Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend – The 2 Natural Wonders in Arizona

a MARVEL in nature not to be missed!!!

Nestled at the northernmost edge of the Arizona desert, Page is the gateway town to some of the most extraordinary attractions in the great Southwest. Still one of the best kept secrets, Page is a base camp of your adventures to Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam, Antelope Canyon, river rafting down the Colorado River, Lake Powell and over ten other famous national and state parks. This locally appreciated town is starting to appear on the international map, and for good reason.

This small town was established in 1957 as a temporary work camp for builders of the Glen Canyon Dam’s construction. When the dam was completed in the 1960s, the people stayed. Page has then grown steadily to today’s population of over 7,000.

Antelope Canyon

Before visiting Antelope Canyon, I have seen a lot of pictures and videos about the place, I was mesmerised by it. The beauty of this slot canyon with the sharp colours, the shapes & the lines is absolutely a work of art, so unreal. It was in my bucket list ever since.

(A slot canyon is a long, narrow, deep and tortuous channel or drainageway with sheer rock walls that are typically eroded into either sandstone or other sedimentary rock.)

Antelope Canyon, located near Page, Arizona is home to one of nature’s most wondrous creations – the slot canyon. Carved from the red sandstone for millennia by seasonal flood rains and wind, the canyons are narrow passageways that lead several hundred feet away from the mouth.

It is a photographer’s dream, the canyon is known for its wave-like structure and the light beams that shine directly down into the openings of the canyon, creating a supernatural appearance.

Guided tours are required for visiting Antelope Canyon. There are several authorised tour operators to choose from who will not only bring you to the canyon, but also give you a breadth of information about the history, geology, and culture of the Antelope Canyon area.

Photographers will enjoy snapping photos, but the famous light beams are not always visible. The narrow canyon walls at the top are what helps create the light beams when the sun is at the right angle. Beams occur most often during the summer, between 1030 – 1300, with the best views between late March and early October.

There are two parts of Antelope Canyon where you can visit, the Upper and the Lower.

Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon is the most accessible part of Antelope Canyon and the more popular of the two slot canyons. Often when people talk about Antelope Canyon or pictures you have seen, they are usually the upper one.

The light beams, falling sands, and very high canyon walls make it so magical and extremely photogenic.

Upper Antelope Canyon is wider at the bottom, and is only a short and easy walk; unlike Lower Antelope Canyon with stairs and ladders, and more narrow.

Because of the narrow canyon top and wide bottom, with these high, narrow walls make the upper canyon darker and cooler.

Since taking the tour is the only way of visiting this magnificent slot canyon, with social media nowadays it has become extremely popular, and tour often sells out months in advance. You are best to make advance reservations as soon as you know the dates you will be in the area, to avoid disappointment.

You can book this tour by itself, or in a combo with Lower Antelope Canyon or Antelope Canyon by Boat for a more efficient visit. For general tours, tripods, monopods, selfie-sticks & backpacks are NOT allowed. Unless you book a photography tour, which is more expensive.

No matter which canyon you choose, you are in for an unforgettable experience!

Lower Antelope Canyon

In the contrary to the Upper Antelope Canyon, Lower Antelope Canyon has a wide canyon top and narrow bottom, therefore it is brighter and warmer.

Lower Antelope Canyon is an excellent section of the canyon. The tours travel in one direction, making it slightly easier to get photographs of the canyon with less people in it.

There are stairs, ladders, and narrow sections, you are going to get some great shots with it. Most importantly, you will have fun squeezing through the narrow passageways and climbing the ladders, it feels more adventurous.

Best Time to Visit

If you are looking to take photos of the sun beaming into the canyon, book a tour with the tour groups in Upper Antelope Canyon around 1030 to 1300 for the months of March to October. To get extra time in the canyon, book a tour with a photography group – there may be an extra fee to book this type of tour.

If you want to do a little hiking and want a little more seclusion, book a tour for the Lower Antelope Canyon area. It is less busy compared to the Upper Antelope Canyon.

If you want less tourists visit during the non-peak months of November to March.

