Visit Antelope Canyon X: Forget Upper & Lower Antelope Canyons!
Antelope Canyon X is going to be the highlight of your trip to Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon X is a slot canyon in Page, Arizona, located in the exact same Antelope Canyon as the famous Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons.
Three things make Antelope Canyon X a better choice than both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons:
- You can actually get tickets to Antelope Canyon X. Even last minute!
- Antelope Canyon X is less crowded.
- Tours of Antelope Canyon X are less rushed.
Read on for my detailed guide to visiting Antelope Canyon X!
What is a Slot Canyon?
A slot canyon is a deep but narrow canyon, formed by the wear of water rushing through rock. Page, Arizona, is famous for its beautiful slot canyons, which have become an increasingly popular tourist attraction.
Our Two Failed Attempts to Visit Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons
I’ve tried to visit Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons with my husband twice, and failed both times.
The first time, Upper Antelope Canyon was sold out but we snagged the last couple of tickets to tour Lower Antelope Canyon.
When we showed up to the Lower Antelope Canyon canyon parking lot, we waited under the beating sun for a while (it was July), and the tour company then canceled our tour due to the heat.
The crowd in the Lower Antelope Canyon parking lot was so big, the heat so sweltering and the tour company so disorganized in offering refunds, that we left without having our refund processed.
The second failed attempt was our most recent trip to Page in December 2018. We we spending the holidays in Arizona and decided last minute to visit Page between Christmas and New Years.
Of course, both Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon were sold out. That’s when we found out about Antelope Canyon X.
Antelope Canyon X Location
Antelope Canyon X is located on Navajo lands, just east of Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon X is part of the same famous Antelope Canyon as both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons.
Unlike other “alternative” slot canyon tours, visiting Antelope Canyon X means you are touring the famous Antelope Canyon you’ve heard so much about. You’re just exploring a different section than the busier and more crowded tours of Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon.
Antelope Canyon X tours begin at MP 308 Hwy 98, #3784, Page, AZ 86040. Free parking is available on site. The lot is unpaved but we were able to navigate it fine in a completely impractical sports car.
Since it had snowed the night before, we parked close to the entrance to the parking lot where the snow wasn’t as deep.
Antelope Canyon X Tour Information
You must book a tour to visit Antelope Canyon X. Taadidiin Tours is the sole tour operator in Antelope Canyon X. This helps keep crowds smaller within the canyon. Antelope Canyon X is not yet as well-known as Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon, making it easier to get tickets to tour Antelope Canyon X.
Taadidiin Tours does accept walk-ins (subject to availability), but I recommend booking your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. We booked our tickets about 3 days in advance during a peak travel week between Christmas and New Years.
We chose the 1.5 hour hiking tour of Antelope Canyon X, which costs $40 per adult, $30 for children ages 8-11 and $22 for children aged 0-7. Ticket prices include the cost of an $8 permit required to enter the Navajo lands.
No bags or tripods are allowed on the hiking tour. We had plenty of time to take photos and I found there was enough natural light in portions of the canyon that I didn’t need a tripod.
Taadidiin Tours also offers a longer 2-3 hour photography tour of Antelope Canyon X for $120 to which you are allowed to bring a bag and tripod.
When to Visit
Antelope Canyon X is open year round. However, I would not recommend visiting during the summer months. As I mentioned above, we drove through Page in July 2017 and the heat was sweltering.
Our tour of Lower Antelope Canyon was canceled because of the heat. We were disappointed because we were on a road trip and had made a two hour detour especially to visit Antelope Canyon.
Fall and spring are good times to visit Antelope Canyon X because the weather will be more mild.
Winter is also a great time to visit so that you can experience the beauty of Antelope Canyon X in the snow, like we did. The orange red walls of the canyon are absolutely stunning dusted in snow. Ideally, you should avoid the December holidays which attract larger crowds.
If you visit Antelope Canyon X in the winter, bring a proper winter coat, winter boots and be prepared for the possibility of icy and snowy roads. We had a pretty stressful drive to Page through a snowstorm in a tiny sports car!
Our Antelope Canyon X Tour Experience
We pulled into the Taadidiin Tours parking lot 15 minutes before our 11:30 AM tour. Taadidiin Tours requires you to show up at least 15 minutes early, or you risk being refused from the tour. I’m pretty much always late, I wasn’t going to miss out on touring Antelope Canyon again!!!
We had booked our tickets online in advance, so checked in at the desk and handed in our signed liability waivers. To save time, you can print and sign the waiver at home or at your hotel, and bring it with you.
Even though it was one of the busiest tour days of the year, the crowd in the parking lot for Antelope Canyon X was much smaller than we had experienced at Lower Antelope Canyon.
