Lower Antelope Canyon Tours: Ken's Tours vs Dixie Ellis
There are only two Navajo-authorized operators at Lower Antelope Canyon — Ken's Tours and Dixie Ellis' — and they run the exact same slot from two adjacent entrances at near-identical prices. So your choice should come down to which one has the date and time slot you want, not the brand.
They are genuinely equivalent. Multiple independent first-hand reviews confirm the two companies run the identical canyon, staggered roughly 15 minutes apart, lining up on opposite sides of the same entrance. As one independent guide put it: "either Ken's Tours or Dixie Ellis' works equally well; pick by departure time, not brand."
Since 1992 · incorporated 1994
Ken's Tours
The larger, longer-established, amenity-rich operation (a Snow Shack, on-site café, more restrooms). After the 1997 flood and a year-long closure, the Navajo Nation asked Ken's to resume operations, and the family built the staircases still in use today. Markets itself as the "#1" Lower Antelope operator.
Since 2014 · women-owned
Dixie Ellis'
Run by Dixie Ellis, Kenneth Young's sister — making the two companies family-run siblings. Marginally cheaper on paper and frequently praised for booking-stage customer service. Advertises smaller-feeling groups (15 or fewer per guide), Navajo folklore storytelling, and staff fluent in seven languages. A TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice winner with 5,000+ reviews.
Ken's Tours traces its roots to 1992, when Kenneth Young and his siblings began guiding visitors into the canyon; the business was incorporated as Ken's Tours LLC in 1994 by Kenneth and Emily Young. It sits on Indian Route 222, Page, AZ 86040 (928-645-6997) and markets itself as the "#1" Lower Antelope operator with "over a million visitors." Dixie's, established in 2014, is on the same route (928-640-1761); its site notes, "With staff fluent in seven languages, Dixie's ensures every guest feels understood and supported."
Only two operators are authorized. Since the canyon became a Navajo Tribal Park in 1997, only Ken's and Dixie's are licensed to guide Lower Antelope Canyon, and all visitors must be accompanied by a Navajo guide. Both are listed under the Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation authorized Antelope Canyon operators, and they access the same canyon from two adjacent entrances and staircases in the same parking area.
Both carry roughly 4.8-star averages across thousands of reviews — Dixie's own site notes it "has been fully verified by TripAdvisor and has received over 5,000 reviews," and Ken's General Tour shows a 4.8 rating on its own site. Praise in 2025 and 2026 reviews overwhelmingly centers on individual guides — their knowledge, storytelling, photo help, and frequent Navajo flute send-offs. The most common complaints for both are peak-season overcrowding, rushed pacing, and long queues in the sun. Ken's also draws periodic complaints about its rigid cancellation and reconfirmation policy and being slow to refund; Dixie's draws fewer process complaints and more praise for responsive pre-booking communication.
Other experiences you might enjoy
Live availability from GetYourGuide — more Navajo-guided canyon tours, Horseshoe Bend trips and Page-area day trips, picked automatically for this page.
Book a Lower Antelope tour
Both operators sell directly (lowerantelope.com / antelopelowercanyon.com) and through GetYourGuide. The listing below is fulfilled at the canyon by the licensed Navajo guides — the same Hazdistazí walk Ken's and Dixie's have run for three decades — and adds free cancellation and reserve-now-pay-later flexibility.
Highly rated · Ken's Tours fulfilment
Lower Antelope Canyon Tour with Trained Navajo Guide
A trained Navajo guide leads the hike through the corkscrew chambers, points out the named formations and the best camera angles, and explains the geology and the safety system born of the 1997 flood. Entry, the Navajo tax and the permit are all included.
Lower Antelope Canyon entry fee
Guided hike with an expert Navajo guide
Navajo tax and permit fee included
Mobile voucher · instant confirmation · free cancellation
Meeting point: Check in at Ken's Tours Lower Antelope Canyon, then wait by the yellow "Please Wait Here" sign at the southeast corner of the building.
Ken's Tours runs the General Tour ($80.50, ~1.5 hours total with check-in, max group 15), a Deluxe Tour ($173.63, 75–90 min, group of 6, includes a heritage-site visit and a meal), a Combination Tour (from $148), and an 8.5-hour Premier Adventure ($319.39). Dixie Ellis' runs the Lower Antelope Canyon Hiking Tour (a 60–90 minute hike of ~1.1 miles, with total time on site of 1–1.5 hours; each time slot has a maximum capacity of 70 guests, "split into groups of 15 or fewer per tour guide") and a "Tį́' Lets Cruise (TLC)" van day-tour combining Lower Antelope with other Navajo Nation sites.