Tour Operators

Below are some tour operators in Page where you can book your tour before visiting Antelope Canyon:

KEN’S TOURS
Lower Antelope Canyon is a global destination for photographers and adventure seekers. We offer tours throughout the entire Lower Antelope Slot Canyon.

ANTELOPE SLOT CANYON TOURS
Antelope Slot Canyon Tours by Chief Tsosie is located in Page Arizona, right next to the great Lake Powell, and in the centre of the Grand Circle. Navajo-owned and operated. You’ll enjoy our personal tour of the breathless Antelope Canyon and other spectacular adventures! A special highlight of the tour, will be the authentic beauty of Native American flute music resonating throughout Antelope Canyon. Hear the wonderful Native American stories associated with Antelope Canyon by Navajo Tour Guides. Come, visit, and personally experience the mystical canyons.

ANTELOPE CANYON NAVAJO TOURS
Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours operates on land owned by the Begay family, longstanding members of the Navajo Nation and community. As a part of this family, Dalvin Etsitty has been providing tours of this sacred Navajo site for over 20 years, allowing people from all over the world to visit and enjoy its beauty. Dalvin enjoys meeting people from different cultures and walks of life and introducing them to the Navajo way of life.

ANTELOPE CANYON TOURS
Antelope Canyon Tours is a customer service oriented business that specialising in slot canyon tours around Page, Arizona / Lake Powell Area. Antelope Canyon Tours is a Navajo owned and operated, providing guided tours from Page, Arizona.

ADVENTUROUS ANTELOPE CANYON PHOTO TOUR
Adventurous Antelope Canyon Photo tours (AACPT) provides quality guided tours, sightseeing tours and photographic tours into slot canyons that are within the Antelope wash basin, located just on the outskirts of Page, Arizona. The slot canyons reside within the Navajo Nation tribal reservation – Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park. AACPT operates into 4 slot canyons: the Upper Antelope Canyon, Rattlesnake Canyon, Owl Canyon and Mountain Sheep Canyon.

Even though the beauty of Antelope Canyon is mind-blowing and it’s definitely a place you have to visit, but do expect large crowds of people, especially during midday in the peak months. What you often see in the pictures are either nobody or just the visitors themselves with the canyon. The truth is, there are many other visitors who are behind the scenes. The tour groups get ushered through the canyon rather quickly, making it feel like a rushed experience.

Horseshoe Bend

Being one of the most photographed spots in all of Arizona. Horseshoe Bend is a definite “Bucket List” must see! It is a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River, located in the town of Page, Arizona. The hike is about less than 1 km one way to the overlook from the carpark, about 20 minutes walk. The trail is wide and accessible to wheelchairs, a very pleasant & easy short walk to one of the most beautiful natural wonders.

The overlook is about 305 meters high, looking down onto the Colorado River. In 2018, a fenced overlook area was created for viewing safety. However, visitors who want to venture away from the fenced partition are asked to exercise caution; the sandstone edges of the terrain can be unstable causing slides or breaks underfoot.

Horseshoe Bend itself, and that part of the Colorado River, are a part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. About 15 km downstream is where Grand Canyon National Park begins.

Horseshoe Bend is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. The busiest times of the day are between 0900 to 1100 in the morning and 1630 to 1830 in the evening. Overnight parking or camping is not allowed.

Entrance fees are based on the passenger capacity of the vehicle, not the number of passengers. For motorcycle, it is USD 5, for car or RV, it is USD 10.

PLEASE NOTE: On Holidays and busy weekends, the City of Page may require all visitors to use a shuttle to visit once the parking lot is full. Check with them if you plan to visit during busy times.

Glen Canyon Dam Overlook

Although Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend are the reasons you travel to Page, but Glen Canyon Dam Overlook is just as astonishing, it is just a 5-minute drive from Page.

From the car park, it is an easy 10 minutes scenic walk to the overlook. From there you will get spectacular views of both Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River.

The Glen Canyon Dam intercepts the Colorado River at a height of 216 meters and a length of 475 meters and is the only source of water for southwest United States! The dam adds to the city’s popular recreational pulse and is responsible for providing water and electricity.

