Horseshoe Bend
Relatively unknown 25 years ago as a must-see destination, the Horseshoe Bend overlook has now become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Northern Arizona. The question I am asked most frequently as a photographer is whether this unique canyon overlook featuring the Colorado river is still worth visiting. Despite the increasing throngs of tourists that can be present at times, my answer is yes. By any measure Horseshoe Bend is an absolutely stunning landmark to capture because of its mighty scale, steep and deep red rock canyon walls, and the sharp contrast the blue/green waters of the meandering and crystal-clear Colorado river provides. See more images below.
Located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation area which straddles the border of Utah and Arizona, getting to the overlook trailhead and large parking lot is straight forward as it is right off US highway 89 and just a few miles south of the busy tourist hub, Page, Arizona. The scenic and well-marked desert trail to the overlook itself is relatively easy and only 1.5 miles long from the parking lot. At the overlook, there are number of organized viewpoints with guard railing or safety fencing to help mitigate selfie obsessed & clueless tourists from stumbling into the 1,000 foot deep abyss- which despite the safety measures tragically continues to happens almost every year. But my advice is to avoid these viewing platforms if they are crowded and walk to either the left or right and look for some less crowded viewing and photography opportunities. I can assure you will find the Horseshoe Bend experience more rewarding this way. For more adventurous hikers & photographers there is also an elevated bluff to the right that requires a sandstone scramble to get to the top which offers expansive views.
As far as best time to visit Horseshoe Bend, I prefer the winter season as its generally less crowded. As far as photography tips, I highly recommend trying to get out to the overlook either early morning or late afternoon as this is when the light is most favorable for shooting dramatic images. If you goal is to capture the river not cast in shadows by the canyon walls midday is probably your best bet. I also personally prefer shooting on partly cloudy days as a good cloudscape or cloud structure can make most landscape photos even more compelling. You will absolutely need a wide angle lens to capture the entire scene in one shot- 16mm or less…
Below are a few images with some additional info and some very basic photography tips about the Horseshoe Bend trail and overlook area. Please click on the images to see full size high resolution versions that are available for sale.
When you arrive at the Horseshoe Bend trailhead you will immediately realize that this is “Big Sky” country that the American West is famous for . The mostly level trail to the Horseshoe Bend viewpoints is about 1.5 miles from the parking lot and trailhead. It can get very hot here in late Spring, Summer , and early Fall hot so its advisable to always bring adequate water.
There are a number of shade ramadas along the trail to provide hikers a break from the intense high desert sun here.
This is the view from the main and often very crowded viewing platform. As I mentioned earlier, my advise would be to explore either left or right from this point.
In this image If you notice closely you will see three kayaks on the river directly from the center of this shot. Kayaking this portion of the Colorado river below Glen Canyon Dam to the Lees Ferry boat launch has become extremely popular over the last few years.
This is what it looks like kayaking on the crystal clear Colorado river below the Horseshoe Bend overlook. There are now a number of local outfitters like KayakHorseshoeBend.com that offer affordable Kayak rentals and back hauling services up river. The river in this portion of the Colorado has no real rapids to contend with making it a relatively easy and fun 1 day adventure with some world class scenery along the way.
Photographer Tip: Because of the scale of this landscape, in order to capture the entire breadth of this scene from rim to rim with some room to spare you will definitely need to use a wide angle lens. In this shot I was using a canon 10-18 mm wide angle lens on my Canon 90D. Its not the sharpest lens out there, but it gets the job done for landscape scenes like this. I tried using my Sigma 18-35 mm art lens which is considered wide angle, but it just could not capture the whole scene from the rim view points.
If there are some clouds present, the Horseshoe Bend overlook is a fun place to shoot a timelapse. Below is a short time-lapse video I shot the spring of 2022.
A unique perspective of tourists taking in the sunset at Horseshoe Bend.
Despite the increasing crowds that can be present at this easily accessible and dramatic view point. I still believe Horseshoe Bend is definitely worth a visit if you can arrange it in the off season. Feel feel to contact me if you have questions.