Cardiac Canyon: The new Antelope Canyon for Photographers?

Photographers will find this to be an incredible substitute for Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon has long been the king of Slot Canyons for photographers. But taking good shots there has become increasingly difficult. A victim of its own success, the resulting crowds have swollen to the point where you are herded like cattle in which your every minute is choreographed by tour guides. Photography tours are no longer offered and you can’t even bring a tripod.

This isn’t to say that you can’t still get a good photograph at Antelope… but trying to take a hand-held, high ISO photo in a dark canyon that has a crazy-high dynamic range while dodging a hundred gawking tourists…well, let’s just say your work is cut out for you.

If you’ve never visited Antelope, then by all means you still should do so. Despite the crowds and restrictions, it is amazing and worth the price, even if you don’t get a gallery-quality image.

But if you are a photographer, the experience will be frustrating.

So what if I told you there was another slot canyon less than 20 minutes from Antelope where you can spend six full hours with no crowds and bring your tripod? You’d say there must be a catch…and you would be right. The catch is that it is smaller, it will cost you more than your typical Antelope tour and you will have to put forth a bit of physical effort.

Introducing Cardiac Canyon

Still interested? Well then, let me introduce you to Cardiac Canyon. I was just there last month (May of 2022) and in this blog, I’ll provide tips and suggestions to make your experience (and photos) as outstanding as possible.

What does it Look like?

Much of Cardiac strongly resembles Antelope Canyon. After all, it is part of the same drainage system as Antelope (see the map to the side) and is carved from the same Navajo Sandstone. But with that said, there are unique aspects, some of them remarkable. One attribute that caught my eye was the pronounced and dramatic “Desert Varnish” that was prominent in some of the chambers (see photo below).

The sandstone’s curves, waves, and colors are the stuff that photographers’ dreams are made from. As Stephen Ausherman so aptly phrased it:

“It’s solid rock, but it seems fluid.  It morphs.  Colors shift like traffic lights, but their hues are difficult to identify.  I could list a palate of similar shades – baby aspirin, brick, orange sorbet, guava, salmon, ahi tuna – but none quite matches.”

Stephen Ausherman in DesertUSA.com

Cardiac has two distinct sections. The guides said there weren’t official names for these areas so for this blog I’m just going to call them the Chambers and the Narrows.

The Chambers

After entering the Canyon, it splits off to the right and to the left. If you go right for about ten minutes or so, your guides will lead you to a custom-made 10′ ladder embedded in the rock. At the top, you immediately enter a series of 6 or 7 interconnected rooms. Many of these are quite large and all of them feature winding narrow openings on top that sensuously flash slices of the blue sky.

These are the Chambers. This is where you will want to spend nearly all of your time (the guides don’t have a set schedule and will indulge your requests to spend time where-ever you want). This is, by far, the most photogenic section and most folks will find it similar to Upper Antelope…but unique in its own right (see examples of Chambers in the four images below).

The Narrows

When finished with the Chambers, the guides will lead you back to explore the other section that was to the left when you dropped down into the canyon. This part (the Narrows) is tighter and has passages you have to squeeze through sideways. It includes a couple ladders and continues to a 30′ dead-fall where you have to turn around.

The Narrows does have photogenic potential (see the group of 4 shots below). Certainly on par with most slot canyons, but, in all honestly, I think it paled in comparison to the Chambers.

Why Haven’t I heard about Cardiac Before?

You’re not alone. Frankly, I’d never heard of Cardiac until a couple of months ago either. A buddy of mine (and a truly talented photographer), Jim Guerard, had just done a tour of Cardiac. He posted a description and photos. I was sold.

Cardiac was only opened for tours in 2017, which is probably why it isn’t well known….yet. It is located on a family’s private property and you can only visit it as part of a tour. The owners have restricted access to a maximum of 7 people a day. As a result, the guides will tell you that less than 600 people have ever even seen it (Antelope sees that many tourists before noon every day!)

