Antelope Canyon - Arizona

Antelope Canyon slot canyon in the southwestern United States. It is located on Navajo land east of Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as the upper Antelope Canyon or crack. The Antelope Canyon or the key.

Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tse bighánílíní, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." Low Antelope Canyon is Hazdistazí (announcement "Hasdestwazi" by the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department), or "spiral rock arches." Located within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation.

Formed Antelope Canyon Navajo sandstone erosion, mainly due to flooding and because of other processes semi-Air. Rainwater, especially during the monsoon season, working in a large basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand where the rushes in the narrow lanes. Over time lanes eroded away, making it deeper and soften the hard edges of the passages in such a way as to form characteristic 'flowing' shapes in the rock.

Flooding in the valley is still going on. Flood happened in the October 30, 2006, which lasted 36 hours, and causing tribal authorities to close the Park Lower Antelope Canyon for five months.

Antelope Canyon is a popular location for photographers and sightseers, and a source for the tourism industry of the Navajo Nation. It has allowed companies to offer private tour rounds since 1987. It was accessible by tour only since 1997, when the Navajo tribe, the Navajo tribal-Park. Photography inside the grooves is difficult due to a wide range of exposure (often 10 EV or more) that the light reflected from the walls of the valley.

The so-called upper Antelope Canyon Zi bighánílíní, "the place where water runs through rocks" by the Navajo. It is the most frequently visited by tourists, for two reasons. First, the entrance and the length is at ground level, requiring no climbing. Second, beams (shafts of sunlight radiating down from the vents in the upper part of the valley) are more common in the level than it was in the world. Packets occur most often in the summer months, as they require the sun to be high in the sky. Winter colors are a little more muted like the photo display here. Summer months offer two types of lighting. Rays of light begin to peek into the valley, March 20 and October 7 disappear each year.

Less Antelope Canyon, called Hazdistazí, or "spiral rock arches" by the Navajo Indians, located a few miles. Before installing the metal stairs, and visit the valley required to climb ladders along the pre-installed in some areas. Even after the installation of the stairs, it is more difficult than the Upper Antelope high. It is longer, narrower in the Bekaa Valley, and even offered is not available in all areas. In the end, the climb requires several flights of stairs.

In spite of these limitations, Lower Antelope Canyon draws a large number of photographers, although casual lookers much less common there than at the top.

Lower valley is in the form of "V" and shallower than the upper antelope. Better lighting in the early hours of the morning and late in the morning.

He visited Antelope Canyon exclusively through rounds, partly because of the rains during the monsoon can drown quickly valley season. Rain does not fall on or near the Antelope Canyon slots for flash floods to whip through, precipitation on tens of kilometers "upstream" of the grooves distance can be directed to them a little advance notice. In August 12, 1997, one tenth of tourists, including seven from France, one from the United Kingdom, one from Sweden and two from the United States, died in the Lower Antelope Canyon torrents. Very little rain fell on the site that day, but it was a thunderstorm earlier dumped a large amount of water in the basin of the valley 0.7 miles (11 km) upstream. The sole survivor was a flood of tour guide Francisco "Poncho" Quintana, who received training in the water quickly advance. At that time, the system consisted of ladder stairs wood built-amateur that were swept away by flash floods. Today, the systems have pulled him in place, and are installed cargo nets spread in the upper part of the valley. The fee booth, and NOAA weather radio from the National Weather Service, and the alarm horn are stationed.

In spite of the warning systems and improved safety, the risk of injuries caused by the floods still exist. In July 30 2010, it stranded many tourists on the edge when it signed two floods in the upper Antelope Canyon. Some of them have been rescued, and some to wait for the flood waters to recede. There were reports that the woman and her son, aged 9 years and wounded washed downstream, but the news of the deaths were reported.

And the gates of the road to Antelope Canyon Navajo Nation and limited entry of rounds of licensed tour guides led. Tours can be purchased in the neighboring page and range from $ 28 to $ 128 per person, depending on the time of day and length of the trip. Companies that offer tours in the upper Antelope Canyon have passenger limits - for this very reason it is best to have reservations in advance.