Horseshoe Bend, Arizona

Horseshoe Bend, the name was inspired by its horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona.

The View of Horseshoe Bend during Sunset

It is located 5 miles (8.0 km) downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, about 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Page. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from Glen Canyon Dam and the popular Lake Powell, the best view is from the steep cliff above Horseshoe Bend. If you are travelling from the Grand Canyon National Park, it is located approximately 140 miles from both the South Rim and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Horseshoe Bend’s rock walls have a variety of minerals, including hematite, platinum, and garnet. The overlook is 4,200 feet above sea level, and the Colorado River is 3,200 feet above sea level, which gives this scenic view a breathtaking 1,000 foots drop.

The view of Horseshoe Bend after sunrise

Many people may wonder, what's the best time to visit and have the best snap of picture? I would say it's really depends. There are too many comments about the time of visiting before I go until I couldn't really decide what time should I visit. However since I do have some spare time during my stay in Arizona after the Antelope Canyon trip, I decided to stay overnight here to capture the sunset and sunrise views.

After almost 18 hours stay, I would say sunset view is the best for scenic view which is also the most crowded time during my visit. Whereas the sunrise view is less ideal to take photo as the sun is behind our back and forming shadow in our picture. You have to find the best spot and best angle for a nice photo for memory! One thing good at sunrise was you can take the time lapse photo which record how the sunlight unshaded the whole horseshoe bend from the top until the bottom of the view. However, this may take up to 2 hours of waiting time just to take the process!