Plain Outside, Incredible Within: Arizona's Antelope Slot Canyon

Photo: Brian Baril Photography/Getty Images

My most visually surreal experience might be the hour or so I spent inside Antelope slot canyon. From the outside it’s just a big rocky out-crop, off-road and hardly noticeable. But Antelope is among the most exquisite and rare creations on earth, plunging over a hundred feet to the desert floor from its plain, open rim. And therein, lies a lesson: don’t judge a canyon by its cover.

Most people driving along the Arizona highway on their way to Navajo reservations or Lake Powell pass by without even realizing this slot canyon is there. It’s not famous like the Grand Canyon or Bryce or Zion. Most travelers have never heard of it, and the name suggests some gouge in the ground where the deer and the antelope play, or maybe even conjures up the one-armed bandits of nearby Las Vegas.

But, oh no my friends. This is a stunning American treasure and one hella natural wonder.

The light within this slot canyon is best at midday, when the sun pours in and the sandstone striations become almost incandescent. So our travel group was shooting for a noon arrival. We had spent the night at a hotel a couple of hours away, so getting there on time was easily doable. But oops, my alarm didn’t go off, and when I finally scurried into the van an hour late, the greatly annoyed travelers were tapping their extremities, understandably vexed that we’d miss the light.

Would they blame me for losing the best opportunity to photograph this wonder? Could we make up the time, or would I be dumped by the side of the canyon in the sagebrush?

The van driver did his best, speeding us past ravines, towering Saguaro cactus and dry scrub along this land of the Navajo. And to catch up, we even skipped the mandatory shopping stop for turquoise trinkets and woven rugs. At the town of Page, as soon as the van parked we immediately ran out and jeeped with our Navajo guide, tearing at warp speed to a rather ugly rock formation in the desert.

The guide took a couple of minutes before we entered the canyon to explain the beauty hidden within. Over time, he said, water from a nearby creek has cracked through the sandstone. When water swirls in, round hollows appear and softer material washes away. A slot within the rock develops from a series of these convoluted hollows, connected by narrow passages of varying width and length. In deeper slots like Antelope, the hollows stacked on hollows climb to many stories: a magical, mystical cathedral of rock.

There is a danger, the guide warned: When it rains, flash floods may pour in before there's time to escape. Hikers have drowned at Antelope. But this day was sunny, and our only danger seemed missing the midday light if he kept talking.

We had traveled far for these precious moments within the canyon.  We entered the dark space, single file, squeezing through an opening just big enough to allow us in without pulling in our gut. I gasped, and then just aimed my camera.

Water and wind have scoured Antelope into shapes and colors beyond imagination. (Whoever first fell in and discovered this unexpected wonderland, and then tried to describe it, must have been considered high on something and sent back into the desert to sweat it off.)

And yes! As we walked deeper inside, sunlight poured from above, setting the walls aglow. From the rim, warm yellow and orange deepened to red to purple, to deep gray to black in the shadows. Waves, curls, arches, folds, curtains and whorls dazzled me as I maneuvered in a space where lines bent, up seemed down, and inside seemed out. Not an inch of it was less than magnificent.

The timing was perfect. The light was spectacular. I was safe. We were happy with the photos.  And to come back up to earth, we even stopped to shop for touristy rugs after the visit.

And:

Best Nearby Stays: Lake Powell Motel, Holiday Inn Page- Lake Powell

Best Nearby Eats: The Cut Bistro,  Bonkers Restaurant

Best Nearby sites/sights: Horseshoe Bend hiking; Rainbow Bridge National Monument; Glen Canyon National Recreational Area