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Published: February 5th 2024
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What to do outdoors when you are in Vegas??
This one takes some commitment, but a tour of Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend is not only breathtaking but almost a spiritual experience when you consider how extraordinary nature is in forming such a wonderful design. Tours can begin in Vegas, where participants are picked up for a long drive across the desert terrain to Antelope Canyon, where they are greeted by gorgeous rock formations.
A hike to Horseshoe Bend, a curved waterway that hugs the canyon like its namesake shape, will help prepare travelers for the five-hour drive back to Vegas - yes, you'll be spending 10 hours of travel time for this one. While that sounds like a trip within a trip, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend are definitely worth it for travelers who want to be fully immersed in the beauty of sandstone shaped over millions of years. Standing among the formations and looking up will give you one of the most intense views of Mother Nature's creativity in the area.
Trekking all the way to Antelope Canyon will take all day, so be prepared to carve out a chunk of your trip if
you want to see the breathtaking shapes and colors that have naturally formed there. If you are able to sleep on the drive back you may be able to hit the Las Vegas strip when you get back, just in time for things to get lively under the neon lights.
I was in Sedona when I decided to drive up to Page and Antelope Canyon. I must remind you it is located on Navaj land, and you are a guest! Signing up well beforehand is also a requirement, as the tours are very popular among skilled and unskilled (me) photographers.
By the way, Page is a decent little town, as Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell are very close. Page also has a very good Mexican restaurant, decent hotels, and a nice brewpub near the meeting point for the tour.
I arrived early and decided to scout the area. Signs are posted everywhere, warning of trespassing!
So, our little group hung out in the brewpub before the tour. We were trucked over to the canyon, about a 15 or 20 minute drive away. The day looked a bit cloudy, as the sun was unable to make an
appearance. All the better for photos, the expert photogs were saying, in their rather haughty and uppity way.
Our Navajo driver seemed rather disinterested, totally bored, and rather sloppily dressed. Who knew?
As we swarmed the canyon and meandered through, our little group of Ansel Adams wannabees were clicking like crazy. Many had fancy, huge cameras, tripods, light meters, with a few having two cameras.
While taking my time toward the rear of the pack, our Navajo guide tapped me on the shoulder. He told me to place the camera at a specific place. OMG! The photo was incredible! He did this for me several times, including shots from a short wood post, on the canyon shelf, and from the ground. When he showed me my photos, I was just blown away! All the "pros" took a look and tried to replicate the exact shots that I had just taken!!!
Those photos are still among the best I have ever taken. It was just an inexpensive Canon or Sony point and shoot. But for one single day, I hung with the big boys and girls.
Let it be known all serious photographer knows about and have visited Antelope Canyon. I have met amateur and professional photographers from all over the world, and they all know about Antelope Canyon. As I say many times over, only in America!
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