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One almost expects to turn a corner and run in to a group of Vulcans performing one of their weirder ceremonies.  Pointed ears aside, however, this place is very much down to earth and is one of the most visited slot canyons in the world.  It is easy to see why.  Its out of this world beauty is capable of transforming the visitor, as it were, to another planet.  Split in two parts, the Upper and Lower canyons have their origins in pre-history.  It is little wonder that the Navajo revere them so greatly.

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Light somehow manages to find a way through the walls of the canyon, despite its narrowness.  The color of the rock is a giveaway to those in the know – the walls of the canyon is made of sandstone.  One thing that sandstone is susceptible to is water.  The medieval cathedrals of Europe will slowly weather away under the aqueous precipitation of the millennia.  So it is with the Antelope Canyon – in fact it owes its existence, in one of the driest places on earth, to the erosive qualities of life sustaining H20.

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With a leap of the imagination, this gorgeous view upwards of twin light tubes allows us to believe we are privy to the blueprints that Mother Nature surreptitiously provides for the continuous evolution of the canyons.  The spirals show us where the water has slowly but persistently eroded the sandstone through the ages.  Can any man-made structure match the sheer grace of this canyon below the ground?

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So how exactly was this beautiful canyon formed?  Although you might hesitate before accepting the fact, for the most part it is due to flash flooding.  There are other sub-aerial processes involved as well but rainwater during the monsoon season is the primary culprit (if one were to assign anything like blame for this marvel of nature).  There are large basins above both parts of the Antelope Canyon and the rain gathers here until it reaches a kind of critical mass.

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When this happens it gushes in to the canyon.  Over the thousands of millennia it took to create the full effect the water slowly but inexorably made the corridors of the canyons deeper and steeper.  The hard edges of the rock were inevitably worn down and formed the flowing shapes on the rock face.  So it was not the work of mighty and ancient Navajo spirits (perhaps…) but of the sheer tenacious persistence of the elements.  Flooding still happens to this day – as recently as 2006 a thirty six hour flood forced the tribal authorities to close the lower part of the canyon for half a year. The sand arising form the erosion gets everywhere.

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As can be imagined, this natural phenomenon attracts photographers (and more casual tourists) like bears to honey.  However, a permit must be obtained nowadays as it was announced a Navajo Tribal Park in 1997.  Although it may for some spoil the picture, as it were, to get an idea of the sheer scale and depth of the canyon it is perhaps a good idea to place someone down there – just to get a sense of perspective. 

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Although these pictures belie the fact, photography is pretty difficult to get right here due to the necessarily wide exposure range needed to get the picture right.  This is due to the fact that light reflects of the wall of the canyons like a ball on a table tennis board.  Ping pong, ping pong.

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The upper canyon is known by the Navajo as ‘the place where water runs through the rocks’ and the lower as ‘spiral rock arches’.  The former is the most visited as its entrance is at ground level, as is its entire length.  Thus the tourist does not need to climb – and the famous beams of light are more prevalent in the upper canyon.  They can be seen at their best in the summer months when the sun is at its highest in the sky.  Between March and October each year the canyon gives the visitor the feeling of being on a beautifully shot Hollywood set – is that Indiana Jones disappearing around the corner?

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The lower canyon has stairways to facilitate human travel to its base.  Even with these aids to the tourist it is a much more difficult proposition than the upper, situated a few kilometers away.  It is quite easy to stumble as the footing is never quite even but this should not deter the visitor even though, unsurprisingly, casual visitors are rarer in the lower.

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Due to the danger of rain in the monsoon period, visitors are not allowed to visit the canyon on their own – they must take a tour guide with them.  Flash floods can happen, well, in a flash and there was a tragedy in 1997 when eleven tourists were killed by a flood.  The only survivor, without irony, was the tour guide who had had training in dealing with swift flowing water.  As a result of this the stairways were fully bolted in to place and there are even cargo nets at the top of the canyon which can be deployed to ‘catch’ people in the event of a flood.

