March 22nd – 23rd
Horseshoe Bend
Page, Arizona
Instagram Ruined This Place… Almost!
Located outside Page, Arizona on the borders of Coconino and Navajo counties is the awesome landscape feature, Horseshoe Bend. Here the mighty Colorado River continues to cut through the land and has created a near perfect horseshoe shaped bend in the river.
Busy Busy Busy
From the parking lot it is only a .75 mile walk to the lookout area. Its a steady climb up and the bend isn’t visible until you reach the overlook’s edge. It’s free to visit and easy to access.
After spending most of the day in the Grand Canyon we didn’t arrive to Horseshoe Bend until nightfall. Laura was pumped for a chance at taking a photo with a good sunset. However, upon approaching the overlook we were met with hundreds of people. The whole area above the bend was crawling with people, wedding couples getting engagement photos, and drones. It was a nightmare. An hour before sunset the best spot for viewing the bend was already packed with people and their tripods. We had to tuck into a small spot off to the side to get a decent photo of the bend at sunset.
For those who don’t have Instagram, you may have never seen a photo or even heard of Horseshoe Bend. Well, thanks to a few popular people and social media this landscape has become a tourist hot spot galore. Several tourist buses stop through out the day and the parking lot is packed from sun up to sundown. There are scantily clad “models” posing like ballerinas on the cliff edges. We saw a wedding party complete with a bride in gown getting their photos taken here. One drone noisily buzzed above the crowd. We kind of knew it was going to be busy, we didn’t think it would be this busy. At least, we planned to stay the night and would be better prepared for sunrise.
The Lake Powell Recreation Area manages the “bend” and they are starting to put in better infrastructure to handle the crowds, including a deck with a railing near the overlook. As long as social media stays popular this place seems like it will remain popular.
Enjoy Our Photos!
The drive from the Grand Canyon to Page, AZ is stunning!
THE CROWDS!!
The best spot to view the bend is packed with people! All these people are probably here to post to their Instagram pages… just like us :/
SUNSET
I think we made the most of our sunset. Not the best angle, but still an okay photo. All for that Instagram!
Camrin made a panorama. This is three cell phone photos stitched together.
Another view of the crowds with the bend.
We camped in the parking lot because you can. Not the best idea. People were coming and going through the night making for a lot of noise and no sleep.
SUNRISE
We got up super early to get the best spot. Camrin brought a book and blanket while we waited for the light.
Stunning! We liked this place even more in the early morning light.
Another angle of what this place looks like. This whole area is beautiful. It’s no wonder this place is so popular with Instagram. That’s why we say this place was almost ruined. Even with the crowds its hard to NOT be disappointed.
“Here comes the sun”
Like we mentioned they are making improvements to handle the crowds. Expanding the parking lots, adding shade shelters, and a deck with a safer railing.
Our tax dollars at work 😉
Thanks for reading our blog! Up Next… Vermilion Cliffs National Monument! And our first slot canyon!
