Lower Antelope Canyon
Today we were going to visit one of the highlights of our Holiday, the Lower Antelope Canyon (we had chosen the Lower version versus the Upper version because we thought there would be less visitors). We did not book the visit in advance, so we were hoping that there was still a time slot available in the morning… and we were lucky.
We had to pay the park fee on top of the entrance fee. The park fee was not part of the National Park Pass that we had since it was a Navajo site. It was not cheap (I think close to $50 now) but it is of course the law of demand and supply. However, in return we got views that were so unique and amazing that it was really worth it!
We did the tour that left around 9.30am. I was initially not so keen on the descent into the canyon because I am afraid of heights. But all in all, it went quite well so I was very pleased with myself :-). Some parts of the canyon were quite narrow. It was ok for us, but we can imagine that some persons would have a problem with it.
We were around 12 persons in the group, this was ok, but still more than enough if you consider that most visitors are there for taking pictures. However, the tour guide organised it well :-).
Our guide showed us how he could create a bowl with the sand and a bit of water. This was done in a few minutes…
We learned that at times of rain, flash flooding could happen, so the weather forecast was key. We left the canyon after almost 1.5 hours. There were less steps at the end than at the beginning.
Horseshoe Bend
After our visit of the Lower Antelope Canyon, we drove to the parking lot of the Horseshoe Bend (Highway 89). The Horseshoe Bend Walking Trail was a bit less than a km. Watch out because there is no shade so protect yourself and take water !
When we arrived at the lookout point, from where we could see the Colorado River making a 270 degrees turn, we noticed that there were many persons standing very close to the edge to take a selfie… Dangerous if you ask me! I was already scared taking a normal picture. We were lucky because we arrived around lunch time so there were no shadows.
Lake Powell & Glen Canyon Dam
We had lunch at Big John’s Texas BBQ. The BBQ itself was quite impressive. Outside they had arranged long tables with benches. The tables had big baskets of peanuts on them, so we just had to order a beer and start peeling the peanuts :-). We ate the BBQ Ribs and they were so good !
In the afternoon we passed by the Glen Canyon Dam and then we went back to Lake Powell to enjoy the view. Lake Powell is a recreational area that is very popular during the summer months.