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So, like so many other things in nature, Antelope Canyon is beautiful but can be deadly too.  They remain, however, a superlative example of the inexorable power of nature and a reminder to us that there are many things more powerful on this planet than the human race.

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According to the Supai Flood 2008 Damage Recovery Plan from August 15-17, 2008 heavy rains in the surrounding areas caused the Redlands Dam to be breached and the ensuing flooding altered Havasu Creek causing Navajo Falls to run dry and collapsing Fiftyfoot Falls. Over 30,000 people visit the area yearly to see the fantastic canyon waterfalls located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation and camping in the area produced over $2 million per year in annual revenue for the tribe. The news is not all bad as trails have been or are being rebuilt and according to News From Indian Country at least two new waterfalls were formed by the flooding and alteration of Havasu Creek’s water flow. So we will start with all the waterfalls affected by the flooding.

Havasu Falls

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Havasu Falls drops some 100 breathtakingly beautiful feet along Havasu Creek in the Havasupai Indian Reservation which is located just west of Grand Canyon National Park in northwestern Arizona. You must pay the Havasupai Indians a fee to hike to or be guided to the falls. To reach the reservation area from I-40 take Route 66 from either Kingman in the west or Seligman in the east and continue until you reach Indian Road 18 which will take you to the reservation.

Mooney Falls

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Mooney Falls drops some 200 spectacular feet along Havasu Creek about 1 mile beyond Havasu Falls. Mooney Falls is named for miner James Mooney who reportedly fell to his death at the falls in 1882 while trying to carry an injured friend up the steep slope to safety. Note the tavertine formations on the walls around the falls which are formed due to the heavy lime concentration in the water.

Beaver Falls

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Beaver Falls is series of waterfalls located along Havasu Creek as it makes its way down a side canyon and eventually into the Grand Canyon where it joins the Colorado River. Beaver Falls is located downstream from Mooney Falls and can be reached via a very strenuous trail.

Upper Rock Falls

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One of the two new waterfalls along Havasu Creek.

Rock Falls

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The second of the new falls along Havasu Creek is called Rock Falls.

Navajo Falls

Navajo Falls before and after the flooding of August 2008.

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Ribbon Falls

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Ribbon Falls is located along the North Kaibab trail in the Grand Canyon National Park.

Upper Carr Falls

Upper Carr Falls drops some 300 feet along a tributary of Carr Creek in Carr Canyon in the Huachucas Mountains in southeastern Arizona. Carr Canyon can be accessed via Carr Canyon Road just off Route 92 north of Nicksville.

Wolf Creek Falls

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Wolf Creek Falls drops some 90 feet over a granite bluff along the Wolf Creek Falls Trail located along E Wolf Creek Road south of Prescott.

Bridal Wreath Falls

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Bridal Wreath Falls is located just outside Tucson along the Douglas Spring Trail which can be accessed at the end of E Speedway Boulevard. 

Fossil Creek Falls

Fossil Creek Falls is located along Fossil Creek in the Fossil Creek Wilderness section of Coconino National Forest in central Arizona.

Vasey’s Paradise

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Vasey’s Paradise is a spring fed waterfall that shoots out of the wall of the Grand Canyon in Marble Canyon where it quickly enters the Colorado River.

Lost Dutchman Massacre Grounds Falls

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This waterfall is located along the Massacre Grounds Trail in Lost Dutchman State Park which is west of Phoenix and just north of Apache Junction right off 88. Reportedly a group of Mexican miners were massacred by the Apaches in this area in the 1800’s as they were trying to hurriedly get out all the gold they could before the territory was turned over to the United States per the Gadsen Purchase.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

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There are a number of seasonal waterfalls in the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park located just north of Payson along Routes 87/260. The Tonto Natural Bridge is reportedly the largest tavertine bridge in the world.

Slide Rock State Park

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There are a few small waterfalls or slides in Slide Rock State Park located just north of Sedona along 89A where you can take a water ride if you are so inclined.

White Tank Mountain Park Waterfalls

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When the rains come to Phoenix waterfalls can be found in the White Tank Mountain Park located just west of the city.

For more about the Grand Canyon please see Grand Canyon Fatalities.