“ I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful — an endless prospect of magic and wonder. ”

– Ansel Adams

How to Get There?

Most people usually travel to Page from Las Vegas, Flagstaff or Phoenix. Geographically, it makes sense for travellers combining their visit of Las Vegas & Grand Canyon National Park to Horseshoe Bend & Antelope Canyon.

The map of Page with the nearby attractions!

By Flight:

Contour Airlines provides direct flights from Phoenix International Airport (PHX) to Page Municipal Airport (PGA). Travel from anywhere in the world via American Airlines to Phoenix International Airport and seamlessly connect with Contour Airlines. Once you arrive at Page, you can rent a car or join tours to visit Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and other national parks & monuments.

By Car:

If you are in Las Vegas, the distance to Page is around 438 km with the driving time of about 5 hours, the road is pretty straight forward all the way. Just so you know, this drive will be crossing 3 states, from Nevada to Utah and then Arizona.

If you are driving from Flagstaff, the distance to Page is around 208 km with the driving time of about 2 hours, you will be heading north all the way on Highway 89.

By Tour:

Alternately, you can also take a tour to Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend from Vegas or Flagstaff. This is always a convenient option, having a guide to tell you everything you need to know during the journey while you are seated comfortably in the vehicle. The only downside of it would be lacking of flexibility while visiting, and you also have less time to truly enjoy the magnificent views.

Where to Stay?

There are plenty of accommodation choices available in the small town of Page, ranging from affordable inns to big hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Best Western and Holiday Inn.

You can check booking.com for more options, and if you prefer homestay, AirBnB is always a great choice.

May 10, 2021May 10, 2021

The Urban Light on La La Land

Urban Light is a large-scale assemblage sculpture by Chris Burden (1946-2015) located at the Wilshire Boulevard entrance to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The 2008 installation consists of restored street lamps from the 1920s and 1930s. Most of them once lit the streets of Southern California.

Urban Light has become a hot instagram spot over the years. This eye-catching artwork, when it is lit at night, becomes so cinematic and full of romance.

There are many places you have to visit when you are in Los Angeles, Urban Light is definitely one of them. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Broad Contemporary Art Museum & Academy Museum of Motion Pictures are just close by, if you love cinema & arts, you should go check them out.

A little tip for you if would like to take pictures with Urban Light without too many people (or nobody) in your frame, go as late as possible, preferably after 2200 or 2300. Trust me, you are going to enjoy the place even more.

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”

– Neil Gaiman

The Story of Urban Light

(source from LACMA)

Urban Light is one of several works by Chris Burden (1946–2015) in LACMA’s collection. Burden, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, moved to California in 1965. During the early 1970s, Burden’s first mature works were characterised by the idea that the truly important, viable art of the future would not be objects, but that art would be ephemeral and address political, social, environmental, and technological change. The images of Burden that continue to resonate in the public mind are of the artist who had himself shot (Shoot, 1971), locked up (Five Day Locker PIece, 1971), electrocuted (Doorway to Heaven, 1973), cut (Through the Night Softly, 1973), crucified (Trans-fixed, 1974), and advertised on television (4 TV Ads, 1937–77). His work subsequently shifted, focusing on monumental sculptures and large-scale installations, two of which—Urban Light (2008), and Metropolis II (2010)—are currently on view at LACMA.

In honor of Urban Light, we are sharing an excerpt of a public conversation about the sculpture between LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan and Burden, hosted at LACMA in December 2008.

Govan: Let’s talk about the making of Urban Light.

Burden: Well, this wasn’t something I planned to do. One day I was walking around at the Rose Bowl Flea Market with my friend Paul Schimmel and his son, Max, and Max came running over and said, “Oh, you should check these out, Chris.” I went over and I saw two of these antique lamps spread in parts. The man who was selling them, Jeff Levine, said, “Oh yeah, they’re genuine. They’re from the ’20s. You can buy them both. I’ll give you a real good price and I’ll deliver them.” So he brought them out and I said, “Do you have any more?” He said, “Yeah, I got four more like that.” I said, “Well, okay, I’ll buy those too.” Over the course of a year I bought about 70 that he had in his backyard, all in this state of component parts. I lugged them all up to my place in Topanga. But he was saving some of the really big ones and he didn’t want to sell to me. So I asked him, “Do other people collect these lamps too?”

