9 Practical Tips for Visiting Horseshoe Bend Arizona

Horseshoe Bend had been on my list for years, but I just had never been able to make it out here until recently. I heard of Horseshoe Bend Arizona about a decade ago from a friend who took a road trip in the area, and since then, so much has changed about how you go about visiting this beautiful spot near Page, Arizona.

So in this guide, I’ll tell you what my experience was and give you the latest information on what to expect when you visit Horseshoe Bend.

1. Getting to Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend is easily accessible from Page, Arizona. It’s just a short drive, about 10 minutes south of Page on Highway 89. There is a well-marked parking area off the highway, which serves as the starting point for the visit. If you’re passing through the area, you can’t miss it.

2. Parking / Fees

The parking lot at Horseshoe Bend is huge. I arrived at 5:30pm for a 6:30pm sunset, and easily got a parking spot, even though there were lots of cars here. There are 300 parking spaces and occasionally, the lot fills, and people are turned away. I didn’t see any of that happening during the 3 nights I spent in Page, and I visited during “spring break” season.

You will pay the parking attendant $10 to park. This is by car, not by person and the National Parks America the Beautiful Pass is NOT ACCEPTED. If you are on a motorcycle, the fee is $5.

3. Best time to visit Horseshoe Bend Arizona

There are two ‘best times to go’ to Horseshoe Bend: During mid-day and at sunset.

Wait, what’s wrong with sunrise at Horseshoe Bend?

When you stand at the overlook to Horseshoe Bend, you are facing west and looking into a canyon. Sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and when the sun rises, the canyon is in a shadow. Definitely not an ideal time to see this. Wait until the sun is higher in the sky, as it will evenly light up the canyon.

Visiting Horseshoe Bend Arizona at mid-day

If you wait until mid-day, the sun is higher in the sky and the canyon will be lit up. You won’t get ugly shadows in your photos. Although I visited at sunset, looking at photos taken mid-day, I actually prefer a mid-day shot, but that’s my opinion.

Unfortunately, it’s also a lot warmer at Horseshoe Bend during mid-day, so be prepared. You might get sweaty on the long walk to the overlook (but more on that hike later) so make sure to bring sunscreen and water.

Visiting Horseshoe Bend at Sunset

By far, this is the most popular time to visit Horseshoe Bend and it’s going to be very crowded. Photographers will get here way before sunset to stake out a good spot with their tripod.

The thing is, you need to get here well before sunset — not just to stake a claim on a good spot, but because you have to account for a few things:

• You have a long walk to the overlook from the parking lot. If you arrive at 6:15 for a 6:30pm sunset, you’re screwed.
• There is a mountain ridge behind Horseshoe Bend. The sun dips below that ridge before the actual official sunset time. If sunset is at 6:30pm, the sun will be behind the mountains around 6:15pm or a bit earlier. So if you wait too long, the canyon will be in shadows.

I suggest getting to Horseshoe Bend Arizona no less than an hour before the official sunset time. I was already on my way back to the parking lot before official sunset, and there were tons of people still walking toward Horseshoe Bend, even though it was getting dark, quickly!

4. Prepare for a hike!

Horseshoe Bend Arizona is not located in the parking lot; you will need to hike 0.7 miles to the overlook, for a round trip hike of 1.4 miles. The hike is easy, the trail is well-graded and maintained, and there are benches to rest along the way. It is wheelchair accessible but there are a few small grades along the way. It will take you about 15-20 minutes to hike each way and it can get dusty and windy on this trail.

There are restrooms (outhouses) in the parking lot. There are no restrooms along the trail or at the overlook.

5. You’ll be here for at least an hour

Even though this is essentially just an overlook, as you can see already (with the hike!), it takes some effort to get here. Horseshoe Bend isn’t just a ‘pop out of the car, snap a photo and go’ kind of place. You have to pay your fee, find a parking spot and the do the hike (there and back, of course) and allow time to get all the photos you want at the overlook. If you’re going here for sunset, you’ll likely be here for two hours.

