Utah & Arizona RV Trip - Day 8 (Page - Antelope Canyons)

The other big attraction in the area – and part of the reason Page made it to the itinerary – is the Antelope Canyon. Tickets are extremely expensive and it’s tour-guided only.  They book weeks in advance, so early reservations are advised. But despite the steep price, and the somewhat rudimentary setting while waiting for the tour to start, the canyons themselves are something out of this world. Each unique in their own way, each bucket list material. 

The Upper Canyon has a broader base, a relatively flat floor, and is narrow across the top.  This contributes to an amazing display of light, as it makes its way through the narrow space.

The Lower Canyon is the opposite: narrower base, broader at the top, and with the uneven floor, there are quite a few sets of stairs to escalate.

My suggestion, splurge on both. Tip #14: book something mid-day, when the sun is directly on top, for optimal lighting. The guides have given a lot of the "images" specific names; the Blue Lady (this first pic), the Roaring Bear, Sunrise, the Burning Candle, the Eye of the Dragon, the Heart, the Seahorse, the Shark (see how many you can figure out for yourself).  The guides are also expert photographers (they undergo extensive training): I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, and no, there was NO photoshop utilized. This is all nature! Simply stunning!

That’s it. With no other reason to spend another night in Page, we headed back to Vegas. Five hours later we were returning the RV, cleaning up in an [upgraded] Vdara suite, and enjoying the evening life down the strip. Along with copious amounts of second-hand bad quality weed smoke.

I won’t go into details about the couple days in Vegas. I’ve written about it before [here] and not much has changed since then. Maybe there are a few more “celebrity” restaurants (but they’re just that and lack in quality, as far as I’m concerned). Jaleo did not disappoint, but I’m a huge José Andrés fan, so that’s not fair. I briefly considered Julian Serrano Tapas, but the guy is from Madrid. José lived in Catalonia since he was 6 and worked under Ferran Adrià at elBulli. No contest. The food was reminiscent of Tickets in Barcelona. And service truly was impeccable. Later in the evening, the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson show did not raise to the same levels. I was quite disappointed. But Vegas was the closest point to Zion, so when in Rome…

In the end, our first foray into the world of RV camping was a mixed bag. Clearly the weather did not cooperate. Next time – if there is a next time, we’ll go mid Fall. But we did set out on an adventure, and an adventure we had. In the end it’s these types of experiences that stay with us forever. Final stats: 10 days, 1,300 miles driven (over $500 in gas alone!), 60-80 miles walked (if counting Vegas), 9 parks and sites of interest, multiple days with over 10 miles on foot, hundreds of photos, one broken RV, and enough memories to last a lifetime!

Follow below for the other entries in this trip:

Day 1 - Zion 

Day 2 - Zion, Angel's Landing

Day 3 - Bryce Canyon

Day 4 - From Bryce to Moab

Day 5 - Arches National Park

Day 6 - Canyonlands & Monument Valley

Day 7 - Colorado River & Horseshoe Bend

Day 8+ - Antelope Canyon & Vegas

Last couple links:

Lower Antelope tours: https://www.antelopelowercanyon.com/

Upper Antelope tours: https://adventurousantelopecanyon.com/

Jaleo: https://www.jaleo.com/location/las-vegas/