Jeff had been collecting them for about 20 years, and he would go to the city when they were knocking them down. The city didn’t really care about them—most of them got taken to the landfill and thrown away—but he would go through all the broken parts. If there were 20 busted-up lamps he could salvage enough parts to make, maybe, three lamps. And he single-handedly moved all the stuff around. He’d gotten tired of being their caretaker. So when I asked him if other people collected them, because I wanted to buy more, he confessed he had another 85 stored.

We went through the whole process of having them sandblasted, powder-coated, replacing all the hardware with stainless steel or copper. Jeff loved these lamps, so when he said to me, “I knew you would come someday,” I took that as a compliment, because he had made this huge collection and he really didn’t want to sell them off in twos or threes to homeowners to have in their driveways. He was hoping that somebody would show up to keep his collection intact, and I was the guy. Through him I met a small group of lamp aficionados, who’ve all known each other for 20 or 30 years, and swap parts.

One of the most beautiful lamps is called the Broadway Rose. There’s an artichoke in the finial, and also rosebuds. These lamps have a very interesting history. Their finials are very, very long, and for the first several years they were installed downtown. There are six of them in Urban Light and 11 of them left in Los Angeles. The reason for the long finials was that they predated the filament, the incandescent light bulb. They were carbon arc lights; a carbon arc has two carbon rods that are spaced slightly apart. You add a high voltage and there’s a huge spark. So the wick trimmer had to come every two or three days and crank the rod up to keep the right gap. So when you see streetlights with finials, those are all vestiges of a functioning finial, which initially these were.

Installation of Urban Light at LACMA, 2008

Govan: I remember being incredibly amazed by them and knowing that they had to be in Los Angeles, because, in so many ways, they were the representation of the whole county, with each city responsible for designing its own lamps. Each lamp, then, was an expression of that city’s design; they were public art. And, of course, they’ve now created this image through their density. You always knew they needed to be densely arranged, right?

Burden: Yeah, and you needed a repetition of form, too. It’s kind of like lining up toy soldiers—you know, where you get little columns of them. And I think the repetition works.

Govan: When we looked at this space in front of the museum, it was an instant eureka moment, because these lamps had been assembled into architecture; they have this feeling of a Roman colonnade or some kind of ancient structure. While they’re from the ’20s and they’re modern, they still give this feeling of walking through an ancient temple. And immediately it seemed to me this was the perfect image for a museum in Los Angeles, because all of those East Coast museums, even as far west as Chicago, have their Greco-Roman temple façades; that’s the sign that you’re walking into a museum—you see the temple façade. But, of course, this is a kind of faux temple. It’s an interesting reversal because those Greco-Roman temple façades on East Coast museums are really faux; they’re neoclassical. And here you’ve assembled an honest-to-goodness Los Angeles temple made of local materials, in our time.

Now Urban Light has become this incredible landmark in Los Angeles. People are out there every day taking photos of it. And in this new age of media and technology, these images of the lamps are going out all over the world and representing Los Angeles. You’ll see people getting out of their cars to capture it, lovers taking pictures under the lamps at night. People have been fascinated by the details.

Chris, you said that you saw the lamps as a statement about what constitutes a sophisticated society—“safe after dark and beautiful to behold”—which I thought was an incredible statement. And I started thinking about that in relation to the history of all your work. People have written so much about your early performances. They’ve even called them “cold and without morality,” for instance, in response to having yourself shot for Shoot. But I actually had the exact opposite reading, that somehow all of your work has something to do with a sense of responsibility. Whether it’s you, as an artist, investigating those phenomena or thinking about the urban environment, there is some sense of what societal responsibility is. It seems to me that maybe your work has this arc that has held it all together. Do you feel that there is something beneath all of this that you can put your own finger on?