I won’t be surprised if the time will come when Cardiac will be as packed as Antelope is now. Yup, photographers will look back on these days with a tear in their eyes and reminisce about when they could photograph here for hours nearly alone before it was loved to death.

However, Cardiac’s history far predates 2017. Check out this Youtube film for a fascinating interview with Navajo historian Paul Begay.

Is it physically demanding? Is that why they call it CARDIAC Canyon?

I’m not really sure how it got its name, but I doubt it is because of multiple heart attacks suffered by guests. Most folks will have no problem. On my tour, there was a couple in the 70s from Israel and they did fine. With that said, you have to be limber and mobile…this isn’t a Disney tour.

The tour starts with a quick 15-minute ride in a Taadidiin SUV to Cardiac. Then comes the most challenging part of the tour. The entrance (or more accurately, the EXIT).

The entrance is a 300′ long (100 meter) sandy slope that is quite steep (more than 45°). You can use the knotted rope installed there to help you make your way down. But you can also simply slide down on your butt easily enough. On the other hand, that climb out at the end of the day will certainly get your heart elevated. It is doable. I’m a 64-year-old, 170 lb guy and I made it…eventually. Just take your time and know your limits.

Once you are down in the canyon, there are spots where you have to bend down and squeeze a bit under some boulders that are caught above you in the canyon. You don’t have to exactly do a spider-man limbo but you have to be a bit nimble.

There are also a few ladders to climb, including one in the Narrows that is up thru a very skinny passage. If you are a wide person, a couple of these spots may be a challenge.

They advertise the tour as being a 2.5-mile hike. I didn’t think it was that long and even if it was, that distance is covered over 6 hours, so it really isn’t much walking.

Keep in mind that the elevation here is about 6,000 feet. So if you are used to living at a lower elevation, you might find that your lungs have to work harder to extract oxygen from the air. I live in Florida at 43′ above sea level, so I certainly felt it. Fortunately, I had been in the area for over a week and had adjusted by the time I took on the ‘Cardiac Challenge’.

What to bring

• Wide angle lens. I used a 14-24mm on a full-frame camera and kept it at 14mm nearly the entire time
• Mid-range zoom. I didn’t have one of these with me and regretted it. You will likely have the urge to use your widest lens and spend all your time capturing the grandeur of the massive sandstone cathedral chambers. But do yourself a favor. AFTER taking those wide-angle shots, put on a mid-range zoom and walk back thru those chambers and look for details. You might be surprised what you find. There are some amazing, nearly surrealistic images you can capture if you concentrate on just small parts of the walls as they catch reflected light (see the three shots below from the Chambers section)

• Small tripod and backpack. You should bring a small tripod that will attach to your backpack. There are some ladders you have to navigate that require two free hands. Plus, parts of the Narrows are pretty tight and a full-sized camera backpack will be a really tight fit. What you need here is a small pack that can barely fit your travel (not full-sized) tripod, camera, one extra lens, a spare battery, a couple of bottles of water, and a snack. Don’t try to carry your camera on a neck strap, it will swing around and hit the walls when you are on ladders and navigating the tight spaces. Just keep it in your bag unless you are shooting
• Water/Food/Clothing. The tour is six hours so you will need fuel and water. Most of the year it will be warm (if not hot). You won’t be in the direct sun much so you don’t necessarily need extreme sun protection.
• Good shoes/boots. Preferable something that supports your ankles. You will be climbing over some rocks and it wouldn’t be fun to twist your ankle. You will get sand in your boots and will want to empty them a couple of times, so don’t wear something that takes ten minutes to lace up.
• Microfiber cloth/rocket blaster/extra battery/memory card. It can be dusty and a rocket blaster and microfiber will come in handy (more about this later). Six hours is a long time and you can take a lot of shots, especially when you are bracketing and taking focus stack shots. An extra battery and memory card is a good idea.

Shooting Tips

Look up/ Look back!

Slot canyons are truly a 3-dimensional space and we photographers often “think” in 2 dimensions. Stop every ten feet and look up. Sometimes the best compositions are above (or behind) you! The three shots below (all from the Chambers section) are examples of what you can see by looking up.

