Complete Guide to Visiting Horseshoe Bend!
Horseshoe Bend is a beautiful horseshoe shaped section of the Colorado River located in northern Arizona. It is absolutely beautiful and worth taking a trip to visit! We have visited Horseshoe Bend twice and have a few tips to help you plan your visit. So here is our complete guide to visiting Horseshoe Bend!
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Where is Horseshoe Bend Located?
Horseshoe Bend is located in northern Arizona in an area called Page. Page is a small town although there is everything you might need for your visit including grocery stores, hotels to stay at, camping and is only a few minutes away from Lake Powell in Utah!
Horseshoe Bend is about a 4 hour drive from Phoenix or a 2 hour drive from Flagstaff. Because it's not really near any major cities it's best to include Horseshoe Bend as a stop on a longer Arizona road trip!
There is a really small airport in Page but you will probably have more options if you fly in or out of either Phoenix or Flagstaff because they're much larger airports.
Things that are close by to Horseshoe Bend are Lake Powell (15 minutes driving), the south rim of the Grand Canyon (2.5 hours driving), Flagstaff (2 hours driving), Zion National Park in Utah (2 hours driving), and Monument Valley (just over 2 hours driving). There is plenty to do within a few hours drive so it's definitely a place you want to have access to a car to get out and explore more!
Do I need a reservation to visit Horseshoe Bend?
No! You do not need a reservation or tickets to visit Horseshoe Bend. Horseshoe Bend is located within the Glen Canyon National Recreation area, however, the city of Page charges a parking fee in order to enter the area. It's important to note that national park passes will not work for entrance into Horseshoe Bend.
The parking/entrance fee is $10 for cars and RVs. There really isn't a way to get around the fee as there is no parking on the street (it's more of a highway) and only one entrance to get in.
The ticket is only good for one entrance so make sure you have seen everything you want before leaving! It does not give you access the next day like some national park tickets do.
If you want to visit for both sunrise and sunset you could get there first thing in the morning, then hangout for most of the day (one reason why we love traveling in our van), and then walk back over for sunset. We debated doing this but it ended up raining in the morning so we just went for sunset.
The parking lot is pretty big and has larger spots for RVs and larger campers. We got there around 6 PM (for sunset) in April and maybe a third of the parking lot was full.
There are bathrooms in the far side of the parking lot too!
How far is the hike to Horseshoe Bend?
From the parking lot it's about three-quarters of a mile to the Horseshoe Bend outlook. The path is flat and well maintained so we would consider it more of a walk than a hike. I wore these hiking shoes but it definitely wasn't necessary! I easily could have worn my Birkenstock sandals and been just fine on the path!
One of the nice things about Horseshoe Bend is that there is room to spread out and explore so you don't have to feel like you're on top of all the other visitors. There is room to go both to the left and right depending on what kind of view you want!
We found a nice spot a little to the right and set out our outdoor blanket to sit and relax! We would recommend giving yourself anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour to explore and take pictures. If you're in a rush you can definitely do it quicker though. Especially if you're short on time it definitely doesn't have to be an all day activity!
When should I Visit Horseshoe Bend?
We visited Horseshoe Bend for sunset in April, and a second time in October and enjoyed both so much! March, April, and May will have better weather. We arrived just over 1 hour before sunset which was perfect timing. April is a popular time to visit Horseshoe Bend so we weren't sure how crowded it was going to be. However once we got there we actually noticed more people leaving than getting there as we were arriving. So if you're interested in going at sunset definitely don't let a fear of crowds deter you!
As the sun got lower and lower the sky got so pretty and made for some amazing pictures! If you're a photographer this is definitely a place to bring your camera! We brought our camera and our tripod so we could get a picture of the two of us.
If you do visit for sunset bring a jacket or warm layer! We were both surprised by how chilly it got by the time we were leaving. I was really glad to have my fleece with me otherwise I would have been really cold!
It can get pretty windy out at the Horseshoe Bend lookout point because there's nothing to break the wind so if you can try to visit on a day when the weather isn't calling for high winds. There is some loose sand/rocks at the top so on windy days it kicks up a bit.
During the summer the temperature in Page gets really hot so it's best to visit during the spring or fall. Otherwise try to go first thing in the morning or for sunset to avoid the hottest part of the day as there is no shade!
How many days do I need to visit Horseshoe Bend?
Horseshoe Bend is a pretty quick visit! You can spend as long as you want to at the viewpoint (your parking fee covers the entire day) but you can easily see it in a few hours. We would recommend arriving 1-2 hours before sunset so you can watch the sky explode with colors.
Is Horseshoe Bend Worth Visiting?
In our opinion yes, Horseshoe Bend is worth visiting! The views are absolutely stunning and it's not quite like anything else we've seen. As outdoor enthusiasts and photographers, it is a dream come true to see Horseshoe Bend in person. Since it is a little bit of a far drive, we would recommend combining it with a trip to the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, or Bryce Canyon National Park for a perfect road trip!