Ken's Combination Tour starts at $148.00. On the Dixie's side, the advertised base is $55 for ages 8+ plus the Navajo Nation permit and tax — children 4–7 are also $55 with no permit fee, and infants are free — which lands very close to Ken's all-in figure once everything is added.
The permit fee jumped to $15. The official Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation site states verbatim: "Entry Fee $15 per person, per location, per day." A Navajo Tours industry blog confirms it: "Recently, the fee increased from $8 to $15 per person." Many third-party listings still display the outdated $8 — treat those as stale.
Independent guides describe the two operators as "almost exactly the same price." One April 2026 traveler report for Dixie's cited "$80.50 per person including taxes, fees and the permits." Both charge a non-refundable booking fee on top of the ticket, and midday and peak-season slots cost more; off-season (November–February) is cheapest. Budget realistically for roughly $80–95 per adult all-in, including the $15 permit and a $5–10 cash tip. Children's pricing is cheaper and infants are free, but they still need to be reserved. For the complete pricing picture across Lower, Upper and Canyon X, see our tickets & booking guide.
What to expect inside
Check in earlySign waivers and get your group assignment — Ken's asks for 30 minutes prior, Dixie's 45. Leave all bags, tripods and poles in the car; the no-bag rule is enforced.
~10-min walk to the entranceA rocky, sandy Navajo sandstone trail from the booth to the canyon mouth. Watch for dinosaur tracks along the way.
The descent · 5 flightsClimb down 82 steps (~35 m) into the largest cavern. Lower Antelope is V-shaped and about 1,335 feet long.
Guided walk · ~1.1 miles round tripWinding, sculpted passages — all tours move one direction, so you don't meet groups head-on. Guides name the formations, share geology and culture, and take photos for guests.
The climb out · 8 stairwaysAscend via 8 separate staircases/ladders, all bolted into the walls with handrails on stairs over 8 ft. Many guides end with a Navajo flute solo.
~1.5 hours total · then tipTipping is customary and cash-based — $3–5 per person up to 10–20% of the tour price; pay the guide directly at the end.
Photography tours: discontinued
Dedicated photo tours are gone at both Lower operators — the Navajo Nation cut them due to tripod bottlenecks. There is no photo add-on to buy in 2026; phones and handheld cameras only. Ken's longest Premier Adventure still offers extended in-canyon time and photography guidance, but it is not a tripod photo tour.
Physical difficulty & restrictions
Steep metal staircases and ladders, narrow V-shaped passages; no photos on the stairs (you need both hands)
Rated moderate; not handicap/wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for back, knee, hip or heart problems, or pregnant travelers
Claustrophobia: the canyon is narrow at the base — "not recommended for people who have issues with enclosed spaces"
Children allowed; infants/toddlers two and under must ride in a hiking backpack carrier (no strollers or wheeled devices)
If anyone in your party can't manage stairs and ladders, choose Upper Antelope (ground-level, no climbing) instead — our Upper vs Lower comparison lays out the trade-offs.
Fully refundable up to 24 hrs before (excl. booking fees)
Phone
928-645-6997
928-640-1761
How far ahead: tours release on a rolling ~3-month schedule and sell out, especially midday peak-season slots. Book 1–3 months ahead; 3–6 months for summer and spring break. Walk-ins are accepted subject to availability — risky in peak season, viable off-season.
Dixie's confirms the walk-in position in its own words: "we do allow for walk-ins however it does depend on what we have available." On cancellations, Dixie's states tours are "fully refundable up to 24 hours before departure, excluding booking fees. Cancellations after 48 hours forfeit 50% of the reserved total" — the 24-hour versus 48-hour wording on their site is inconsistent, so confirm at checkout. Ken's also requires you to reconfirm your reservation, or its system may auto-cancel; that is a recurring source of complaints. Both operators offer a full refund or reschedule when a tour is cancelled for weather, most likely during the July–September monsoon.
