Horseshoe Bend (and by extension Glen Canyon) is a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River near the city Page in Arizona. Sen and I visited it during our 7 days road trip from Los Angeles, California, to Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s been on my bucket list ever since I learned about it when I worked for a tour company in college. So glad we finally got to visit, and this blog post will tell you everything you need to know when you visit, especially if you have a doggo with you!
Horseshoe Bend's exact location -
Horseshoe Bend is located in Page, Arizona, very close to the border with Utah. Look for the Horseshoe Bend Overlook Parking Lot on Google Maps before you head out.
Parking at the Horseshoe Bend -
We parked at the Horseshoe Bend Overlook Parking Lot. It was a nice parking area with plenty of parking when we arrived, which was a little before sunset in Mid-May 2021. No parking areas are available anywhere else close to the Horseshoe Bend, along Highway 89, as it is a 65 mph highway. The city prohibits passenger pickup and drop-offs at the Horseshoe Bend entrance.
Fun Fact: The land south of the Bend's parking area, trail, and overlook is on the Navajo Nation territory.
Cost for the Horseshoe Bend -
We paid $10 for our vehicle/SUV; this includes parking and entrance fee. Here are the charges based on the type of vehicle you have in 2021:
Motorcycle: $5
Car or RV: $10
Commercial Van/Bus: (Passenger Capacity up to 14) $35
Commercial Bus: (Passenger Capacity 15-35) $70
Commercial Bus: (Passenger Capacity over 35) $140
The hike to Horseshoe Bend -
To my surprise, the Horseshoe Bend trail hike is only about 0.6 miles each way on a reasonably flat surface and is now even ADA-accessible and stroller friendly, according to the City of Page! We visited during the middle of May 2021, and it was scorching. It was a longer walk than it felt due to the heat, so bring some water with you. The trail was a little busy but wide enough for social distancing and had only one stop for shade.
Once you are at the Horseshoe Bend Overlook -
I have seen photos of the Horseshoe Bend online numerous times, but the images definitely don't do it justice. The Horseshoe Bend is gigantic, so big that my view of the rock doesn't change much when I move from one side to the other. The Horseshoe bend overlooks the Colorado River with a 1,000-foot drop. Like the Grand Canyon, most of the spots at the Horseshoe Bend do not have a guardrail. So make sure you are super careful when walking around or looking down at the Colorado River.
I don't see this being talked about enough, so here it is: the Horseshoe Bend is tough to photograph! There's almost always rock obstructing the view of the Colorado River, so make sure you walk around the rim to find the best spot. We saw the crowd of photographers on the right-hand side, so that may be worth checking out when there are no crowds. I also recommend bringing a wide lens with you. I brought a full-frame camera with a 24 - 70mm lens, and it was barely wide enough for a full shot. Here is a list of my camera gear if you have not seen it already!
The lighting was also pretty harsh during our visit. The sun was shining right above the Horseshoe Bend. The camera settings I used for the image below were 1/200 sec at f/2.8, ISO 100 at 24mm, and I focused on the Horseshoe Bend to make sure I got the red colors. The sky was overblown, and I ended up replacing the sky in my photo! Can you tell?
The best time to visit Horseshoe Bend -
First of all, the Horseshoe Bend is open all year round from sunrise to sunset.
Sen and I visited a little before sunset and hoped to get a full shot of the Horseshoe Bend with the golden hour colors. However, it was already pretty busy at the outlook when we arrived. A crowd of photographers already had their tripod set up at what I can only assume is the best spot to get the perfect shot. I didn’t check since there were so many of them on a small plateau, and I didn’t want to get the same shot as everyone else. There were also a lot of tourists in the area.
According to the City of Page, Horseshoe Bend’s most busy times are between 9 am to 11 am and 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. I assumed those hours change slightly based on the season.
I recommend coming in the morning for the sunrise to escape the crowds and still see the beautiful colors with a softer light.
