Picturesque Slots in Page

[Joeygeo1]

Hi.

I will be in AZ/UT in May for my yearly hiking and canyoneering trip, and will be spending a night in Page. I was going to stop and do the tourist thing at Antelope, but to be honest I really don't like the tour/crowd situation and was wondering what slots there are in that area that can give me some nice photos of the sunlight hitting the red sandstone, aren't crowded, and hopefully free. Have done slots in Zion area, Buckskin, and Escalante area but never Page.

Does anyone have any suggestions on ones that I might try that are not super technical and that are not on closed Indian land?



Thanks.



jh

[Scott P]

There are none in the area that are free because the Navajos charge for hiking on the reservation. Consider Waterholes Canyon. It's not free, but is only $5. There are parts both above and below the highway that are nice and the canyon usually isn't crowded.

[hipporump]

Waterholes is not $5 anymore. Last time I went I think they charged me about $15. However, I also recommend checking it out...the upper section is not technical but is quite beautiful. I prefer it to Antelope because I can usually enjoy it in peace for as long as I want.

[townsend]

A third vote for Waterholes Canyon. And it's quite close to Page, a few miles away, at the bridge south of the city, on Hi 89 (and no, I haven't been there since the flood).

East of the highway, Waterholes is non-technical. You can scramble down into the canyon easily not too far form the highway. You can walk underneath the bridge/highway (around the wrecked car), but its technical west of hte highway fairly quickly. This canyon has its own beauty and is fantastic, but it doesn't look like Antelope. Yes, you need a permit since it is on Navajo land. And you are likely to one of only a few people there, so enjoy the solitude.

http://www.americansouthwest.net/slot_canyons/water_holes/canyon.html

[Joeygeo1]

Thanks for the feedback. I don't have any issue paying a small fee for a permit, I just don't want to pay a lot of money per person for crowds. Will check it out.

[villainousturtle]

I thought waterholes required a guide past the power lines east of the slot at this point in time?


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[townsend]

I thought waterholes required a guide past the power lines east of the slot at this point in time?


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I think that is true -- there is some guiding service that take people out there. Click on the link above (post #4), and there is a picture of a Hummer with the caption "the only way to see the upper slots . . ."

[hipporump]

Yes, when you get a permit to hike upper waterholes, they say to not pass the powerlines as you go east(I think it was a mile or so up canyon). However, there is plenty to see between the bridge and powerlines...this is the part we are talking about above. There is also a little climb you need to do to reach the powerlines towards the end so some people don't even get that far. Beyond the powerlines there isn't much to see unless you go for a few more miles(which is where the guided tours are and you are not permitted to be)

[villainousturtle]

My studies of the canyons near Page have taught me that while they have many, many, excellent canyons of world-class beauty, they are all quite restricted. Some you must pay exorbitant fees and go with a guide, others are closed outright.


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