GetYourGuide offers the key flexibility benefit: free cancellation for a full refund, from 24 hours to three days before depending on the listing, with no non-refundable booking fee — and it bundles the entry/permit and guide into one price. It also lists combo Lower Antelope + Horseshoe Bend hikes and Las Vegas day trips.
Practical info for the day
Meeting points & parking
Both are off Indian Route 222 / Highway 98, less than 10 minutes (roughly 2–5 miles) east of Page, with the two booths in the same parking area — Dixie's is typically described as the first lot you reach, with a green roof. Parking is free at both and fits cars, RVs and buses.
What to bring
Water bottle, phone or handheld camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, closed-toe shoes and a light jacket — the canyon stays cool. A cheap microfiber cloth for the airborne sand on your lens is worth packing.
What is prohibited
Bags, backpacks, fanny packs, hydration packs, hiking sticks, canes, gyro-stabilizers, selfie sticks, recorded eyewear (Meta glasses, for example), GoPros, tripods and monopods, drones, alcohol, weapons, and pets or service animals. Dixie's bans even clear or transparent bags, effective May 4, 2023. Video recording is prohibited inside the canyon; still photos are fine.
Time zone & best slots
Antelope Canyon runs on Arizona/Page time (MST year-round, no daylight saving), but the surrounding Navajo Nation does observe DST and you are near the Utah line, so cell towers can push your phone to the wrong time — set it manually to Phoenix. Dixie's recommends roughly 10:15–1:15 in winter, and 7:15–10:45 a.m. or late afternoon from March–October.
Two things to verify at checkout
Whether the permit is included. Dixie's states the permit is included in its tour price; Ken's current website does not clearly state inclusion, and some third-party listings add it separately at on-site check-in. And the exact permit figure. The official Navajo Nation figure is $15 per person, but several operator and OTA pages still display $8, and the exact effective date of the increase is not officially documented — evidence points to late 2025 or early 2026. Prices change without notice and are seasonal; the figures here reflect operator websites, official Navajo Nation pages and 2025/2026 reviews as of June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs Lower Antelope Canyon tours?
Only two Navajo-authorized operators are licensed to guide Lower Antelope Canyon: Ken's Tours and Dixie Ellis' Lower Antelope Canyon Tours. They are family-run siblings — Dixie Ellis is Kenneth Young's sister — and access the same canyon from two adjacent entrances in the same parking area. Every visitor must be accompanied by a Navajo guide.
Is Ken's Tours or Dixie Ellis better?
They are genuinely equivalent — the same canyon, the same trail, staggered about 15 minutes apart, at near-identical prices and roughly 4.8-star averages. Ken's is the larger, longer-established operation with more on-site amenities; Dixie's is praised for booking-stage customer service and advertises seven languages. Pick by which has the date and time slot you want, not the brand.
How much do Lower Antelope Canyon tours cost?
Roughly $80–95 per adult all-in, including the $15 Navajo Nation permit. Ken's General Tour is $80.50 per person all-in; Dixie's standard hike lands in the same ballpark. On GetYourGuide, Lower Antelope tours start from $75. Budget a $5–10 cash tip for your guide on top. See our tickets & booking guide for the full breakdown.
Should I book Lower Antelope Canyon direct or through GetYourGuide?
Both are legitimate. Booking through GetYourGuide gets you free cancellation without a booking fee, from 24 hours to three days before depending on the listing, while Ken's direct policy refunds only 72 or more hours ahead minus its booking fee and Dixie's refunds up to 24 hours ahead minus booking fees. It also bundles the entry, permit and guide into one price. If your dates are locked, booking direct on the operator site is perfectly fine.
Are dedicated photography tours available at Lower Antelope Canyon?
No. Dedicated photography tours have been discontinued at both Lower Antelope operators — the Navajo Nation cut them due to bottlenecks from tripods. In 2026 it's phones and handheld cameras only, and tripods, monopods and selfie sticks are banned. See our full Antelope Canyon photography guide for camera settings, which canyon shoots easiest handheld, and the one operator that still permits a tripod.
Same canyon, two operators — book the slot that fits
Check both operators (and GetYourGuide) for your exact date and time. If one is sold out, the other almost certainly has it — the canyon experience is the same.
This site contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you book through our links — at no extra cost to you. Lower Antelope Canyon tours are operated exclusively by Navajo family–owned businesses on Navajo Nation land.