At 11:30 AM, we were directed into a white van that held 15 passengers. We drove about 3 miles to the Antelope Canyon X opening. Once we exited the van, we were offered bottled water before descending downhill into the canyon.
It had snowed the night before, so we walked downhill carefully and slowly. Taadidiin Tours had laid down metal anti slip walkways to help us get safely to the canyon. Unlike Lower Antelope Canyon, you do not need to climb down any ladders or stairs to enter Antelope Canyon X.
Antelope Canyon X has two slots that you can explore with your tour group. Since it was a holiday week, Antelope Canyon X was busier than usual and there were multiple tour groups arriving and departing each half hour.
However, the Taadidiin Tours guides were great at ensuring that the canyon didn’t get too crowded. At its busiest, there were maybe 35 other people with us in each side of the canyon. For comparison, I’ve read a TripAdvisor review of Upper Antelope Canyon where 350 people were crammed in there all at once!
We explored the twisting passageways of the first slot, which were especially beautiful in the spots dusted with snow. Our tour guide then took us over to the other side to explore its nooks and crannies.
We didn’t visit Antelope Canyon X at the right time to see any light beams streaming into the canyon, but I wasn’t disappointed.
Even on one of their busiest days of the year, we were easily able to get photos without anyone else in them. Our tour guide was great at ensuring we had plenty of time and space to take photos.
We still managed to get great pics, even though we weren’t permitted to bring a tripod on our hiking tour. There are multiple parts of Antelope Canyon X that have wide openings which let in a lot of natural light. We also took some photos I’m proud of in the darker narrow parts that really brightened up once I edited them in Adobe Lightroom.
Overall, we spent about an hour exploring Antelope Canyon X, which is a bit longer than we had expected. Our tour guide understood that most people wanted to take photos and didn’t rush us. He pointed out great photo spots in the canyon and helped people take group photos.
At the end of our tour, we walked back uphill to wait for the next van back to the parking lot. Even though there was a small crowd waiting for the vans, getting a van back was an easy and orderly process.
Overall, we were very happy with our experience touring Antelope Canyon X. Even though we visited on one of the busiest days of the year, Antelope Canyon X had a fraction of the crowds you can expect at both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons on any given day. Our tour also lasted longer than we had expected, and we were able to book our tickets last minute
Our tour lasted about 2 hours, which was 30 minutes longer than we had expected. Once we got back to the parking lot, we jumped in our (completely impractical sports) car and headed over to explore Horseshoe Bend.
If you’re considering visiting Antelope Canyon, Antelope Canyon X is a great choice for your tour.
Visiting Horseshoe Bend
You can read all about our experience visiting Horseshoe Bend, which you can check out in the same as Antelope Canyon X.
Where to Stay in Page, Arizona
There aren’t really luxury or trendy properties in Page, Arizona. But some solid hotel and motel options in the area are:
- Wingate by Windham (we stayed here)
Exploring Arizona
If you’re planning to explore more of Arizona, check out my posts on:
xx
Vicki
Oooh! I’ve never seen photos of this spot in the snow, it looks exciting! The landscape and slot canyons are so unique and dreamy!
Loving the information too!
Claudia xo
I’d love to go back!
I love the snow here! Antelope was super crowded and we totally looked into this one!
It was so magical in the snow!
These are such beautiful shots! I love this spot, it’s so beautiful in person!
xx Jenifer
http://theevolista.com
Thank you! I loved going there!
Some my newest photos from Antelope Canyon X, definitely better for exploring and photographing than Upper Antelope Canyon.
I agree! Since it’s less crowded, you get such a better experience!
When I went to this canyon in June 2018 it was only called Canyon X, it is quite a long way out of Page compared to Antelope Canyon, while this slot Canyon ( made up of 2 canyon) is nice and our party was only made up of 3 people and one small dog it is quite a lot different than Antelope and Rattlesnake Canyons.
I did a photo tour of Upper Antelope canyon and Rattlesnake, Antelope was so full of people but Rattlesnake was great and really enjoyed it as there was only 4 of us.
Thanks for sharing the details about your trip! My husband visited Upper Antelope Canyon decades ago – before it was a well known travel destination. Back then, he saw a flyer about it, called the phone number, and jumped in the back of someone’s pickup truck to get there. It’s such a fascinating area, even now that it’s more popular!
There are many slot canyons in the southwest that have red walls. Antelope Canyon is the most famous and popular for a reason: it is spectacular and probably the best slot canyon in the world. Lot’s of other companies are throwing Antelope in front of their slot canyon name, but no matter how hard it tries, Canyon X is not Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon. For example, Lower Antelope Canyon is over 1200 feet long, while Canyon X is 150 feet long. The joy of walking through Lower or Upper Antelope Canyon can’t be compared to Canyon X.
When would you says is the best time of the day to visit Canyon X? We are planning to visit late March 2023. Thanks!