I would bet that Antelope Canyon is the most-visited slot canyon in the world.

Photos of its tranquil sandstone walls and filtered rays of sunlight are the centerpiece of many Southwest photography portfolios.

Located near Page, Arizona, the upper canyon is only about 150 yards long, and is very, very crowded in the summer. The famous beams of light only occur around midday in the summertime. The area is an official Navajo Tribal Park and all visitors are required to have a guide. Guides cost at least $25 per person and up.

I visited this place in December of 2009 with my friend Joleen. We arrived only a few hours before sunset, so the late mid-winter light was poor for photography. The advantage of this off-season timing was that we had a much different experience than your typical venture to Antelope Canyon – we encountered only one other tour group, as opposed to tens and literally hundreds of people and traffic jams as photographers set up their tripods for long exposures.

We had the quiet, cool place virtually all to ourselves, and the young Navajo guide played his native flute as we explored the canyon.

Navajo Mountain, as seen along route 98 near Antelope Canyon. it is considered a sacred place, and nobody is permitted to climb it.

the northern entrance to Upper Antelope Canyon

Our guide also took us to the short and narrow Rattlesnake Canyon, which is very close to Upper Antelope. The photos below are from Rattlesnake Canyon

Finally, we passed the Wahweap Overlook near Lake Powell and Glen Canyon at sunset, and just had to stop.

click here to view a gallery and slideshow of all 57 photos from this day