Look for Details

It is easy to get into a mental mindset focused on the ‘big picture.’ Make a conscious effort to stop every so often and go back over the area you just passed through and look for patterns and details. I don’t do it enough and kick myself later when I spot cool stuff nearly hidden in a corner of my wide-angle images.

Bracketing

The dynamic range in Cardiac can be HUGE. Especially when the day wears on and the sunlight starts to illuminate more of the canyon walls. Plus, if you are including the sky in a shot, you might find that you need more than 10 stops of range. I used 5 frame brackets each with a 2 stop difference for many of my images.

Focus Stacking

It is easy to just set your tripod up in the middle of a chamber and start looking for compositions. But don’t be afraid to get right up to the side of a wall or down on the floor to take advantage of the wonderful leading lines provided by the curvy sandstone. Focus stacking will allow you to keep the resulting image sharp from front to back.

Keep your lenses clean

To be honest, I’m not a fanatic about cleaning my lenses. Frankly, a sensor spot or two is easy to fix in photoshop. But in slot canyons, even minor spots can result in major problems when your shots include the sky, especially when you are shooting brackets.

Clean your lenses the night before. Also, bring a little rocket blower in your pocket and use it to blow off the microdust that will collect on your lens when you are in the canyon. It will save you a lot of time in post-production!

Additional Thoughts and Watchouts

How do I set up a Tour?

Simply see the Taadidiin website here. Tours go out as long as they have a minimum of two customers.

So Where exactly is it?

Like Antelope, Cardiac canyon is located in the Navajo Nation, near Page Arizona. It is located on Hwy 98 about 12 miles south of Page at milepost 308 on the west side of the road (the right side as you are heading south away from Page). The large parking lot is well marked with a sign for Taadidiin Tours (if you use Waze or most map programs, it is listed as ” Antelope Canyon X by Taadidiin Tours“).

Money, Money, Money

As of June 2022, the cost for a tour is $228 plus an $8 permit fee. Plus I tipped the two guides (who were great), so have some extra cash in your wallet. I figure it cost me $45 per hour, which is significantly less than Antelope tours which charge $70-$180 for 60-90 minutes.

The problem with Time

Cardiac tours start at 8 am and they ask you to be 20 minutes early. Easy…Right?

Well, time zones in this area are confusing. In 15 minutes of driving on hwy 98, your clock can change three times as you pass thru different jurisdictions.

• Cardiac Canyon is located in the Navajo Nation, and the Navajo nation uses the Mountain Time Zone WITH daylight savings time (DST).
• However, Taadidiin Tours uses the Mountain Time Zone but does NOT use DST.
• Nearby Page Arizona also uses Mountain Time Zone but does NOT use DST.
• Utah, which is only 15 minutes from Page (and where you might be traveling from) uses the Mountain Time Zone and DOES use DST (like the Navajo Nation)

So, are you confused yet? I’m embarrassed to say that I thought I had it figured out but when I showed up no one was there…I was an hour early.

The bottom line is simply to check to see what time it is in Page Arizona and use that information to know when you need to show up for your tour.

Final Thoughts

Cardiac was a joy to photograph. I loved the lack of crowds. The guides were helpful but not obtrusive. And the canyon itself was packed full of photographic delights that I didn’t fully sample even after 6 hours there.

I’ve photographed both Upper and Lower Antelope many times. Plus I’ve also had the chance to explore a number of other slot canyons in the southwest. Cardiac compares very well to the best of them. Antelope is larger and has more potential compositions, but the restrictions (no tripod, crowds, etc) make it a frustrating experience for quality photography.

If you are a photographer who wants to try your hand in a slot Canyon, I highly recommend Cardiac. You will not be disappointed.

Cheers!
Jeff

PS: I do not accept compensation of any kind from any of the companies or products I mention in my blogs. I don’t blindly trust someone’s endorsement who is getting paid to sell a product. I doubt that you would either. You can trust that my opinions, flawed as they might be, are my own.

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