Horseshoe Bend

I saw this place in so many photos before but when I got there and saw it in person it was such an overwhelming experience. Getting there is easy. You take the Interstate 89 South from Page and after 7 minutes you get to the parking lot. The road is suffering some constructions down the road from here and it will appear as closed but go passed the detour sign anyway. Once in the parking lot you must walk about a quarter of a mile to the actual spot where Horseshoe Bend is located. Beware there are no protection rails so one must pay attention when approaching the edge. At 7am there are very few people around and it’s also a good time for photography. After the sun is high in the sky everything is too bright for decent photos.

Here at Horseshoe Bend, hundreds of feet above the Colorado River just south of the Utah border, my wife and I had, for company, a group of French high schoolers on a summer trip. At cliff’s edge, there was no shortage of adolescent posing. Predictably, one of the boys couldn’t restrain himself. With outstretched arms, quoting from The Titanic, he yelled, “Je suis le maître le monde!” (I’m king of the world!) It’s a short hike from the highway to the clifftops — less than 2 miles round-trip, but no shade...

My version of a horseshoe-shaped bend of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona. It is downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. It is accessible via a ½-mile (0.8 km) hike from the access parking lot. No railings, no steps, just a 1,000 foot drop from the edge to the water. The hike is not difficult, but the return is up a sandy rise so it adds difficulty walking in the sand. Very eerie feeling being able to walk up to the edge with no restrictions.

Horseshoe Bend is a recently “discovered” area of Glen Canyon near Page, Arizona. It’s always been there; it just has gotten popular lately. There are no railings or other safety items around it; what you see is what you get! It’s not for the faint of heart but the view is well worth a few fearful moments.

After you swing by Antelope Canyon and take stunning photos of the sandstone sculptures, head to Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. Horseshoe is about five miles from Lake Powell. Once you hike to the steep cliffs you will be rewarded with views of the curve in the Colorado River. The overlook is 4,200 feet above sea level and the river is at 3,200 feet above sea level, making the drop 1,000 feet, experts say.