I'm off to Antelope Canyon

[jeffreybehr]

Brent, there is LOTS of info on this site about what to take and not take into the Antelopes.  You'll just have to Search and read them.  :-)

I'd do both the Antelopes in the middle of the day, on 2 days if the weather will be the same on both days.  Horseshoe Bend is tough to shoot ANY time of day, with HUGE dynamic range.  If you can rent a 4WD, try to get into Alstrom Pt. on the n. side of Lake Powell.  It's a great late-afternoon spot--see this pic as an example.  One starts this trip in Big Water (Badwater?), Utah, a few miles northwest of Page on US89,  and travels east.  

Good luck.

[gtal]

I suggest looking through a good guide book before planning your trip. Photographing the Southwest by Laurent Martres should give you some good ideas.

To answer your questions...

1) The best time for either one is when the sun is overhead (depending on the season, usually late morning/early afternoon)

2) How many lifetimes do you have dedicated for this trip?
Escalante, Zion, and the Grand Canyon are all within your range, not to mention Vermillion Cliffs and Paria wilderness areas.

3) Horseshoe Bend is a good sunrise location. As for others - see #2

Guy

[Brentbat]

Just posted the results of my trip on my website

Hey Tim

Lovely photographs.... I am so excited and psyched about my trip.... your photos are only making me more excited about the adventure.

Thanks
Brent

[braindeadmac]

Hi folks

Well I have bitten the bullet and booked a last minute trip to Antelope Canyon in early January before I depart USA back to Australia.

So a couple of questions for those that know the area.

I am planning to spend 2 days in Page, AZ with a friend who is also a photographer.  With such a short time there, I don't have much time to scout or explore, so I want to optimize my time.

I was thinking of the following....

1 Day shooting in Upper and Lower Antelope
1 Day shooting other sites (Horseshoe bend etc.)

So my questions are....

1) Which order should we do upper and lower canyons (does it matter which you do in AM and which one in PM?)

2) Any other "must see" locations within about a 150mile radius of page?

3) Any particularly good locations for sunrise/sunset shots?

Any other advice (gear, accessories etc.)

Thanks in advance
Brent

You can do Horseshoe Bend the same day as you do the Upper and Lower Antelope.

I would do Horseshoe Bend for sunrise, then do Upper Antelope in early to late morning, maybe through lunch, then Lower Antelope.  Have a backup plan though because flooding may close Antelope.  That 150 mile radius is pretty awesome--Zion, probably Bryce, Arches, Grand Canyon, Escalante-Grand Staircase, Paria Wilderness Area, tons of areas really.

[Brentbat]

Hi folks

Well I have bitten the bullet and booked a last minute trip to Antelope Canyon in early January before I depart USA back to Australia.

So a couple of questions for those that know the area.

I am planning to spend 2 days in Page, AZ with a friend who is also a photographer.  With such a short time there, I don't have much time to scout or explore, so I want to optimize my time.

I was thinking of the following....

1 Day shooting in Upper and Lower Antelope
1 Day shooting other sites (Horseshoe bend etc.)

So my questions are....

1) Which order should we do upper and lower canyons (does it matter which you do in AM and which one in PM?)

2) Any other "must see" locations within about a 150mile radius of page?

3) Any particularly good locations for sunrise/sunset shots?

Any other advice (gear, accessories etc.)

Thanks in advance
Brent

[Sabercat04]

I haven't yet been to Antelope Canyon, but I did spend nearly a week in late April, early May in Northern Arizona, southern Utah. The problem is that there are enough must-see places to spend weeks or months or longer. There are so many great places along the highway between Page and Kanab, Utah. The north rim of the Paria is great and if you are into some rigorous hiking, you can go part of the way down. You probably need a 4 wheel drive to get to the rim. The Paria canyon hikes are popular and require a far-in-advance reservation, but the north rim can be visited any time. A little farther along the road to Kanab is Wire Pass. You take a dirt road south about 10-15 miles (probably ok for a regular auto) and the trail head is on the left. A half day hike in and out will let you photograph a very nice slot canyon.

Whatever you do, I'm sure you won't go wrong. Have fun!

[Tim Gray]

Also Monument Valley - Tom Phillips is a great guide and you need a guide to get off the beaten (truly beaten in this case) path.

I was at Page etc. etc. etc. first week Dec.  I think the light in the Antelopes can be interesting any time of day - this time of year you won't get any beams tho...  I took a tour of upper from Page but was restricted to an hour - I've read others had better luck just driving to the entrance off the highway and going in with one of the guides there - more time an no tour following you around.  If you do that you might be able to do 2 other canyons on the way to upper - Little Antelope and Rattlesnake Canyons.

Just posted the results of my trip on my website

[Tim Gray]

thanks, make sure you report back