A visit to the canyon country of the Colorado Plateau can be one of life’s most rewarding natural experiences. The plateau encompasses roughly 130,000 square miles, overlapping four different states: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. From one of the seven wonders of the natural world to a little known valley filled with otherworldly goblins, your choices are as great and daunting as the plateau is huge. If you have time, visits to several areas are suggested. If time is a factor, consider Antelope Canyon.

Situated within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation and located just minutes from Page, Arizona and a stone’s throw from Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon is actually two canyons: upper and lower. Each has their unique style as well as their interaction with the desert light.

Upper Antelope Canyon is smaller than the lower canyon, and requires little effort to see. Driving up a sandy wash suddenly brings you to a slot in a sandstone wall where you walk right in. This canyon, less than a city block long, greets you with windswept and water-sculpted formations; light, both direct and diffused, being the real star. During the summer months, with the sun high overhead, shafts of midday light appear in the canyon, directing themselves onto the canyon’s floor. At other times, diffused light accentuates the lines in and shapes of the sandstone formations.

The upper canyon almost takes on a spacious feel after you’ve been in the lower canyon. What starts as a tiny crack in the desert floor suddenly transforms itself into an ethereal stage where your presence is meaningless. The small crack in the floor leads to an opening just large enough to let you crawl down a ladder, where you continue your descent into this maddening spectacle of light. Here, diffused light is the name of the game and because this canyon is much narrower than the upper, camera exposures will be much longer. Take your tripod, as it will be a necessity. If you have a camera pack, you will have to remove it in several spots just to squeeze through the narrow walls. A series of ladders helps guide and navigate you through this longer canyon.

Always the light. Much has been written about light quality in the canyon country. From surreal to mystical, it has its own character and any effort to describe it in words is futile. Suffice to say you should experience it for yourself firsthand. The deep glow of the canyon country at sunrise and sunset is pure magic.

Long gone are the days of paying an admission fee and then walking or crawling into the canyons. Now, guides are required and tours are available for both canyons. During the height of the summer season, you may find yourself battling the large groups of people as you attempt to capture an image. Usually, asking politely for people to wait while you do your image making is successful. However, if crowds aren’t your thing, plan a trip before or after summer season, keeping in mind you will most likely miss out on the light shaft show of the upper canyon.

Either way, with light shafting its way to the canyon floor, or dancing off the sandstone walls, your moment(s) of magic will last a lifetime.