Lake Powell's water level dropped forty metres between 2000 and 2005, exposing sandstone corridors that had been submerged since Glen Canyon Dam's floodgates closed in 1963.
These narrow slot canyons — carved by millennia of flash floods through Navajo sandstone — now form a labyrinth of rust-red walls rising directly from the reservoir's surface, accessible only by boat or kayak from Antelope Point Marina.
The canyon system lies within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, eight kilometres upriver from Page. Antelope Canyon itself comprises two terrestrial slot formations — Upper and Lower Antelope — managed by Navajo Nation Parks and requiring separate permits and guided land-based tours. The water route into Antelope Canyon's flooded tributary arms requires neither Navajo permit nor guide, only the Glen Canyon entrance fee and a suitable watercraft. Most paddlers launch from Antelope Point Public Boat Ramp, the closest vehicle-accessible shore to the slot canyon zone.
The sandstone here is Jurassic-age Navajo Formation, windblown dunes lithified 190 million years ago. Water and wind sculpted vertical fractures into slots rarely wider than two metres, their walls bearing scalloped alcoves and mineral streaks — manganese oxide blacks, iron oxide reds, calcium carbonate whites. Summer air temperatures exceed 38°C, but the slot interiors remain shaded and ten degrees cooler. Wind funnels through the corridors after midday, creating standing waves and challenging paddle control.
Kayak tours typically cover six to ten kilometres round-trip, depending on water levels and which tributary arms are navigable. Antelope Canyon's main water channel extends roughly two kilometres from the lake into progressively narrowing walls before becoming impassable to kayaks. Side canyons — Navajo, Labyrinth, Cathedral — offer additional kilometres of exploration. Rental operators based near Page provide tandem and single kayaks, life vests, paddles, and dry bags; some include shuttle service to Antelope Point. Guided excursions add geological interpretation and route knowledge, steering groups toward the deepest slots and away from dead-end shallows.
4 hr