Where to stay when visiting the Horseshoe Bend -
We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Page at Lake Powell, only 7 minutes from the Horseshoe Bend. The hotel has a nice pool, beautiful views and is also pet-friendly! We brought our dog Lumi and cat Shadow on this trip, and they both enjoyed their stay.
Bring your doggo with you! -
Dogs are allowed at the Horseshoe Bend! Just make sure they are kept on a leash extended no more than six feet at any time, and clean up any solid waste from your pet.
Look at that big smile from Lumi! You can tell she had a great time!
Where else to visit while you are in town -
Antelope Canyon -
You may have seen photographs of the famous orange slot canyon walls of the Antelope Canyon many times. The majority of the Canyon is on Navajo Nation land. It is separated by two canyon sections called Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. Since the Navajo Parks and Recreation protect it, only authorized tour companies can take visitors into the Canyon (more details here). The tours were not operating when we were in town due to Covid-19, so we missed out on touring the Antelope Canyon.
We later found out that you CAN go to Antelope Canyon on your own if you Kayak in on the Colorado River to explore the National Park section. The whole experience should take at least 5 hours, 3 hours round trip Kayaking and a couple of hours exploring the hiking trails. So definitely plan a day for this. An entrance fee for the National Park is also required. Check out more details here.
Again, we didn’t plan time for this experience since we stayed in Page for just one night. This is definitely on our list of places to go on our next visit!
Lake Powell -
Lake Powell is an artificial reservoir formed when the Glen Canyon Dam was created. It is also a prominent tourist spot with around two million visitors annually. You can go hiking, swimming, boating, kayaking, fishing, and stargazing there! Here is a list of hiking trails available at South Lake Powell. We were also unable to visit this location because we didn’t have time.
Glen Canyon Dam -
Glen Canyon Dam was opened in 1966 and is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River near Page. It was the only other location we visited during this road trip on our way out of town. We saw the Dam from two different perspectives;
The first perspective was from the Glen Canyon Dam Overlook. We hiked down short but slightly difficult (slippery) rock-carved stairs. A parking lot is available at this location.
The view from the overlook was great, and I was super lucky to see five kayakers resting and having a picnic at the time on the Colorado River. I shot this with the Nikon D7200 and 18-140mm lens. I love this duo's zoom range, especially with the 1.3x crop factor on the Nikon D7200, meaning I get more zoom out of the lens! Also really love how the color of the river turned out!
Camera Setting on this image: 1/400 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100 at 140mm (with a 1.3x crop factor, that’s at around 180mm!)
PS: the Carl Hayden Visitor Center is closed in response to Covid-19; check out their National Park Service page for updates.
The second perspective is from the Glen Canyon Dam itself. We got to see the Dam wall up close(r). We saw the upper section of the Colorado River, with visitors having fun boating there. In my opinion, the Glen Canyon Dam has a very similar overall feel to the Hoover Dam by Las Vegas. Still, the color of the water here is stunning. A car park is also available here.
PS: the Carl Hayden Visitor Center is closed in response to Covid-19; check out their National Park Service page for updates.
Grand Canyon National Park -
The Grand Canyon National Park is about 2 hours from Northern Arizona. It is one of the world's Seven Natural Wonders, definitely worth a visit if you have not been and have time on the same trip. Our last trip to the Grand Canyon National Park was in Dec 2019. Check out this blog on what we did there!
Overall, Is Horseshoe Bend worth visiting? -
YES! I personally really enjoyed our short trip. No amount of looking at photos will translate into seeing the Horseshoe Bend in person. I am a little bummed about being unable to do as much as we wanted because of Covid-19 during our visit. Still, I definitely understand the need for safety. We have more reasons to head back to the area, reshoot the Horseshoe Bend during sunrise, and go kayaking in the river!!
Is it worth visiting just by itself? Sure, if you live in the Northern Arizona area. If not, make sure to plan other activities and attractions to stay at the same time when you are in the area to make the most out of your trip. Be sure to go during slower seasons to escape the crowd!
Have you been to the Horseshoe Bend yet? Comment below on your thoughts and experiences!
