Antelope Canyon Photography Tours: What You Can Still Book

Upper Antelope Canyon stopped running photography tours after 20 December 2019. Lake Powell Tribal Park, which manages Upper and Lower Antelope, ended them because the narrow canyon was too crowded for groups to stop and set up tripods. Today every Upper Antelope visit is a standard guided walk, tripods are not allowed, and you shoot handheld while the group moves. If an older blog tells you to book an Upper Antelope photo tour, that tour no longer exists.

Photography tours did not disappear from the area, though. They moved to the slot canyons nearby, and to the water. For most visitors the best photo trip now is the Lake Powell photo boat: two hours on an open-bow boat into the flooded lower reaches of Antelope Canyon, with a captain who helps with photos and no crowd to keep pace with. It is the most reviewed photo tour around Page, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 479 reviews, from $199 a person (checked October 2026).

Check photo boat dates

What happened to the Upper Antelope photo tours

Before 2020, photographers paid more for a longer, slower Upper Antelope visit. Guides held the other groups back while you set up a tripod under the light beams. As visitor numbers climbed, that stopped working in a corridor only a few people wide. The tribal park announced the change in late 2019, and the Navajo-owned operators posted it on their own sites. Since then the rules on Upper Antelope tours are the same for everyone: no tripods, no monopods, no selfie sticks, no bags, no video recording and no flash. The photography rules guide lists them in full, with camera settings that work handheld.

You can still take excellent photos in Upper Antelope. You just take them on a regular tour, in the same time as everyone else. If that is what you want, the Upper Antelope guided tour runs from $95 (checked October 2026) and is the place to see the light beams in summer.

The Lake Powell photo boat

The boat leaves from Wahweap Bay near Page. The captain slows down at Glen Canyon Dam for photos, then follows the cliffs of Glen Canyon into Antelope Canyon itself, where the lake has filled the lower end of the slot. The boat winds in until the canyon gets too narrow and then turns back. Groups are small, the bow is open, and the captain talks you through the history and geology and helps with your shots. In the warmer months you can swim. Reviewers keep mentioning how much their captain knew about the lake and the river.

What you see is different from a walking tour. These are tall, sculpted sandstone walls with water at the bottom, not the narrow, glowing corridor of Upper Antelope, and there are no light beams. What you get in exchange is space, time and a stable deck.

Three practical points from the listing: the dock is about 400 yards’ walk from the parking area, every vehicle needs a National Park pass to enter Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (bought at the entrance booth if you do not have one), and it is not suitable for people with back problems or wheelchair users. Bring a camera, sunscreen, water and, in summer, swimwear.

Slot canyon photo tours with a tripod

Two tours still let photographers slow down inside a slot canyon:

• Canyon X with the photography option. Canyon X is a slot canyon on Navajo land outside Page, reached by a 4x4 ride of about three miles and a short walk. The standard tour is 1.5 hours and handheld only. The extended three-hour photography tour allows a tripod and one camera bag. From $95 for the standard tour; 4.7 out of 5 from 42 reviews. One reviewer in April 2026 found the option they had paid for was not running on the day and was given a cheaper tour, so check the option name on your booking and confirm it with the operator before you drive out. Cancellation is free up to four days before.
• Mountain Sheep, Rattlesnake and Owl Canyon. A small-group tour for photographers who already know their gear: an hour in each of three less visited canyons, about three and a half hours in all. It is not a workshop. From $385 a person, with no reviews yet, and not open to children under eight.

Which photo trip fits you

Book whichever fits your photos:

Prices, ratings and review counts from our October 2026 data check. Prices change by season, so treat them as a guide, not a quote.

Light and timing

Inside the slot canyons the famous beams of light need the sun high overhead, so they appear around midday and mostly between spring and early autumn; the light beams guide has the months and times. On the photo tours, the softer reflected light the rest of the year is often easier to photograph, because the contrast is lower. The boat has no such limit: there is no slot to light up, and the calendar shows the departure times for each date.

Before you book

Slot canyons can be ten degrees cooler than outside, so bring a layer, and on windy days a cover for your camera: sand gets everywhere. Closed shoes are required on the three-canyon tour. For the boat, budget for the National Park pass if you do not already have one. Every photo trip on this page is guided, and on Navajo land the guide’s word goes: stay with them and follow their lead on where to stand.