Why this site exists, and who is behind it

Diego Fresno

Independent travel writer and researcher, American Southwest

I run Slot Canyon Guide solo. My background is digital marketing and SEO — that is the day job (diegofresno.com) — but the American Southwest is the trip I keep coming back to. I built this site so the practical stuff (which Antelope operator to book, when to walk to the Horseshoe Bend rim, how to pair the two without doing it wrong) is written by someone who has actually done it.

Reach me at hola@slotcanyonguide.com, LinkedIn or via the contact page. I reply within 48 hours on weekdays.

July 2025 field research

The current edition of Slot Canyon Guide is built on a structured five-day trip to Page, Arizona in July 2025. During those days:

• Three on-site walks of the Horseshoe Bend overlook trail — dawn, midday and golden hour — specifically to test the light-window claim that dominates other guides. The midday walk was done in 35–40°C heat to confirm the sand-surface temperature and exposure risk first-hand.
• Tours with multiple Antelope Canyon operators across Upper, Lower and Canyon X sections. Notes on group size, dwell time inside the canyon, light beam slots, photography rules and what the guides actually do.
• Two helicopter flights from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon — one with Papillon (West Rim landing tour), one with Maverick (air-only loop). Used for the operator-by-operator review in the helicopter guide.
• Stays at three Page hotels (one premium-tier, one mid-range, one budget) to ground the accommodation guide in real check-in / check-out experience.
• An earlier 2023 visit covered Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon for the Upper-vs-Lower comparison and forms the prior data point for the year-on-year price changes.

Photos used across the site are mine, taken on those trips. The avatar above was shot on the canyon rim during the July 2025 visit.

Editorial methodology

The full how-I-research-and-rank methodology is documented at /how-i-review/. The summary is:

• No pay-to-play. Operators do not pay for inclusion or placement. Recommendations are based on my on-the-ground experience plus public review aggregates (Tripadvisor, Google, official operator websites).
• Prices verified quarterly.Operator and parking fees are re-checked every three months against the operator’s direct website and the City of Page / Navajo Nation Parks official sources. The “Last verified” date on each guide is the most recent quarterly cross-check.
• Corrections in public. If a reader flags a factual error and it checks out, I correct the page and note the change in the dated footer. Anonymous email is fine; I do not need a name to fix something.

Affiliate and revenue policy

Slot Canyon Guide earns affiliate commission on some bookings made through outbound links to operators and booking platforms. The full disclosure is at /disclosure/. Two points worth highlighting:

• Recommendations come first, commission second. If a better operator does not have an affiliate program, I still recommend them when relevant. Where there is a near-tie, I disclose it.
• Some affiliate programs are still pending approval at the time of writing (the site is six weeks old). Until those activate, links are non-commission. The disclosure page reflects this honestly rather than claiming partnerships that are not yet in place.

What this site is, and is not

Slot Canyon Guide is intentionally narrow: one corner of the American Southwest, written deeply rather than thinly across fifty destinations. The trade-off is real — I cannot give you advice on Yellowstone or Yosemite. I can give you accurate, current, first-hand advice on Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon, Page and Lake Powell.

If you have feedback, a correction, or want to commission something for an outlet that aligns with how I work, the contact page is the way in.