The Ultimate Guide To Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend, a small but imposing slice of nature!
The horseshoe-shaped bend in the course of the Colorado River with blue-green water creates a landscape of unfathomable beauty!
Located near Page, Arizona, the Colorado River flowing from Lake Powell through Glen Canyon makes a sharp U-turn at Horseshoe Bend on its way to the Grand Canyon. Owing to its name, Horseshoe Bend is a perfect horseshoe-shaped bend, and with dark blue-green water contrasting the red sandstone cliffs, it’s unquestionably a sight to behold!
Horseshoe Bend is a geologic formation sculpted by the flowing Colorado River, cutting its way through the sandstone, forming curves and turns following the natural path of least resistance. The Colorado River makes a sweeping 270 degrees turn at Horseshoe Bend and is approximately a thousand feet deep.
Horseshoe Bend is quite accessible, located right off Highway 89 with an onsite parking lot and a short, wheelchair-friendly, 1.2 miles roundtrip trail that leads to the Horseshoe Bend overlook. You don’t really need much time at Horseshoe Bend, but when visiting Horseshoe Bend in Page, I highly recommend visiting Antelope Canyon, located just 10 miles from Horseshoe Bend.
You could enjoy the views from the top of Horseshoe Bend Overlook or take a boat tour or rent a kayak to explore the bottom of the canyon!
There’re a few different ways to explore Horseshoe Bend, including viewing the canyon from Horseshoe Bend overlook, taking a boat tour, and kayaking in Horseshoe Bend. The most popular being enjoying the phenomenal views from the Horseshoe Bend Overlook, and which you should do even if you’re planning to do the boat tour or the self-paddled kayak tour.
Horseshoe Bend Overlook is undoubtedly the best place to photograph the area, but it’s quite steep and dangerous. Though there’re guard rails in some part of the overlook, most of the site is open, and one must be extremely cautious and mindful while taking photos on the edge of the canyon.
Here is my ultimate guide to Horseshoe Bend, featuring essential planning information, tour options, a suggested itinerary, and recommendations on hotels and restaurants near Horseshoe Bend.
Planning Your Trip To Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend Overlook is open all day and year-round, with summer being the peak season!
Best Time To Visit Horseshoe Bend: Horseshoe Bend is open year-round, with summer being the peak season. However, due to its popularity and relatively small overlook, it tends to get very crowded and often difficult to find parking. You can beat the crowd in winter months, outside the holidays, but you would need to be extra careful on the trails if it snows. It’s also a good idea to visit Horseshoe Bend Overlook early morning or late afternoon as with all the tour busses and day visitors from Las Vegas and Grand Canyon, it really gets busy during the day time.
Parking In Horseshoe Bend: There’s onsite parking available at Horseshoe Bend, but it is often full during the daytime, and parking along the side of the road is strictly prohibited. If you don’t find parking, you could return later or do the Horseshoe Bend canyon tour offered by the Horseshoe Bend Tours company and ride the tour shuttle bus to Horseshoe Bend overlook without having to worry about parking.https://horseshoebendtours.com/overlook
Time Required At Horseshoe Bend: There’s a short and flat hiking trail, 1.2 miles roundtrip, starting near the parking lot that leads to the Horseshoe Bend Overlook. The roundtrip hike takes about 30 – 45 minutes, and the rest depends on how much time you want to spend exploring and photographing the area. If you’re doing one of the Horseshoe Bend tours, the time you would need will vary based on the type of the tour.
Horseshoe Bend Tours: Though there’s a large parking lot at Horseshoe Bend Overlook, it gets swamped in the daytime and summer months. The relatively new Horseshoe Bend Canyon Tour is a great way to visit the Horseshoe Bend Overlook if you happen to be visiting during the peak seasons or are short on time and cannot find parking. Besides the overlook, there’re a couple of exciting ways to explore Horseshoe Bend, including Horseshoe Bend Boat Tours, Horseshoe Bend Air Tours, and Horseshoe Bend Self-Paddled Kayak Rentals.
Lodging Near Horseshoe Bend: There are several lodging options in the nearby town of Page, including a couple of resorts, a few chain hotels, and bread and breakfasts. You will find my recommendations on lodging and dining options near Horseshoe Bend in the later section of the post.
Other Attractions Near Horseshoe Bend: When visiting Horseshoe Bend, I highly recommend visiting the Antelope Canyon, located 10 miles from Horseshoe Bend, and taking a boat tour to explore the gorgeous Lake Powell, located about 10 miles from Horseshoe Bend. Horseshoe Bend, located approximately 130 miles from Grand Canyon National Park, is also a popular day-trip destination among people visiting the North or the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.
