Is the Las Vegas Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend tour worth it? — featuring Babe Travelling
In this video: Las Vegas Tour to Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend
Babe Travelling · 1 year ago
Is the drive from Las Vegas worth it for a day trip?
Yes, according to the video. While you spend 7+ hours driving, the actual canyon experiences are unique and dramatic enough to justify the day. The drive itself passes scenic terrain including the Virgin River Gorge and Glen Canyon Dam, so it's not wasted time.
What this video answers
Is the drive from Las Vegas worth it for a day trip?
What's the difference between Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon?
Can you take photos and videos inside the canyons?
Las Vegas to Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend: A Full-Day Desert Tour
This day tour departs early from the Las Vegas Strip—pickup begins at 7:00 AM at Paris Hotel—and takes you on a scenic drive through Nevada, Utah, and Arizona to visit two of the Southwest's most iconic natural formations. The journey covers approximately 200 miles round trip, with multiple stops along the way. The tour is led by professional guides who share information about the landscape, geology, and local history as you travel through changing time zones and desert terrain.
The experience is built for visitors who want to see dramatic canyon formations without needing multiple days or a self-drive adventure. You'll visit Lower Antelope Canyon, a narrow slot canyon with striking light beams and colorful rock formations, and Horseshoe Bend, a famous river viewpoint where the Colorado River curves into a sharp U-shape. The full experience, including drive time, tours, and meals, lasts roughly 14–15 hours, returning to Las Vegas between 9:00 and 9:30 PM.
Key Moments
What You'll Experience on This Canyon Tour
Lower Antelope Canyon's narrow walkways, rock formations dating back 170 million years, and interior light displays that shift as you move through the slot
A Navajo tribal guide leading you through metal stairs and natural rock formations, with emphasis on safety and photography etiquette
Horseshoe Bend's panoramic overlook of the Colorado River 1,000+ feet below, with optional rock climbing and multiple photo vantage points
Scenic stops including the Glen Canyon Dam bridge, Virgin River Gorge, and views of Zion National Park area en route
Included breakfast and lunch provided on the tour van, plus stops at facilities like Mesquite's Pilot truck stop and Kanab, Utah
The Bridge of Glen Canyon Dam and Navajo Sandstone cliffs formed over 170 million years, visible during the drive
Before You Book: Important Logistics & Conditions
Duration: Approximately 14–15 hours total, including 7+ hours of driving and roughly 2–3 hours of active canyon exploration
Early start: 7:00 AM pickup from Paris Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip; return between 9:00–9:30 PM
What to bring: Phone, water bottle, and sunscreen only during canyon walks (bags and tripods not permitted at Lower Antelope Canyon for safety)
Physical demands: Metal stairs, narrow passages (potential claustrophobia concern), ladder climbing, and rock walking at Lower Antelope Canyon; rock climbing and elevation exposure at Horseshoe Bend
Weather & clothing: Temperature can drop to 40°F or lower in canyons even on sunny days; wear layers and closed-toe hiking shoes
Time zone changes: You'll cross multiple time zones between Nevada, Utah, and the Navajo Nation; guides will help track time adjustments
Meals included: Breakfast (muffins, fruit, coffee, options for eggs) and lunch (chicken sandwich described as "world's best") are provided; vegetarian options available upon request
Frequently Asked Questions About This Las Vegas to Antelope Canyon Tour
Is the drive from Las Vegas worth it for a day trip?
Yes, according to the video. While you spend 7+ hours driving, the actual canyon experiences are unique and dramatic enough to justify the day. The drive itself passes scenic terrain including the Virgin River Gorge and Glen Canyon Dam, so it's not wasted time. The video hosts recommend booking with a professional tour operator rather than self-driving, since guides provide valuable context about geology and safety, and you avoid the stress of navigating time zones and remote roads.
What's the difference between Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon?
Lower Antelope Canyon is narrower at the top and wider at the base (an inverted V shape), requires descending metal stairs and ladders, and involves more physical effort. Upper Antelope Canyon is wider at the top and narrows toward the base, involves less climbing, but has a shorter walk. This tour visits Lower Antelope Canyon, which offers more "bang for your buck" according to the guide, though it demands more fitness and comfort with height and confined spaces.
Can you take photos and videos inside the canyons?
Photography is allowed at Lower Antelope Canyon, but phones and cameras are prohibited on the metal stairs for safety reasons—people drop items onto visitors below. At Horseshoe Bend, full photography is permitted on viewing platforms and rock formations. The video uses specialized equipment (Meta Ray-Ban glasses) to capture footage where standard cameras aren't allowed, so plan your shots accordingly.
