Around 80 minutes inside Upper Antelope, walked one way, with a 15-minute exit hike over the top of the canyon.
Updated 15 October 2026
In shortThe Upper Antelope Canyon tour is a fully guided walk through the slot canyon the Navajo call Tse'bighanilini, listed at 1 hour 20 minutes with around 80 minutes inside and guiding in English. You meet at a free parking lot, then ride out to the canyon, walk it in a single direction and leave on a 15-minute hike with 112 steps down and 21 steps up. It suits visitors aged 8 and over who are steady on stairs and want the April-to-September light-beam window; the steps and the climb out rule it out for wheelchair users.
1 h 20 mintour length
from $119per adult
★ 4.72140 reviews
up to 30people per group
What the Upper Antelope Canyon tour covers
This is a fully guided walk through Tse'bighanilini, the upper of the two Antelope canyons, with a Navajo guide the whole way. A guide is compulsory at every Antelope Canyon location, so there is no self-guided version of this: you meet at the operator's parking lot and are driven out to the canyon entrance in a tour vehicle. The listed duration of 1 hour 20 minutes matches the roughly 80 minutes you spend inside your selected time slot.
Upper Antelope now runs in a single direction. You walk through the walkable section, about 660 feet (200 m) of sand floor between walls around 120 feet (37 m) high, and you do not come back the same way. The exit is a 15-minute hike up and over the canyon, with 112 steps going down and 21 steps going up across the route. Navajo Parks has capped time inside at two hours since 1 May 2011, which is why slots are tight and groups keep moving.
Light beams are the usual reason people choose Upper over Lower. They appear mainly from April through September, and only on clear, sunny days; early April and late October beams are smaller and die away faster. Of the published Upper Antelope departures, the 11:20 a.m. one is identified as the best chance. Every tour time here runs on Arizona time, Mountain Standard with no daylight saving, so the beam hours do not shift in summer even though the surrounding Navajo Nation does change its clocks.
Rules inside are strict and worth knowing before you pack. Clear bags only at Upper Antelope, no tripods or monopods, cameras and phones fine; Navajo Parks & Recreation no longer issues photography or filming permits, so there is nothing to apply for. Drones, dogs, rock climbing and littering are prohibited across Navajo Nation park lands, and alcohol is prohibited across the Navajo Nation. Wear closed-toe walking shoes and carry a light layer, because the canyon interior stays cooler than the parking lot.
No one under 8 years old is allowed on this tour, and the stairs plus the climb out mean it is not wheelchair accessible. If steps and tight passages are the problem, the Antelope Canyon Photo Boating Excursion 2 hours, from $199, shows you canyon walls from the water with no stairs or ladders. All fees and taxes are included in the from-price of $119; gratuities are not. Between 15 June and 30 September keep a spare half-day, since the park can close at short notice in bad weather and roughly 40 to 50 percent of northern Arizona's yearly rain falls in that window.
Into Upper Antelope with a Navajo guide
Rated 4.7 ★ (2140 reviews). All fees and taxes are included, parking at the meeting point is free, and you should be there 30 minutes before your time slot. Minimum age 8.
Guided walk through Upper Antelope Canyon60 min A Navajo guide leads the group through Upper Antelope on the one-way route, reading the sandstone and the light as it shifts with the season and the hour. You get around 80 minutes inside your booked slot, then leave on the 15-minute hike up and over the canyon: 112 steps down and 21 steps up in total.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
All fees and taxes
Not included
Gratuities
Meeting point, pickup and cancellation
Meeting point: free parking lot at the operator's base, where the tour vehicles load for the drive out to the canyon. Enter 'Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours' in Google Maps or the maps app on your phone to find it.
Be there 30 minutes before your tour time, and remember the clock runs on Arizona time, Mountain Standard with no daylight saving.
Cancellation: for a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Ages: child 8–12, adult 13+. Children under 8 are not allowed on this tour.
Other Upper Antelope Canyon tour options compared
This page's tour runs 1 h 20 min from $119 and is rated 4.7 ★ (2140 reviews), with all fees and taxes covered and free parking where you meet. The four entries below are alternative Upper Antelope slots: the Select Ticket spans a wide range of listed durations, the Prime Time Entry is a 1.5-hour slot, and the All-Ages Ticket is the one to check if you are travelling with a child under 8, since this tour sets the minimum age at 8.
March to November is the busy window and slots go early, so fix your time before the rest of your Page plans. Pick the hour that matches what you want from the light, allow 30 minutes before departure at the free parking lot, and keep a spare half-day in July, August and September in case weather closes the park.