Getting To Horseshoe Bend
International airports are relatively far from Horseshoe Bend, and a better option is to take a direct or a connecting flight to one of the domestic airports near Horseshoe Bend!
Airports Near Horseshoe Bend: Horseshoe Bend is located in north Arizona, close to the Arizona and Utah state border. The nearest international airports are located more than 250 miles from Horseshoe Bend and require a fair amount of driving to get to Horseshoe Bend. International airports near Horseshoe Bend are Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona, about 275 miles from Horseshoe Bend, and McCarran International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas, Nevada, approximately 280 miles from Horseshoe Bend.
A better option is flying directly into or taking a connecting flight to one of the domestic airports near Horseshoe Bend. Domestic airports near Horseshoe Bend are Page Municipal Airport (PGA), Page, Arizona, located just 6 miles from Horseshoe Bend, Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG), Flagstaff, Arizona, located 135 miles from Horseshoe Bend, and Cedar City Regional Airport (CDC), Cedar City, Utah located 160 miles from Horseshoe Bend.
Train Services To Horseshoe Bend: There’re no direct train services to Horseshoe Bend, but you could ride an Amtrak train to Flagstaff Amtrak Station, Arizona, the closest Amtrak station to Horseshoe Bend, located about 130 miles from Horseshoe Bend. Once at the Flagstaff Amtrak station, you could hire a cab to get to a nearby Rental Car company, rent a car and then drive to Horseshoe Bend.
Bus Services To Horseshoe Bend: Like Amtrak train services, Greyhound also connects several US cities to many Arizona cities. The nearest Greyhound bus stop being Flagstaff, Arizona, located approximately 130 miles from Horseshoe Bend. From here, you could hire a cab to get to a Rental Car company, rent a car and then drive to Horseshoe Bend.
Horseshoe Bend Itinerary, Hotels & Restaurants
Visiting Horseshoe Bend Overlook shouldn’t take more than 1.5 – 2 hours. However, if you’re also doing the boat tour or the kayak tour, it will almost take the entire day. There are quite a few other impressive attractions near Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona, that you must visit on your trip to Horseshoe Bend.
If you’re visiting just for a day, I highly recommend trying and squeezing in the following in your itinerary. If you’re staying for a couple of days, you can leisurely explore the area and even add the Horseshoe Bend boat tour to your itinerary.
- Horseshoe Bend ( 2 Hours )
- Upper / Lower Antelope Canyon Tour ( 2 Hours each )
- Lake Powell Boat Tour ( 1 Hour )
Lake Powell & Antelope Canyon are located within 15 miles from Horseshoe Bend and can easily be toured in one day!
Lodging Near Horseshoe Bend: There’re a couple of resorts and a few chain hotels and bed and breakfasts located near Horseshoe Bend. If you’re into camping, you could reserve a campsite at the nearby Page Lake Powell Campground that offers RV and tent campsites.
Amangiri: Located in Canyon Point, Utah, about 30 miles from Horseshoe Bend, Amangiri is the epitome of luxury. Situated amidst breathtaking wilderness, Amangiri is one of the finest resorts in the US, offering suites, homes, and camp accommodation along with outstanding spa and dining services.
Lake Powell Resort: Located 10 miles from Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell Resort offers various types of accommodations with great lake views, easy access to the Marina, and a few great dining options.
Hyatt Place Page Lake Powell: Located in the heart of the town of Page and just 5 miles from Horseshoe Bend, the Hyatt Place Page Lake Powell is also a great lodging choice when visiting Horseshoe Bend.
Courtyard by Marriott Page at Lake Powell: Located in a beautiful setting overlooking the Glen Canyon and Lake Powell, located about 4 miles from Horseshoe Bend, the Courtyard by Marriott Page at Lake Powell serves as a great base on a trip to Horseshoe Bend.
Restaurants Near Horseshoe Bend: You will find several dining options in the town of Page, including chain restaurants, pizzerias, lounges, and a few fine dining options. Here’re are my top picks for restaurants near Horseshoe Bend – El Tapatio for Mexican food, Big John’s Texas BBQ rustic barbecue joint, and Strombolli’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria for delicious Italian fare and pizzas.
Other Arizona Attractions & Related Posts
I hope you enjoyed reading the post, The Ultimate Guide To Horseshoe Bend, and I hope this will help you plan your trip to Horseshoe Bend. You can explore other Arizona attractions in my Arizona Travel Guide.
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