Spring 2024 Southwestern Swing, 4.01.24 - 5.06.24, Part 11, Lower Antelope Canyon, Alstrom Point
Despite having four and a half days allotted for Page, obviously there was much more to see and do than we had time for. I wanted to take advantage of every minute in that area so the morning after we arrived while Bridgit slept in, I went out before dawn to explore a spot that my friend Gary had told me about called Little Cut. This was an unsigned, unmarked spot off the highway several miles out of Page. There is no trail and as such not very many people even know about it, but it has some nice rock features and he assured me it was worth checking out, especially at sunrise.
So at 5:15AM I was on the road with his instructions about where to park and what to look for. I parked in what seemed like the correct spot and made my way down a hill and arouund a corner. Off in the distance was a group of orange “tepee” rocks that looked like a great place to explore and photograph but it was clear that I was still a long way away from them. Knowing I must have parked in the wrong spot, I climbed back up the hill and back to the Jeep. By the time I drove less than a mile further and found the correct parking spot, the sun had just broken the horizon. I really wanted to hike down the escarpment and explore these tepee rocks up close, but my initial mis-calculation cost me a good forty-five minutes. Due to a full schedule I just didn’t have enough time to explore any further so I got some shots from up on the escarpment and I will just have to go back another time.
The tepees from Little Cut
The tepees from Little Cut
Every day I would check on NOOA’s website for detailed information about the forecast for each place we intended to visit. I can move the map around so it gives me accurate information on a specific spot. Once I isolate a position, I can get forty-eight hours of hourly stats on everything from temperature, wind gusts, chance of precipitation, sky cover and more. It is extremely helpful and prudent to know this information before heading off into some remote area for an entire day.
One of the top three things I was looking forward to during this entire trip was supposed to happen during our stay in Page. Through my research I had come across an incredible place called Coal Mine Canyon. The views are outstanding from the rim. The interior of the canyon is on Hopi land and no one is allowed to go down into the canyon without a Hopi guide. Down in Coal Mine Canyon is another side canyon called Blue Canyon. From the research I had done, this looked like a mind-blowing experience so we made arrangements before even leaving on our trip with a Hopi guide. He was even going to allow us to camp overnight in Blue Canyon. The plan was to meet him, follow him in our Jeep down into Blue Canyon, get a guided tour for about four hours and then he would leave, let us set up a tent camp overnight and we would drive back out the next morning, stopping by the rim of Coal Mine Canyon for more views before heading back to the Navibahn. This would allow me to photograph Blue Canyon at sunset, at night and at sunrise. Sadly, a couple of days before we were supposed to go, the weather forecast tanked. On the day we were supposed to go into Blue Canyon, it was now predicted to have a forty percent chance of rain and wind gusts as high as fifty miles per hour. After discussing this with our guide, we both agreed this would be a risky trip and we ended up having to cancel.
But back to our story. After returning from my botched excursion to Little Cut, we had a reservation to get a guided tour of Lower Antelope Canyon for a 10:15AM tour. Lower and Upper Antelope Canyon have fallen prey to their exquisite beauty. Through social media, Antelope Canyon has become an Iconic place to visit. Its close proximity to Page, the easy level of the hike and the sheer beauty has turned it into a gigantic tourist destination. The Navajo provide the only access to these canyons and on any given day, thousands of people take the tours. I was a bit concerned about how the throngs might affect my ability to photograph the canyon but it really worked out just fine.
We gathered at Dixie’s Antelope Canyon Tours. There were tons of people there but they divided everyone up into groups of fifteen. The tour starts out by walking across the surface about seven minutes or so to a set of metal stairs. There were seven flights of stairs dropping down to the entrance of Lower Antelope Canyon. Some of the flights were steep enough that people would turn around and go down them like a ladder.
Looking down the stairs at the entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon
At the bottom of the stairs things immediately got really cool looking. Most of Lower Antelope Canyon was very twisty and winding. Usually there was only space for one person at a time to move through. Then it would open up into a bit larger area where our group could all gather before moving through another section. Even though our group only had fourteen people, there were groups just ahead and behind us. I thought the guides did a pretty good job of waiting for the groups ahead to get around a corner and then giving everyone in our group an opportunity to photograph ahead before we all moved on.