Burden: Well, I often think it’s about imagining something, something you might reject as being out of hand, initially, and then trying to look at the other side of the coin and seeing what that might be. I think there are often two ways to look at something.

Some FACTS about this amazing artwork:

(source from Los Angeles Times)

Just how many lights are there?

“Urban Light” has 202 street lamps. The total number of bulbs is 309 because some lampposts have two globes.

Who decides when the lights go on and off?

“Urban Light” goes on every day at dusk and blinks off every day at dawn, guided by an astronomical timer that automatically adjusts to local sunrise and sunset. It hasn’t missed a single night since it was installed on Feb. 8, 2008.

Are all the lights the same?

There are 16 different lamppost designs in the installation. The globes atop each lamppost vary in shape and size — round, acorn and cone. The acorn-shaped globes are not made anymore, so LACMA scours the city and stockpiles them in case one needs to be replaced.

The lights come from neighborhoods mostly in Southern California. In 2008, in a public conversation with Burden, LACMA Director Michael Govan talked about how the lampposts were distinctively of Los Angeles:

“I remember being incredibly amazed by them and knowing that they had to be in Los Angeles,” he said. “Because, in so many ways, they were the representation of the whole county, with each city responsible for designing its own lamps. Each lamp, then, was an expression of that city’s design; they were public art. And of course they’ve now created this image through their density.”

What propelled “Urban Light” to such stardom?

Social media. Images of “Urban Light” have flooded Facebook and Instagram — luminescent lovers embracing, selfie stick-wielding tourists hugging its posts, yoga poses, perplexed pets.

The hashtag #urbanlight has been posted more than 34,000 times on Instagram. And then there are the people who get the artwork’s name wrong and use the hashtag #urbanlights — that appears more than 87,000 times.

Who started the phenomenon?

The first person known to take a selfie at “Urban Light,” four days after it opened, was Diana Felszeghy. She posted her picture on Flickr.

And then, eventually, Hollywood came calling?

Exactly. The artwork has appeared in several films, including “No Strings Attached” and “Valentine’s Day.” It was in an episode of “Modern Family” and has been in TV commercials too, including one for Guinness beer.

Natalie Portman plays Emma and Ashton Kutcher is Adam in the movie “No Strings Attached.” (Dale Robinette / Paramount Pictures)

What are some of the craziest things visitors have done at “Urban Light?”

“People do séances there,” says Mark Gilberg, formerly director of the museum’s conservation center. “They light fires and do crystal worshipping there. Just go over there at midnight. People wanna climb it.”

Gilberg has even seen people strip naked and take selfies. “Like, why?” he asks.

Though it’s not rented as an official wedding site, many couples have exchanged vows in front of “Urban Light” — and captured the moment in photos.

As part of the artwork’s anniversary, LACMA commissioned Siri Kaur to shoot portraits of people who marked personal milestones at the installation and shared their photos on social media. Kaur’s portraits, which provide a where-are-they-now update, are on view in the Art Catalogues Bookstore of the museum’s Ahmanson Building.

How many conservators does it take to change a light bulb?

Two. A couple of people spent five days on scissor lifts and boom lifts to replace the incandescent light bulbs with LEDs.

How much did all those LEDs cost?

A little more than $26,000.

Why switch to LEDs, besides the obvious environmental advantages?

The switch to LEDs, which are entirely solar-powered, amounts to a 90% power savings for the museum, but beyond the environmental considerations was the issue of safety.

The incandescent bulbs were extremely hot — upwards of 350 watts, compared with LEDs that are a maximum 27 watts. Also, their protective globes aren’t water-tight. A cold rainstorm can prompt 10 to 15 bulbs to blow out, says Gilberg.

Replacing those blown-out bulbs was time-consuming, he says. Some of the rows between lampposts are only 2 feet wide, making ladders impractical. Repairs had to be made using a scissor lift. “And the ones that burn out happened always to be in the center — Murphy’s law!” Gilberg says.

May 7, 2021July 4, 2021

An Easy Hike to the Hollywood Sign

Hollywood, the symbol of the American entertainment industry, and it’s also a global tourist symbol of Los Angeles itself. Having a picture taken with the Hollywood Sign seems like a must-do for visitors visiting the city. Well, it does feel cool telling your friends: “I have been to Hollywood!”, and show them your picture.

