water holes canyon

You will have to buy a navajo hiking permit to be able to go here either at the leechee chapter house or at the upper antelope canyon booth.We literally had the place to our selves for three hours. The only persons we met were some guys looking for a way down the canyon. We did not see them while we were exploring the canyon so they probably just gave up or went the other way.This is along 89 and there's a parking space just before the bridge. The area is fenced and the gate is closed but there is an opening in the fence which is not easily visible. You have to walk along the canyon and look for cairns which serves as guide to where the entrance to the canyon is. We proceeded to the left of the canyon.Not as beautiful as antelope canyon but there's more variety and we were able to take more pictures and there is no rush since there are no other people around. I enjoyed this much better than antelope canyon as we were able to explore at our own pace. Definitely visit this while you are in page.

This canyon is seriously awesome! Ditch the big tours of Antelope and hit this place up. It's just as breathtaking!

You will have this place to yourself. A bit of route-finding to get in - but soooo worth it. Be sure to venture as far as you can east and west of the bridge. You might need ropes to go further than the wet pothole that stopped us (west).

It's quite easy to find the "car park" next to the bridge. However, the way down is not that easy, hiking boods definitely recommended. We only met a family with 2 kids down there.After a short walk, you can find the best part of Water Hole, a Slot Canyon passage. If you want to get deeper into the canyon, you have to climb up about 4 m using a ladder balancing on rocks. This is definitely a minus. If they take your money to go into there, they should also take care about the infrastructure.Anyhow - compared with overexcessed safety measures and easy trails in the USA - it had a big adventure effect.

Very nice, impression point. Everyone nature lover with moderate travel skills can to reach (and have reach!) this canyon. There are no pointer to this place, no official entrance, no guides. There are not many people know where it locates, so you can firstly find it trough the map. The upper part of canyon (south from the bridge of 89 road) is reachable without any special equipment, lower part is more difficult. The trail is moderate level, and it the same geology miracle as famous Antelope canyon - and there are no anyone inside - only your you and wild striped stone walls. Enjoy!

We saw Waterholes via Secret Canyon with HummerAdventures.net. Vance was our guide and he was marvelous. It is a slot canyon area and just gorgeous with few people mainly because the concession is limited. This is supposed to be a review of the Canyon but is really a review of the Tour. Excellent, both of them.

Our guide was cool and very good at helping us set up our camera and phones for capturing the lighting and colors of the canyon. My wife and I, and one other couple had the place to our own. The pictures are just insane. I didn't even know about we permit access deal, but I'm glad I didn't mess with that and just had a guide take us there.

Took a tour with Hummer Slot Canyon Adventures and had a great time. Secluded and no crowds. We only had 4 people on our tour.

We had an awesome day at the Waterholes Canyon... The canyon is just magnificent,,, Though it´s pretty hard to find the entry! After you bought the permit from the Navajos, you get a map and be told where to park... It will be right infront of a bridge on the left hand side, if you are coming from Page.There is a big sign, that you are only allowed to enter with a permit. There is a fence... In the fence there is going to be a gate! We looked for 15 minutes, and thought we would need to open up the gate - but then we saw it: More or less 5 meters right from the gate is a little opening, which is the "entry" for the people with the backcountry permit!Now be careful - always follow the STONES! Read that tip in the internet before! There are little crowds of stones, that will point you down into the Canyon! The way down is... "okay"! I (22) had no problem with the way, my mother (54) was a "little" scared ;-) But with Teamwork we managed to get here down and up safe, without any problems - just if you don´t like heights, think about it twice!Down there - it is just... wow!We took the left way (read in the internet, that this is the easier one to go!) and it was amazing. The colours were beatiful and we were down there alone for the whole time (August)... It was so quiet, and surrounded by the nature was just so amazing...It´s an absolute GO for it when you are there from my side! You will love it!

The Permit was 12 USD per Person and we had a map which did not really help to find the entrance. Luckily we met another German couple which went down there with us. The map showed a specific area that you were allowed to go to and we were wondering how we would be able to tell if we already went to far. Well.... the end of the east side there was a dog that was growling at us. Which was kind of scary because there was noone else there and how were you supposed to know if he would follow you back through the Canyon or not?!? On the other side there was a dead coyote which was quite disgusting as well. But besides that the scenery was nice and we got some nice shots. You should go there in the morning.