As far as photography was concerned, first of all, due to the lack of space inside the canyon, no tripods were allowed. That wasn’t a problem as there was enough light for me to shoot without one. However, after only taking a few shots with my Canon DSLR, it was clear to me that I was getting better results with my iPhone camera. It had a wider angled lens than my Canon which was really helpful. Acting on a tip I had read on a website, I adjusted the filter on my iPhone camera to shoot in a setting called vivid warm. This gave the rock in the canyon more of its true color than just shooting in normal mode. I also found that the patterns in the canyon looked great by shooting straight above us. By touching the screen at the brightest part of the composition (the sky), it would compose on that bright part and change the color of the sky from overblown white to brilliant blue which was its actual color. I was extremely pleased with the results. Not lost on me during this tour was the fact that the canyon itself was absolutely stunning! I found myself just imagining that there were no people at all in the canyon and simply marveled at the sculpted walls and beautiful light inside the canyon. It is no wonder at all that Antelope Canyon has such a draw.
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
The tour ended by a little after noon so we went back to camp for lunch. Our plan was to see the sunset from a spot on Lake Powell called Alstrom Point. First though, we stopped by the overlook for the Glen Canyon dam. This is the famous dam that the Monkey Wrench Gang (Edward Abbey) wanted to blow up so that Lake Powell would drain and restore the desert to its original splendor. If you’ve never read The Monkey Wrench Gang, it’s one of those books that once you get going you can’t put it down. It is a truly great adventure novel and if you are at all familiar with southern Utah it makes the narrative even better. If you’re not familiar with southern Utah, it’ll make you want to visit these spectacular places. But I stray. After viewing the dam from the overlook we drove across the bridge and stopped by the Haydn Visitor Center which has some very interesting displays and a good information desk.
The mighty Glen Canyon Dam holding back the Colorado River to create Lake Powell
Pano of Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River
Looking down on the Glen Canyon Dam from the Haydn Visitor Center
From the dam, the drive out to Alstrom Point was a great adventure. It is a little under a two hour drive. Past the dam we drove up 89 to Big Water and turned off onto the Smoky Mountain Road. The scenery was gorgeous the entire way. Big cliffs at the edge of grand mesas were lit up in the afternoon sun. The road travels through an area of grey bentonite which looked like a moonscape on both sides of the road. Gigantic boulders lay on the ground that had clearly broken off the of the massive cliffs towering above the bentonite area. Eventually we came to a turnoff that leads way out to Alstrom Point which is a high plateau overlooking Gunsight Butte and the blue waters of Lake Powell. If we had stayed on Smoky Mountain Road it continues all the way to the town of Escalante (note to self - must do). As we drove out towards Alstrom Point we were on a dirt track through sage flats. About two miles from the point we came to where the cars must park and hike the rest of the way. Beyond this spot is 4WD only.
Now the road began to climb over more rock. The crux of the drive was a very steep hill full of decent sized rocks. Because of the steep angle, I wouldn’t be able to see what was at the top so Bridgit got out to guide me once I reached the top of the hill. This was where I shifted to 4WDL. The Jeep had no problem climbing this hill and we continued. Then we came to an area that was nothing but rock. As we crossed it we followed a track up a hill and came to the end of the road. There was a woman camped up there in her modified 4Runner. I was confused because I could tell this was clearly not Alstrom Point. She said if we had veered east down on the rocky part we would find the main route and way off on a distant hill we could see another vehicle. She said that was Alstrom Point so we thanked her, made our way back down to the rocky section and climbed up the other hill. As we crested the hill we both let out a gasp. Sprawled out before us was a stunning panorama of red buttes and mesas with countless arms of blue water twisting in every direction into the side canyons of Glen Canyon. It really was a grand sight to behold.
Sunlit butte rising above the bentonite clay
Alstrom Point
Gunsight Butte from Alstrom Point
Lake Powell from where the cars park
Speaking of Lake Powell, much has been written about the dire drop in water levels at Lake Powell. This last year the lake level has risen substantially but was still far below what they call a full pool. An example of this is at a place closer to Page called Lone Rock. Many people camp on the shoreline near this rock. You used to be able to take a houseboat all the way around the rock. In recent years the lake level dropped so far that you could walk right up to the rock. While we were there, the level had risen high enough that the water once again reached the rock. We couldn’t tell if water surrounded it or not but clearly it was much higher than it had been a year or two ago.
Lone Rock
I really wanted to stay until the sun went down to capture the amazing light at Alstrom Point but it would be a long drive back and down some rough sections of road so we ended up leaving around six-thirty. I would definitely enjoy packing the tent and camping for a night on the point. Next time!