Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon | Which is Better to Visit?

Visiting Antelope Canyon, located in Page, Arizona, is a must if you're embarking on a Southwest road trip. For those short on time (or hoping to save some money), this post will discuss Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon and which experience is best.

I wrote this post the moment Jake and I returned from our Southwest road trip through Utah and Arizona, to share the details while everything was fresh on my mind. One of the highlights was visiting Antelope Canyon.

Before our trip, we debated between Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon. Getting to Page, AZ is no breeze, and we didn't want to come all this way and spend our time at the wrong canyon.

In the end, our itinerary had time to visit both. The opportunity to see the difference between the two canyons was a great experience. Understandably, not everyone will have time to visit both, or perhaps you're researching Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon to save some money (it's not cheap).

There's a clear winner in the Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon debate. This post will take you through which one is better and why.

Which tours did we choose?

You MUST book tickets through a tour company to visit both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. Visiting on your own is not an option.

We did our Lower Antelope Canyon Tour through Thunder Travel and couldn't recommend them more. We booked through Viator (usually my preference for booking tours). Oddly enough, the tickets were cheaper on Viator than booking directly with the tour company.

Our Upper Antelope Canyon Tour was through Antelope Slot Canyon Tours. 

Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon - which is best?

Lower Antelope Canyon wins by a long shot. If I only had time to visit one, this would be it. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Lower over Upper Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon was not as rushed

We did Upper Antelope Canyon first. This was a plus because I wasn't able to compare it to the slower pace of the Lower Antelope Canyon tour. 

Upper Antelope Canyon felt rushed the entire time. It's obvious the tour company is cramming as many tours into each day/time slot as possible.

For the duration of the tour, I felt like we were on the heels of the tour in front of us. At the same time, I felt like the tour behind us was rushing us to move forward. Basically, you feel sandwiched between tours the entire time.

This means you rarely get an opportunity to snap a photo without people in it since there are always people in front of and behind you. I felt bad for the tour guides who were having to balance not holding up the tour behind while also providing a "good" experience for their own tour group.

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We were given a few opportunities to take photos, but it was nothing compared to Lower Antelope Canyon.

During our tour, one of the parties kept complaining, "Why do you keep rushing us? We barely have time to take any photos. This tour was expensive, and we are being rushed the entire time". 

At the moment, I didn't really get why they were complaining. I figured this is just how it goes with Antelope Canyon.

Now that I've done both and am able to compare Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon, I can 100% understand why they were complaining. I'll bet they toured Lower Antelope Canyon first. If I'd toured Lower Antelope Canyon first, I would have been much more disappointed with the fast pace and lack of photo opportunities during this tour. 

Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon - actual length and distance

Upper Antelope Canyon is 660 feet long. Lower Antelope Canyon is 1,335 feet long. 

When you book the tours, Upper advertises that the tour will last 90 to 100 minutes. Lower is 1 to 1.5 hours.

When comparing Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon, the Lower tour spent a considerable amount of time inside the actual canyon, while on the Upper tour, we were only in the actual canyon for about 40 minutes.

Unlike Lower Antelope Canyon, you have to drive to Upper Antelope Canyon. It's a very bumpy 15 to 20-minute drive in a big van. If you get car sick, this may not be the best option for you.

Assume 40 minutes of driving round-trip, 15 minutes walking to and from the canyon entrance, and you're left with only 40 minutes inside the actual canyon. Which may seem like a fine amount of time, especially to get photos, but the issue is that much of that time is waiting for the tour in front of you to move on. So technically, you're not able to use that extra time "waiting" to take photos since there are people everywhere.

The Lower Antelope Canyon tour spends most of your 1.5-hour tour time inside the canyon. It's about a 10-minute walk to the canyon. So while the advertised tour times are about the same, the amount of time you spend in the canyon is considerably different between the two.

Lower wins by a long shot in the Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon debate for time spent in the canyon.

Lower Antelope Canyon is better for photos

We already discussed that with Upper Antelope Canyon, you are constantly surrounded by other people. Not the case with Lower Antelope Canyon.

The tours were spaced out, and I never once saw the tour in front of us. There were only a handful of times I realized there was a tour behind us, and that's because I stayed behind to take photos.

Lower Antelope Canyon is narrower than Upper, consisting of endless twists and turns. It's easy to get photos with no one in them. In fact, you'll often feel alone...the winding path means you often can't see the people in front or behind you.

With Upper, I felt like I was on a group tour the entire time. The actual canyon is wider and more of a straight path when compared to Lower. No twists and turns to "hide" yourself from the group.

When it comes to the photos we walked away with, Lower Antelope Canyon is the clear winner. Our pictures were stunning and showcased a variety of colors, shapes, and angles. The ones from Upper, more or less, all look the same. This may be because we had more time and our guide was better at showing us where and how to take photos.