As of April 2014 they doubled the price for the Waterholes Canyon to 12 USD per person! This is way too much for what you can see there: The entry point is difficult to find. they didn't put up any signs at all. When you try to go down the wrong way it can be quite difficult and dangerous. The positive thing is, that you are completely alone there and can explore the Canyon which is nice (if you haven't been to Antelope Canyon yet). They charge money for it but they don't take care of the Canyon. You can find quite a few broken bottles and trash there. When we walked down and turned right, you even find two dead coyotes. I can't really recommend going there anymore. For 6$ it's a nice thing but it's definitely not worth more.

TripAdvisor, you failed me here. I bought two permits to get in here since it sounded so good but ended up just spending an hour wandering around in the desert trying to figure out how to get into the canyon. They give you a very vague map when we bought the permit but we found no way to hike down in the whole hour. Eventually a couple came with printed directions from the internet and they found a way to climb down, but it looked absolutely terrifying and we wanted nothing to do with it. Not worth the $12/person unless you really know what you're doing.

We did this tour in the afternoon. The permit is obtainable from the LeeChee Chapter house - about 3 miles south of the 98 intersection. Turn right into the gravel area, go all the way back and to the right and you will see a white trailer type building. Go in there to get the permit. It is 12 dollars per person for a day. Then you got to where Horseshoe Bend is and go a couple miles farther south. There will be a guardrail sided bridge over the canyon and immediately prior to that bridge, on the left, is a parking area (usually nearly empty). There is a gate in the fence there with a notice on it not to trespass and that a permit is required. To the right of that is a little area in the fence that is open (just kinda weave thru it) to get in. This area is the easier area (go towards the river on the other side of guardrail for more technically difficult climbing, including rapelling area). The first descent is moderately difficult and unless you are sure-footed, you may want to keep walking. I loved it but it is the more difficult way. The next cairn you see is an easier descent where the angle is less steep, less loose rock, and shorter, as the canyon rises a bit there. Once in, just follow the sand. Tons of lizards there. Very isolated and peaceful; markedly different level of people there vs. Antelope Canyons. I hesitated to post this review because what makes it so special is how empty it is. Saw one person in five hours down there.There is the same windswept sandstone, and you can actually sit and appreciate the spiritual feel of the area, enjoy the silence. It is more open than Antelope above, but there are still narrow areas, with nice lighting, shaded areas (thankfully) to escape the sun for a bit. Some scrambling over and up rocks is required, but not much. I would say other than getting in and out, it is only mildly difficult. Take lots of water. We went through 6 liters between the two of us while down there. Worth the effort. A true taste of the peace of the desert. Be respectful and carry out what you carry in. Please don't desecrate this amazing place and don't disturb the cairns people have kindly placed to help you find a simple way up and out.

We did the Antelope Canyon tour in the morning (it was beautiful but incredibly crowded in the chamber where the infamous beam of light hits the ground). For a complete change of pace, visit the Waterholes Canyon. You first have to buy a permit (about $5) from the LeeChee Chapter House which is about 3 miles south of Page on Coppermine Road. Waterholes Canyon is located on Hwy 89 at mile marker 542. Parking is on the east side of the road. We were the 3rd car in the parking lot when we arrived in the afternoon. It takes a little while to figure out how to get down to the river bed but if you follow your instincts and then scramble over some rocks you can make it down. It is tricky so be careful! I should stress that you must climb and scramble your way down so if you aren't too limber you might need to walk farther east and find an easier way down. I would not advise my parents (retired) to do this or people with young children. The smooth rock is the same as Antelope Canyon but Waterholes Canyon is generally alot more open at the top than Antelope Canyon but there are some really beautiful enclosed areas like Antelope Canyon as well (near the end of the hike). There are some other areas that branch off of the main river bed that would have been fun to explore but we had to get on the road to get to Monument Valley. While we were doing this approx. 1 mile unguided hike we did not see anyone else. We had the canyon completely to ourselves. We were free to take pictures at our leisure and not have anyone else in the photo. On the way back to the car, we saw several easier spots to get back to the top rather than having to climb out. Unforgettable and a highlight of our trip to beautiful Arizona.

It took us a bit to get back to the main attraction but it was certainly worth the effort. Beautiful views that you won't get anywhere else. Actually we were told about this by the guide (Chris) at Lower Antelope Canyon Tours! Amazing time! Recommend it!