What should I wear and bring?
Wear layers, closed-toe hiking shoes, and sunscreen. Bring water, your phone, and sunglasses. Leave behind backpacks, tripods, and anything else not essential—you'll have limited carrying capacity on canyon walks. The video notes that the canyon can feel cold even on sunny days, and sunscreen is crucial due to reflected light off canyon walls. A walking stick is optional but helpful for people with knee or joint concerns.
Is there a height or fitness requirement?
No official minimum, but the video makes clear that Lower Antelope Canyon involves climbing metal stairs, narrow passages, and potential claustrophobia concerns, while Horseshoe Bend includes rock scrambling and standing near exposed edges. If you have significant mobility issues, fear of heights, or claustrophobia, discuss this with the tour operator beforehand. Children and older adults with reasonable fitness can manage both sites with care.
A narrow canyon with steep walls formed by water erosion, typically deep and winding with limited sky visibility.
Navajo Sandstone
A geological formation of layered sand and minerals that took 170 million years to form and creates the distinctive orange and red colors in these canyons.
Lower Antelope Canyon
A slot canyon you descend into via stairs and ladders, shaped like an inverted V, requiring moderate physical effort to explore on foot.
Horseshoe Bend
A dramatic 1,000-foot overlook where the Colorado River curves sharply in a U-shape, located near Page, Arizona.
Colorado River system
The river network supplying 90% of Southern Nevada's water and carving through multiple desert canyons across the Southwest.
This video is genuinely helpful for anyone considering a Las Vegas–area expedition to the canyons. The hosts give honest assessments of drive time, physical demands, and tour company professionalism rather than overselling the experience. They show real footage inside the canyons, explain the Navajo tribal heritage and geology, and highlight practical details like meal options and time zone confusion that matter to day-trippers.
What impressed me most was the transparency: the hosts turn down payment for a fake positive review and compare this tour company's professionalism favorably to a previous disappointing one, making their recommendation credible. They also walk through the actual pace and constraints (no bags on canyon walks, safety rules on stairs, exposure at Horseshoe Bend) so you arrive prepared rather than surprised. If you're deciding between a long drive day and staying in Las Vegas, this gives you exactly what you need to decide, and I'd absolutely recommend watching it before booking.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
Antelope Canyon + Horseshoe Bend Tour from Las Vegas: Is it Worth It? 🏜️✨
Join us as we take an unforgettable journey from Las Vegas to two of the most breathtaking natural wonders in the Southwest—Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend in Page , Arizona 🚗💨
We will be driving from the Las Vegas strip to Arizona and Utah. This is the road trip of a lifetime.
In this video, we’ll cover:
✅ What to expect on the tour
✅ How long the trip takes (and if it's worth the drive!)
✅ The best time to visit for stunning views 📸
✅ Tips to make the most of your experience
If you're planning a trip to Las Vegas and wondering if this day tour is worth your time and money, we’ve got you covered!
🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you never miss out on more travel adventures!
📍 Have you visited Antelope Canyon or Horseshoe Bend? Let us know in the comments!
I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my shop links.
#travelreview #travelvlog
Video transcript for “Las Vegas Tour to Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
hi are you guys going to Antelope Canyon our pickup is at 700 a.m. at Paris Hotel hello good morning I'm going to guess your bab have the front seat you're comfortable nice we were given water at the start of our trip about an hour and 12 minutes we'll be in mosquito our first stop it's a nice
clean truck stop it's the pilots you have a Wendy's there if anybody's absolutely starved and want meat you can get some Wendy's we will get breakfast out there I have chocolate chip and blueberry muffins and bananas and there are some Starbucks Frappuccinos the cold ones if you would like hot coffee they
have hot coffee there do I have any vegetarians okay and you're going to get the world's best chicken sandwich for lunch second stop after that will be in canab Utah so that's a 2 hours between those two and then after that it takes about an hour and 15 to get to we will be traveling along what's known as the
Colorado River system today part of it and um it's beautiful Colorado River system is extremely important to us here in southern Nevada because that is where 90% of our water supply comes from we should be back here between 9 and 930 this evening bye Vegas see you tonight we're passing along I-15 and you could
see NASCAR preparing this weekend in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this is also where they hold the EDC here here we are our first stop in mosquit it's really convenient here you have a restroom and then here's where you buy coffee ooh there's so much coffee but guess what this tour provides breakfast you can
also play Shaban why is it saying shower right over there cuz the truck drivers they stay on the road and they travel and then if you go play in the desert you get this red clay you don't want to Tak it home to your showers how much is a shower here $17 wow full bathroom so it's F ni I wanted protein in the