What about the light beams in Upper Antelope Canyon?

One of the main reasons people visit Upper Antelope Canyon is for the famous light shafts. You'll usually see this if you book an afternoon tour (11:00 am to 1:00 pm). September and April are the best months to catch these light beams.

We booked the 12:25 pm tour (in September) and didn't really see any significant light beams. Even if we did get to experience those light shafts, it still wouldn't be worth it to choose Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon for all the reasons I've gone through above.

Lower Antelope Canyon feels more mystical

As mentioned earlier, Lower Antelope Canyon is significantly narrower and more curvy than Upper Antelope Canyon. There were many moments where I felt a world away, completely alone for a minute or two, and able to really take in my surroundings.

The deep twists and turns, combined with a trail that is just narrow enough for one person to fit through, allowed this. You're left with the illusion that you're alone. You don't see anyone in front of or behind you. I never had a moment like that in Upper Antelope Canyon.

Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon tour guides

Our guide for Lower Antelope Canyon was considerably better than Upper. To be fair, this isn't necessarily because the Upper guide was poor; I think they're just given a difficult situation with the number of tours crammed back-to-back.

Because we weren't as rushed on the Lower Antelope Canyon tour, the guide really went out of his way to point out photo opportunities. Not only did he show where to take photos, but exactly how to place our cameras to get that "exact shot".

With our Lower Antelope Canyon tour, the guide would let us wander at our own pace and didn't care if we lingered behind to snap a few extra photos.

The Upper Antelope Canyon tour was a different story. There was only one spot where we were able to get a photo with us in it during the tour. Only a handful of photo opportunities were pointed out by our guide, and not with the detail and care that our Lower guide provided.

Our Upper Antelope Canyon guide would yell (not in a mean way) if we strayed behind. I don't fault the guide for this because the tours were so tight, if you stayed behind at all, you were holding the other tour up.

Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon - cost

After everything you've read thus far, you'd think Upper would be cheaper than Lower Antelope Canyon. Wrong! Upper Antelope Canyon was $115 a person. Lower Antelope Canyon was $90 per ticket.

Who should choose Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon

There are two scenarios where a visitor may prefer Upper over Lower Antelope Canyon:

• People with mobility issues: Upper Canyon is a lot easier to navigate than Lower Canyon. Lower Antelope Canyon has more stairs and ladders.
• Photographers visiting in September or April, hoping to get those famous "light shaft" photos. Even in this situation, you're not guaranteed to get the light shafts. Since you have to book the tour in advance, the day you go could be cloudy. Or you book the 12:25 pm (like us), which is supposed to have the shafts, only to go and not really experience any impressive light beams.

Things I would have done differently

For photographers, early to late morning is best for lighting. We did our tour late afternoon, which I would not recommend. I had to deal with a lot of sun flares when trying to take photos in certain areas.

I would have also gone for an earlier time slot for Upper Antelope Canyon. Our tour started at 12:25 pm. It's recommended to tour between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm to get those beautiful light shafts.

Since it took 20 minutes to drive to the canyon, we weren't technically in the canyon until around 1:00 pm. I didn't experience any significant light shafts, and I think it's because we were too late. 

Tips for visiting Antelope Canyon

Do your due diligence when purchasing tickets

There are a lot of scams out there (including on TripAdvisor) that are charging up to three times what the actual tour costs. Don't fret, it's easy to find the scams as many reviews call attention to it.

The official Antelope Canyon website lists approved tour companies for Upper and Lower. Do not pay more than $150 per ticket for Upper and $80 to $100 for Lower.

Jake bought our tickets from Thunder Travel on Viator (also on TripAdvisor). Those tickets are currently priced at $99 (taxes and fees included). 

I've since done research and found tickets for $85 via Dixie's and Ken's Tours. I can't speak to either of these companies. All I can say is our tour with Thunder Travel was fantastic.

Security

Get ready to leave most of your belongings in the car. You can not bring backpacks (even small ones), handbags, tripods, gimbals, etc.

Basically, we could bring our phones, a camera, a water bottle, and a GoPro. They even made us take the hand grip off our GoPro.

In summary

Overall, I'm glad we were able to do both so I could compare Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon for you/future visitors. Was Upper Antelope Canyon worth the $130 to $150 per ticket? No. 

After completing the Lower Antelope Canyon tour, I left feeling like I'd been scammed on the Upper tour, given how rushed we were and how crowded it was.

Knowing what I know now, I would have no hesitation in only booking the Lower Antelope Canyon tour.

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Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon | Which is Better

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Come back after your trip! Share which tour you chose and your thoughts on Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon in the comments below.