeeery beautiful to admire thanks to the play of light and the shapes of the rock, which are in fact similar to Upper. The advantage in its favor is that only 2 tour operators operate here. As a result, it is much less crowded. The route, moreover, is just 407 meters long (one way only).

So basically, it’s less famous, but with the chance to enjoy the light effects and carve out the right amount of space for your visit, without being in the middle of a crush of tourists.
If lower visitor numbers are a strong point, it should also be said that the route is not the easiest (as Upper can be): the canyon walls are narrow, and the footing is not especially comfortable. That said, unless you suffer particularly strongly from vertigo or claustrophobia, the route through the canyon is suitable for everyone.
 

The solution: which of the two canyons should you visit?

We’ve reflected on this and wanted to share our thoughts with you. Unless you become truly passionate about the United States and plan to return every year, there’s a good chance you’ll visit Antelope Canyon only once in your life. If that’s the case, we believe that visiting Upper Canyon may be the right choice, so you can make sure you get the souvenir photos and videos of those views you’ve dreamed about for years and that have accompanied you through all the months of trip planning. 
In our opinion, visiting Lower Canyon is still a very valid option, and definitely worth considering as an alternative if you can’t find availability for Upper tours. 
In short, the bottom line is that whether you choose Upper or Lower Canyon, you really can’t go wrong.
 

Antelope Canyon X: a little-known alternative

As if it weren’t already complicated enough, Antelope Canyon X adds even more doubts. Because if Lower is a bit less crowded than Upper, and that is one of its strengths, we also can’t ignore the fact that there is a part of the canyon that very few people truly know about: Antelope Canyon X. Many say that the only way to see the characteristic shapes of Antelope Canyon in relative calm and almost in solitude is by booking a tour here. This section of the canyon is located about 7 km south of Upper Antelope Canyon, in a very remote area that tourists rarely reach. Here too, you need to join an organized tour, but the choice of operators is extremely limited, since only one agency is authorized to run the tours. 

So, in essence, Antelope Canyon X can be described as a meeting point between the features of Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon, while offering almost the same views. 

For now, we at Sto Gran Tour would choose Upper Canyon. If you’d like to join us for a trip to the United States and the Great Parks, take a look at the itinerary.