morning so I bought some eggs you know I tried recently Sports Bing that was stressful most stressful than Blackjack cuz you wait an hour two hours Blackjack you know already boom we need to go to the horse races horse races I want to try where is it California Oh Santa Anna he doesn't know where we're going
today that's so what did they tell you just wake up y very nice place you know are we allowed to eat in the car beta by the way I love this van because it has a lot of compartments and charging is available for everybody here's another funny thing they're from Arizona you didn't think of coming from Arizona to
go to Arizona why did you uh choose this trip they have good uh good reviews we could have done it the other way around you know but you're driving you're giving muffin that's that's right that's the best we all get to be passenger princesses M Nevada is continuously growing they have a lower property tax
than the national median so most of these residents are homeowners virgin Rivero is a big thing and then there's urea uh Eureka Eureka is the name of that one it's a casino it's a casino beside a casino wow but take note they don't have a hospital here because their population is not big
enough we're crossing the Arizona State Line now not far as the Virgin River Gorge it's a Scenic roadway through a Gorge with winding lanes and Canyon views Interstate 15 run through this Canyon and crosses the Virgin River several times this city that we're about to drive into this is St George so
you're now in Utah St George is absolutely beautiful and it used to be really small when my husband and I first started coming here and again it's on the I-15 Corridor Californians have found it it has exploded in size so it used to be a one Temple Town and now it's a two Temple Town we now have to
exit the I-15 Corridor to get to this town called hurricane I know it's spelled hurricane but it's pronounced hurricane this city got its name because there's one windy day in the 1860s from hurcan we are now going to Apple Valley and this is another cynic route just take note the time goes back and forth
that's because we're entering Arizona and Utah several times Arizona did not spring forward but the Navajo tribe did so they're always on two different time zones in Arizona that's right the Navajo tribe follows the Daylight Saving Times but Arizona stays put this is Colorado City wait are we really in Arizona or we
are in Arizona Avenue NOP we're really in Arizona again oh only UT is different Utah and the Navajo Tri and then Arizona and n has the same time for now because because we just did the spring forward that's right Utah follows mountain time and Nevada follows specific time I really wouldn't worry
about it let's just go with the flow where are we fonia fonia Arizona Zion's about 40 minutes away and um Bryce Canyon is about an hour and a half away from right now so this is they call themselves The Gateway to Z National Park we're stopping here at the gas station again for 20 minutes if you
want to take photos and eat or do your break a pink Red Bull are this real scorpions yes they're very good we bought it and I don't want to have the candy we're going to dip it inside the hot water I don't know how long this will take but we'll see working slowly that's 1 g of protein it
only has 4 calories salt and vinegar flavor yikes see the eyes and it has a leg as well tastes like an old cabinet it's very healthy except the salt wow time just flew and we need to get back to the car oh it's spiky spiky yeah it hit me like a
crab no it doesn't taste like old cabinets it's actually tastes like a fresher cabinet I prefer this over Cricket it's only a drive away from Canal bua to paage Arizona and the drive is so cynic just look at this be we're back in Arizona again we're passing the bridge of the Glen Canyon Dam and this is the
view they call the Sandstone here Navajo Sandstone because it's right next to the tribal area they say the Sandstone took 170 million years to form highly recommended to use the L here because there's no proper L at the canyon lower is a little bit longer they say you get more bang for your buck um you have to
work a little bit harder though you have the stairs and the ladder to go down um upper is also shaped like a V so it's wide at the top narrow at the base kind of what we would call a Slot Canyon lower is the opposite it's narrow at the top wide at the base kin tours is where we are going this land was given to K in
by the da tribe that's the other name for the Navajo they gave it to him back in the 1960s and he grazed his cattle and his sheep out here just so happened this beautiful Canyon was part of his land so he opened up to tourism in the early 9s and he was so overwhelmed with the amount of folks that wanted to come and
enjoy this that he allowed his sister Dixie to open up as well i' like to remind you it is a walking tour it is not just a stand in one spot for 15 20 30 minutes and take photos we are here at Lower antalope Canyon and you're not supposed to bring anything so we can't have our tripod uh we can't have our bag as well
nothing else but your water your phone and your sunny no video here I'm sorry but we will get through this I promise you it will be a good video or photo right have fun I'll see you he says run or jump you should do it just follow the commands after meeting with your Navajo tribal guide
you just stay on this Trail it's a good walk just 5 minutes it's kind of cold good thing I have my scar you know you're about to go down the Lower Canyon once you reach this infrastructure stepping on this rock formation is pretty cool little lines here one of those lines to 100 year