When I arrived in Arizona one of the very first things I noticed was its hidden beauty. But there was also something else I discovered; hard to put into words, an energy much like that on the mountain back home. Arizona is well known for its energy vortexes. Energy moves through all things great and small and it is unseen by most. A few of us actually see and feel its effects as we have become attuned to its vibration levels. Certain times and in the right places one can actually stand in the center of these great vortexes. These areas seem to gather, store and amplify energy; for those that are attuned to these energies it can be a very moving experience.

This picture is taking in the Sedona area very breathe taking beautiful energy; the picture can not do it justice. While standing or walking through these areas one may find that a great peace comes over them and the feeling of being energized.

This is Bell Rock in the town of Sedona; many come to visit and feel it.

Sedona is known also for its Red Rock. Due to the huge quantity of red sandstone formations, According to the Native American ‘ s their ancestors were the first people to settle in Sedona. There is much ancient history surrounding this and some really interesting theories concerning the Lady of the Pearl. As far as it is known the Yavapai-Apache ancestors were the first to settle here.

The Creation story of these people talk about how the Lady of the pearl bathed in the enchanted waters of Boynton Canyon after being sealed in a log with a woodpecker and sent to Montezuma ‘ s Well at the beginning of the great flood.

This is Montezuma ‘ s Well. This water hole is supplied by Underground River and springs. This is a natural limestone sinkhole located near Rimrock AZ; some one million four hundred thousand gallons of water flow through it every day. Its water is highly carbonated and also contains very high levels of Arsenic.

The first ever underwater archaeological survey to take place in a National Park was done here and lead by Archaeologist George R Fischer.

Native ‘ s that settled here built their homes in the cliffs surrounding the well. They used the water to grow crops by building irrigation canals.

This is Montezuma ‘ s Castle and if you look closely you can see how it was carved out of the mountain by the early native settlers of that time. The sand stone cliffs made great homes and afforded great protection for those that dwelled within them.

This river flows near by Montezuma ‘ s Castle.

There are many great things of beauty in the desert, below are some photos that one may find of interest.

If asked too, I ‘ ll write more on this subject. Arizona has much hidden beauty and many great energy vortexes for those that like to explore. It has a wealth of plants that are useable in making medicines for the sick and if you walk out onto the desert away from the lights of the city, should you take a moment and look up towards the heavens, you will not be disappointed for the night sky is filled with very bright stars.

South Mountain Park

With 16,000 acres, South Mountain Park is named the largest municipal park in the country. What is great about this state park is there is horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking for all ability levels. So, whether your hike is to be a great workout or a slower pace stroll, there is a trail for everyone. The main entrance is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Lost Dutchman State Park

Found in the Sonoran Desert at an elevation of 2000 feet, this park is shrouded in mystery and even has its own lost treasure legend. There are hiking trails, nature trails, 70 regular campsites, picnic amenities, and special programs throughout the year to keep you entertained if searching for gold isn’t your thing. The superstition of the Mountains is based on Jacob Waltz “The Dutchman” who found a gold mine somewhere around Weaver’s Needle. No one has found the mine because all tries have failed because of foul play, death, or missing and stolen maps. The park is open 365 days a year from sunrise to 10pm for you to go searching out the “lost mine”.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park

Their mission as stated on their website is “to instil in people an appreciation of plants through the fostering of educational, recreational, research and conservation opportunities associated with arid land plants.” At this park their main goal is to teach visitors about the 3,200 different desert plants within the arboretum, and the more than 230 bird and 72 terrestrial species that can be found along the 1.5 mile main trail. They have guided tours that have special themes such as “Plants of the bible”, Bird Walks, and Butterfly Walks just to name a few. During May, June, July and August the Arboretum is open daily from 6:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., whereas from September-through-April admission is taken daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

So, which type of state park are you? Are you the adventurous type who likes to hike, or are you the treasure hunter who seeks out lost mines, or are you the more educational type who loves to learn about birds, animals, and plants? Either way there are some great state parks near Phoenix that can satisfy anyone’s personality.