Walking With The Navajo Through Northern Arizona Slot Canyons
Blue Sky was his name, and he shared Rattlesnake & Owl Canyons - oh, and Antelope Canyon too.
The Navajo are stewards of a special place - a sacred place. A place filled with history, moments, and life. It is a place to find peace and connect with people and their history.
We made this journey to northern Arizona to visit Antelope Canyon, one of the most well-known slot canyons in the US. After a stunning sunrise and proper caffeinating, we arrived for our tour just after 730AM. Slot canyons, similar to these, are found worldwide. These canyons, being on Navajo land, bring specific requirements.
One of those requirements is you must have a guide, and your guide must be a Navajo. A handful of tour companies will take you to Upper or Lower Antelope Canyons. Very few will also take you to the other canyons in the immediate area, and we wanted to visit Owl and Rattlesnake canyons too. From a friend's suggestion, we picked Adventurous Tours, and they did not disappoint.
The building, located right off the highway, is nondescript and a short drive from the entrance of the canyons. A gentle soul walked up and introduced himself, Blue Sky. He would be our guide and told us we would be on a private tour. Wow. So lucky.
Whatever the universe did to make this a reality, we are grateful for being one on one with Blue Sky. I will never forget this time and feel fortunate to be with two incredible humans - Blue Sky and Princess Buttercup. They made it an unforgettable day.
What are slot canyons?
You may have guessed these narrow canyons formed from erosion by water. The sandstone is worn away over thousands of years and typically during monsoon season (right, monsoon in the desert - didn’t guess that). In the case of the Antelope Canyon network, the area can be prone to flash flooding and rain dozens of miles away can surprise visitors. With a deference to not drowning, we welcomed having a guide.
The People & The History
This land has deep meaning for the Navajo, or the ‘Dine’ (“the people”), as they call themselves. The Navajo consider these canyons to be sacred. Before entering, they stop to frame their minds in the correct, respectful manner. We tried to honor that, too—a good reminder for life. Thanks, Blue Sky
Not only are they sacred, but they also served as protection. Besides the antelope who would seek shade, hence the name, Blue Sky shared that during the western expansion of the non-natives, the Navajo would hide their children in the canyons. He explained this was to protect them from being captured by the church? Hunting them for education and reform? I wonder what else we don’t know?
While the early morning light was not ideal for photos, I wouldn’t trade our one-on-one time with Blue Sky for anything. He was kind, helpful, and genuine. He cared about our experience and ensured we connected with the land.
He shared a bit about himself, his dreams, and his family. How he saved up to take his wife and son to Hard Rock hotel in Florida - his eyes lit up when he shared that moment with us and even about his new Hard Rock jacket.
The Light
Reportedly, the most expensive photo ever sold was by Peter Lik - Ghost sold for an incredible $6M - right there in Upper Antelope Canyon. Naturally, I was chasing the light with hopes of capturing something unique (no small amount of unhealthy envy for what Lik does). If I’m being honest, I wish I would have tempered my desire and been a bit more present.
Pro tip: Don’t forget you’re in the desert. It’s not all about the canyons. Try to enjoy it all.
That said, I was not without photography challenges. Here are a few lessons learned if capturing stills is one of your objectives.
Photography Lessons Learned
First, no tripods - Ugh. They used to run photo tours, but with Covid, they stopped. They may come back 🙏.
Second, no bags either - You can push this limit, and I probably could have carried my sling bag and been okay. Had I known that we would have been with Blue Sky, he would have allowed a mini tripod, especially in the adjacent canyons without other guides.
Lens - wide-angle - This seems like a no-brainer, and it was. I don’t leave home (literally) without my 85MM. The canyon tour was no exception. I intellectually knew that 24MM would be the best but still dragged my 85MM. On a future trip, I took just the 24MM. If I went back, I would probably take something even wider.
It's dark - Turn up the ISO and adjust in post. I did some laying down on my back and leaning the camera on walls to create a stable platform. It helped a bit.
The sky is not dark - you will have to deal with the light at the top of the canyon compared to the dark walls. I did take several shots where I layered two images together in post-processing (one shot with the sky focused and one shot with the inside wall of the canyon focused).
Most important - Blue Sky knew the shots. The shots have names - Dragon Eye, Eagle, and Lady In The Wind. Not only did he know the right perspectives, he knew the settings. He gave us the settings to adjust on our phones with excellent results. They were stunning and always better than what I saw on my camera. The only downside is they would not be able to be blown up as big as I wanted. Suggest you still listen to your guide and when it makes sense, give him your phone :).
Travel Tips
Antelope Canyon gets all the press, but we LOVED Rattlesnake and Owl. You may see an owl (we didn’t) if you are lucky. From a photography standpoint, these canyons have a bit more light, and fewer visitors made for more time.
We didn’t need snacks. We did need cash for a tip.
No bathrooms on tour.
We did a second visit with the boys and couldn’t book Blue Sky’s tour :(. We did one down the road, and it was less than ideal.
There will be fine dust on everything, especially if you take the open truck tour.
Birdhouse was a perfect post-tour lunch.
Blue Sky shared you can book a traditional Navajo overnight experience. I might do that next time.
Cultivating Moments
I came for the photos and left with deep appreciation - for the Navajo, the land, and time with my most important human in the world. We were experiencing this special place together. Creating a memory that both of us will cherish forever.
Take care, Kelly