there's a lot of iron Zin magnesium my cide crystals Pam together comes up with orange color High concentration iron make ex orange okay once we step on the metal stairs friends no photos and the reason why we don't allow photos on metal stairs platform people drop stuff fall down these people below us we don't
want to hurt anybody your safety everybody's safety is the utmost priority no phones allowed here so I am using my meta ravan glasses to shoot this I am making sure I'm not dropping anything to hurt anyone I just want want you to be prepared it's not crazy but you have to be careful you think we
escape the traffic in Vegas but here we are there is some height Fear Factor but I think you'll be all right s step they say but I think I'm going to go back step it's pretty narrow down here if you have claustrophobia it might be an issue don't fret there are wider spaces too nature is truly amazing the way I take
my photos for my tours is nobody your background my friends I don't want you guys to look at your photos 20 years down the line and say who's ler who's that person about you will discover that the guys on the green vest are coming and going they are very friendly but they are checking on you and yes the
ladders don't stop so watch your step and also watch your head I had so much fun inside this Canyon our tour guy took a lot of Epic photos I felt like Alice in Wonderland in a maze and then you get out of this tiny hole and this is where you come out they do have a gift shop if you want to buy some souvenirs not sure
if they brought this chest or it's been here there are also dining tables here with a view one naaj te please sorry oh hot small medium um let's go for medium did you want honey Agave or sugar in that what there's so many choices what's the what's your best recommendation uh a lot
of people get a agave okay this is their version of green tea and it's highly recommended in case you go to a n tribe how's the ice cream weather it's like 40° you don't feel cold it's just same how much time do we have for
lunch I think most people are getting in the van because it's freezing out there but usually 15 minutes there's a pickles and sweet Ranch and there sodas wow look at that chicken they give you a lot of chicken in there not so far away is our next stop welcome to Horseshoe Bend where are
we here Friday and it is 52 right now I just want to share with you that I took a tour recently and my tour company was not at professional and they were paying me to give a good review of course I didn't accept it because I want to be trusted and have an honest review I just want to be open that with Max store it
is sponsored but I'm telling you they are so professional arrival time was on point there's food all the time that is part of the tour and from Elaine she's such a good driver and tour guide in one Elaine provided a lot of information for us I didn't get to have that from my previous tour company and the price
range were kind of the same if I'm going to choose a tour company is going to be Max tour definitely because I came from a not so good one it's actually a very beautiful day it's supposed to rain today and thank goodness it's not raining and this is only 12 minutes away from um antalope Canyon taking it easy
and having the tour company guide you through this is highly recommended it's so nice to be a kid some of them are climbing rocks and some are them are Zen it looks like everyone is going that way and we're about to get there zoom in zoom in zoom in zoom in zoom in zoom in wow it's
beautiful wow that's really amazing you can take a photo on top of this one or you can take it on this side where there are rails one two three nice The Edge is a bit scary but I think I could manage it I'm not I won't go overboard but I think it's going to do a great photo where are you from
o Ohio no that's good morning K ban oh careful when I was on the edge for some reason it was warm maybe because I was nervous but wow it's a wonderful experience you need a beer in hand I would agree with you is the walking stick helpful for me my old knes yes
this view is just out of this world ooh I think the view is better there anyways it's good to go up just climbing this rocks I honestly don't know where I'm going with this but it looks so fun climbing it you could see some vandalism still but the park is trying to get that away do I see better view yeah actually
there's there's a neat view right here it's another view but you know I'm satisfied with the first one I feel like I'm by myself I am by myself I'm climbing rocks here like 1 27 no that's not a good thought let's be safe how did you guys get up here I went right here okay how did you do I don't
know I was like doing a one 127 where's the arch I was just if you look at a certain angle for those two rocks okay oh okay okay oh wo I went too far and I don't see my group anymore oh my God there's so many moth here I lost track of time so we have 20 minutes to get back it's
over there 10 minutes let's go I was vicious it's uphill they're so fast that one okay oh it's not that one are you there I'm lost okay did I make look at the time I have oh yeah you
made all right everybody so um about 15 minutes we'll be stopping at w we Overlook and we'll maybe spend 10 minutes there because it's probably going to be windy and cold and then uh from there it's 10 minutes to get to the restroom running water and all the good stuff we're back at the Glen Canyon Dam
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