Antelope Canyon - A Signature Piece of Nature's Art!

The four corner region always beckons me - I am fascinated with this region full of red canyons, rich history, and enticing natural beauty; a land full of sculptures created and being created by the greatest artist - nature itself. During this year's road trip to Arizona-Utah, I decided to stop by the Lower Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. The canyon was reopened for visitors as the Navajo Nation and the recreational facilities within were closed for quite sometime since the onset of the COVID pandemic.

There are a few slot canyons on the Colorado Plateau where streams have created narrow paths (slots) through sandstone formations. It was a 12-year-old Navajo girl who noticed the crack while herding sheep in 1931 at this location.

Unlike differential weathering/erosion in which rocks with different hardnesses are weathered by natural elements, a slot canyon is formed when the rock hardness is the same from top to bottom. During runoffs from flash flooding created by storms in the upper regions, high speed water cuts through the narrow recesses at high speeds.

In 1997, eleven tourists were killed as they were exploring the lower antelope canyon as a flash flood swept through it from thunderstorms miles away. Nowadays one can only enter the canyon with a Navajo guide. This is not a place where you want to be if there is a forecast of rain and thunderstorms.

We climbed down about 120 feet or so to reach the narrow canyon floor. It was a mesmerizing display of convoluted canyon walls as we walked along the 1000 feet or so in front of us. Each turn was a surprise in all directions - the curving walls, crests, troughs, all eloquently carved by water. The reflected sun rays were bouncing in all directions to accent its beauty.

From the Antelope Canyon, we decided to drive towards the Horseshoe Bend which is about 10 minutes away - another iconic symbol of the south west. My mind was dwelling on the beauties and mysteries of the canyon-lands of the Colorado plateau that I visited so far! The nature here connects me to all things past and present.