The Hollywood Sign hike is one of those iconic hikes that you need to do at least once in your life. It’s a very popular and scenic hike, you will get to enjoy the beautiful nature of Griffith Park on the way to the sign (to be precise, you’ll actually get behind and above the letters), it is one of the largest urban parks in America.

Mount Lee, with the altitude of 521 meters, is where the Hollywood Sign situated. Up there, you’ll get a spectacular view of City of Angels!

My Trail

The best and the closest one could get to the sign is definitely by hiking, while driving within Griffith Park can be quite a hassle looking for a parking, and the roads are narrow.

There are a few trails with different levels of difficulty and distance to choose from. This is the easy one I believe everyone will enjoy, it is a great rugged urban hike you do in the morning before going for your brunch.

“ Wonder View Trail Head > Wisdom Tree > Hollywood Sign > Garden of Oz > Beachwood Market “

Distance: 6.5 km
Duration: 3 hours
Elevation Gain: 245M
Difficulty: 2/5
View: 5/5

How to Get There & Return:

1. Take UBER/Lyft to Wonder View Trail Head on Wonder View Dr.

2. Your hike begins!

3. You will finish your hike at Beachwood Market, there’re buses on N Beachwood Dr going to Hollywood/ Vine Metro Station.

Hike Overview:

From the Wonder View Trail Head, you are already on the altitude of 326M, follow the sign to Burbank Peak, it takes slightly over 1 km to Wisdom Tree with about 100M ascent. Wisdom Tree is a unique & lone-standing tree, up there you’ll get a sweeping view of Los Angeles.

“ Life is too short to wait and plan for an epic adventure, the best one is often unplanned! ”

– Raynard Jackle

Since this is an easy path, start your hike as early as possible to avoid crowd, you’ll get to enjoy the serenity up there, having the whole spot to yourself.

The unobstructed view of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Reservoir!

Another 1 km from Wisdom Tree and you’ll arrive at the Hollywood Sign, the closest you could get to these iconic letters. Now you can scream: ” I have made it to the Hollywood!!!” (D O O W Y L L O H)

The lone-standing Wisdom Tree on Burbank Peak!

There’re benches up there, take as much time as you wish to enjoy the spectacular view and fresh air before leaving. I have seen the Hollywood Sign before from far twice, from Griffith Observatory and Hollywood Walk of Fame. But to be that close, standing above and behind the letters, I felt so overwhelming!

The final 4.5 kms is relaxing, as you will slowly descend to Beachwood Market. On the way, you will be passing by the residences, you’ll see a lot of beautiful houses, do respect the privacy of people living in the area and not causing any sort of disturbance to them.

I have heard stories of people doing something stupid and get themselves into troubles, it’s totally not worth it to take any risk.

Even though this trail is a short and easy one, don’t forget to bring plenty of drinking water and sunscreen. On a clear sunny day, it is important to keep ourselves hydrated and protected from the sun.

Next time, I would love to try other longer trails when I am back in Los Angeles. Have you ever done any interesting trail in the city?

Click HERE to check out other authorized trails to the Hollywood Sign!

Can I Touch the Hollywood Sign?

Unfortunately, for your safety, the safety of the plants and wildlife of Griffith Park, and for the safety of the Sign, you cannot. The closest you can get to the Hollywood Sign is up and above it and that location is accessible by several hikes within Griffith Park. The overlook of the Sign offers a unique view of the Sign and incredible views of Los Angeles that can span from the ocean to downtown LA and beyond on a clear day.

The Sign has over 13 cameras including motion sensors, infrared cameras, and loudspeakers protecting it and is monitored 24/7 by the LAPD.

The Opening Hours

The Sign sits within Griffith Park and operates with the same hours. Griffith Park is open from sunrise to sunset.

Are Drones Allowed at the Sign?

Drones are not allowed at the Sign, nor in all of Griffith Park as per Los Angeles Rec & Parks Ordinance No. 176,929.