Why can’t I fill my refillable water bottle?

We get it. Hiking through Lower Antelope Canyon can be tiring, especially during the summer
months. We always advise that our guests take steps to ensure they are fully hydrated, even
before they arrive at the canyon, to avoid succumbing to heat exhaustion or worse.

So why can’t our guests refill their water bottles while on tour, or allow backpacks so they can
store more water for our journey?

We get this question enough at Dixie’s Lower Antelope Canyon that it’s worth answering in an
article.

First, the backpacks.

The walls of Antelope Canyon are made of sandstone that have been carved carefully by the
elements over time, which gives them their incredible, famous contours. In a sense, backpacks
can have the same effect.

Sandstone is malleable. One backpack brushing against the sandstone may not cause
immediate damage to the wall, but dozens of backpacks brushing against the wall at practically
every hour of every day absolutely will. Antelope Canyon is sacred to the Navajo people, and of
course an important part of our history. Damaging the canyon would not only harm our
business (after all, why would someone want to tour a vandalized landmark), but harm our very
culture and heritage.

As for refillable water bottles, the simple answer is that we do not have running water here at
Dixie’s. In order to be located close enough to Lower Antelope Canyon to provide hiking tours,
our headquarters has to be completely self-sufficient. There are no sewer systems or electricity
poles out in the Navajo Nation park.

Our new facility is equipped with solar panels that help us power our operations, and we have a
water catchment system with two small storage silos to harvest rainwater to irrigate our plants
and trees. However, all drinkable water has to be transported in.

We do offer an array of drinks from Coconut water, BLK lemonade water, sparkling water and
perrier flavored water, electrolyte-charged water, and sports drinks like Gatorade, Pedialyte,
Liquid IV, UPTIME, and NAKED Smoothies. We also offer soft drinks like OJ, Lemonade (pink
raspberry and regular), apple juice, Hot and Cold Coffee (including Starbucks favorites like
Frappuccinos, Pink Drink, and mango passion, Cold Teas, and even matcha green tea.

But we are simply unable to replenish your water on site.

So please drink plenty of water prior to arrival, and bring a full bottle of water with you for your
hike through Lower Antelope Canyon. Once your tour is over, you are of course welcome to
purchase a beverage from our gift shop. We simply cannot refill your water while on tour.

Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you soon!