Antelope Canyon X: The Perfect (Budget-Friendly) Lower Antelope Canyon Alternative

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Way back in 2016 on my drive out to Utah for my first summer in Bullfrog, my friend and I did a Lower Antelope Canyon tour. It was beautiful but it was a zoo.

Then I learned about Antelope Canyon X from my Internet/now IRL friend Michelle from Harbors and Havens and knew I had to go eventually. It’s not the tope Page slot canyon, but I do think it’s one of the best things to do in Page.

Little did I know I would end up working at Wahweap for two summers after saying (more than once) I’ll never work at Wahweap, it sounds too busy.

We started working at Wahweap (the marina outside of Page on Lake Powell) in 2020 after Navajo Nation was already shut down. It didn’t open back up until mid-2021.

When my parents decided they were going to come out and visit at the end of the season I knew we had to go to at least one of the Page slot canyons and Antelope X was the one.

My mom sat this one out and my dad wasn’t too picky about which we went to. I was really the one insistent on needing to go to at least one and since Antelope X is the most affordable, we went with it.

I picked an 11:30 tour which turned out to be perfect. It was early November which probably helped, but the lighting was great and there were only three other people in our group!

We set off plenty early from Greenehaven (about a 30 minute drive in case you’re staying there) to make sure we weren’t late. We didn’t see many other cars waiting and then no more showed up and we realized it was probably just the one other car!

Because of 2020 rules, we didn’t have to park and ride in the van so we followed the van out to the actual Antelope Canyon X trailhead. There was a little table/shelter/office here, too.

The hike starts with a downhill walk in sand with stairs as an option in a few spots. At the bottom you get to a canyon that splits both to the right and left.

You’ll get to go through both on your Antelope X tour. One is an A shape and the other is a V shape. We went right first and got to see how the canyon got it’s name: an X shape in the top of the canyon.

The first part of the actual slot canyon was very dark and has one spot you have to duck your head but it opens up to let a little more light in shortly after while still remaining fairly narrow (not squeezy narrow though.)

None of the slot sections are super long but they are all pretty impressive. We spent a little time on this side learning about the canyon and the area while being shown the best spots to take pictures.

We only passed one other small group leaving this side as we went in. Then we headed back the way we came and onto the left side. Here we saw a few people on a photo tour and were sort of shoo-ed around to get out of their way which is normal for the photo tours.

I think I liked the left side of it a little more but I’m not really sure why. Between all of the slot canyons in the area, it’s really hard to pick the best and explain why because they’re all good in different ways.

The winding sandstone walls just tower over you and glow in the mid-day sun (the best time to visit Antelope Canyon, for sure) and really, the worst part is just crowds, which you can avoid by visiting Antelope X.

We were able to take our time going back out this way, which was nice, before trekking back up the hill we walked down to get here. It wasn’t the best hill but it’s not too long.

Overall, the Antelope X tour felt a lot less rushed than Lower Antelope Canyon, but felt more rushed than Waterhole Canyon which we ended up doing as well!

I would definitely recommend it as a less busy and more budget-friendly alternative to Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons. It’s the same, but different, but still beautiful.

Other names you may see for Antelope Canyon X:

• Antelope X
• Canyon X
• Antelope X Canyon
• Slot Canyon X

Antelope Canyon X tours

There is only one company that offers tours to Antelope Canyon X: Taadidiin Tours. They can be booked in advance online or in person. If you just show up, they’ll do their best to accommodate you but they may be booked up, so I would book ahead.

They offer photography tours as well. They also offer tours to Cardiac Canyon (the only ones that do) and I haven’t done this one yet but it”s more adventurous and takes most of the day.

You cannot visit Antelope Canyon X without a tour since it is on Navajo land. As of March 2022, masks are required on all of these tours.

The Antelope Canyon X tours are smaller than in Lower and Upper Antelope, which is awesome, and since they’re the only company that offers tours here, you’re not likely to run into many other groups (maybe one on the way in or out of each side.)

An Antelope Canyon X tour will probably take 2-3 hours in total. That includes driving there, the short drive to the canyon from the meeting point, the hike, and returning to the meeting point.

How much is an Antelope X tour?

A regular hiking tour is $39 per adult and a photo tour is $125 per adult. If you’re just looking at the hiking tour, which is fine for almost everyone, this is the most affordable slot canyon tour in Page.

What is the difference between photo and hiking tour?

The Antelope X hiking tour is shorter (1.5 hours) and perfectly fine for almost anyone that isn’t like, a super fancy professional photographer. No tripods allowed here.

If you are a super fancy professional photographer and want to bring a tripod on your tour and have more time in the canyon (3 hours), then you should do the photography tour.

Is Antelope Canyon X part of Antelope canyon?

Yup! They’re at the southern end of Antelope Canyon, which is I want to say 23 miles long in total (I can’t find this, everything just tells me how long the hikes are). If you know otherwise, let me know in the comments.

It is a different section of the canyon from Upper Antelope and Lower Antelope. The tours can all be pretty confusing but I’ll have a Page slot canyon post coming soon explaining them all in one place.

Best time to visit Antelope Canyon X

If you want to see the light beams, summer. If that doesn’t matter, anytime of year is fine. As for time of day, I would go as close to noon as possible.

Between 11-1 I think would be best. The lighting is best around noon and if it’s anything like Upper Antelope, Antelope X will be so dark earlier or later in the day.

Where is Antelope Canyon X?

The Taadidiin Tours office /meeting point is at milepost 308 on Highway 98. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Page and you should get there 30 minutes before your tour time.

What to bring on an Antelope Canyon X tour

You’re not allowed to bring much. No bags allowed and you can only bring water, cell phone, and camera, but no tripod unless you’re doing the photo tour.

Is Antelope X worth visiting?

Yes! It’s hard to compare to Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons, but it’s totally worth visiting. It was beautiful and way less busy than the other two but capacity is still lower right now in all of them (2020, you know.)

I’ll be making a whole post comparing Page slot canyons so you can get a better idea of which would be best for you, but if you’re not pick and just want to see one of them, this one is budget-friendly and totally worth it.

Antelope X photo gallery

Page, AZ tours

• Upper Antelope Canyon
• Lower Antelope Canyon/Horseshoe Bend half-day tour
• Half-day tour of Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons
• Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell Flight, River Rafting
• Horseshoe Bend helicopter flight
• Helicopter tour with Tower Butte landing
• Secret Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Have you been to Antelope Canyon X? What did you think of it? Do you want to go? Did you do any other slot canyon tours in Page?