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| SLOT CANYONS (to return to top of page click blue squares) In Las Vegas, slots are those infamous one-arm bandits that rob tourists of spare change. But to locals on the Colorado Plateau, a slot is a dream world of swirling, convoluted canyon walls, a phantasm of sculpted rock dancing in reflected light. The walls, often sunset-hued, are sandstones deposited more than 160 million years ago, when a large Sahara-like desert blanketed the Southwest.  The nearly vertical walls of these fissure-like slot canyons were gouged out by water and debris that barreled through them after fierce thunderstorms. What began as a thin crack in the earth widened and deepened as water cut through layers of bedrock. Because slot canyons penetrate rock that is the same type and hardness throughout, the walls tend to erode evenly, producing a chasm of similar width from top to bottom. But, where even slight irregularities exist, floodwaters will strike the walls harder in some places than others, creating hollows that enlarge as swirling water and scouring stones move through them. The outcome is a series of sensuously rounded chambers connected by narrow passages.
CAPTION Upper Antelope Canyon (right)—a dream world, inner sanctum, holy place—and unfortunately overcrowded. The canyon is short and narrow—just wide enough for one person to squeeze through in spots—so the company of just a dozen visitors feels like a traffic jam. To fully appreciate what a slot canyon can offer, try going there in the off-season—you'll be justly rewarded.
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