6. Dress Appropriately

It’s very very windy at the overlook, as there are no trees for miles to block that wind. Wear a sweatshirt or a jacket, and in the winter, make sure to bundle up. I visited in early March and wore a hat, gloves, and jacket, even though daytime temps in Page hit 70 degrees.

You will also want appropriate footwear. You have a hike ahead of you — and while the trail is smooth, it’s still unpaved. Once at the overlook, there are viewing platforms but many people like to go to different areas to get new perspectives on Horseshoe Bend. If you plan on crawling on the rocks, make sure you wear proper footwear — outside of the official overlooks, there are no guardrails.

7. Use a Wide Angle Lens to Photograph Horseshoe Bend

Just a regular camera lens won’t cut it, you need to have an actual wide angle lens to get the entire scene in your photo. I used a Sony 12-24mm lens to photograph Horseshoe Bend. You can also use the wide angle lens on your iPhone (sorry, not familiar with Samsung) and you can get great phone photos too.

8. The “Instagram” photos you see are pretty dangerous to get

You know the ones — the girl sitting at the edge of the canyon, looking down, wistfully, into Horseshoe Bend (usually wearing a ridiculous dress and fedora) — well, those photos are pretty scary to actually do. There are overlooks where you can easily take the photo of Horseshoe Bend itself and get the whole scene in without having a nervous breakdown, but if you want the “insta” photos, you’re going to have to walk around on the slickrock outside of the fenced overlooks.

There are no rules saying you can’t do this. You just do it at your own risk, of course.

This is pretty scary. It’s not that easy to get close to the edge — it’s a LONG way down, the rocks are slick and you do have to get close to the edge to get those types of photos. It’s not worth it. At least not for me. I’m not about to fall into the canyon and die just for a dumb photo.

9. What else is there to do in the Page, Arizona area?

The biggest attractions in Page are Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam and Antelope Canyon. All of these attractions are in this small area and you could easily do them in a day, with the Antelope Canyon tour taking the longest time. A few other things you could do nearby are:

Hanging Gardens Trail: A short hike right off of US-89 in Page. I wrote more about it here.
Toadstools Trail: Actually in Utah, but super close. Trail leads to interesting ‘toadstool’ rock formations and is in the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument.
Rainbow Bridge National Monument: A really cool arch only accessible by boat. You can book a tour here. Tours leave from the Lake Powell Marina in Page.

Where to stay when visiting Horseshoe Bend?

If you want to stay in the area to do sightseeing in this corner of Northern Arizona, you’ll want to stay in Page, Arizona. Page has just about every chain hotel you can think of. I stayed at the Sleep Inn in Page, Arizona (read my review here). Or, Horseshoe Bend can be visited while en route to another destination, as it doesn’t take too long to see.

Visiting Horseshoe Bend – Final Thoughts

Overall, this wasn’t a bad experience, but it wasn’t phenomenal either. The overlook was just as I expected to see, and I wasn’t blown away by it or anything. Maybe that’s because I’ve just seen so many photos of Horseshoe Bend that by the time I actually visited it in person, it felt like I had already seen it.

Now, some people have stated that Horseshoe Bend isn’t the same as it was before the overlooks/fencing was built – and while that may be true, I also know that it was really difficult to get the iconic photo — as in, it was tough to get the entire shot of Horseshoe Bend unless you crawled on your stomach to the edge to photograph it. That’s not something I would’ve done, so I am thankful that the fencing was there.

Horseshoe Bend was very crowded, but I don’t think it was terrible. You’re not going to get a peaceful, serene experience here no matter which way you cut it — maybe at sunrise, but that’s not during ideal conditions.

Would I visit Horseshoe Bend again? I might — I’d want to visit this during the day because while I had an okay sunset (it would’ve been better if there would’ve been a few clouds), I was kind of disappointed in my photos. They just didn’t pop the way I expected them to. There still was a shadow in the canyon, which you simply can’t get around unless you’re here mid day, and thus, I overall prefer photos of the canyon fully lit up. But essentially, I’ve checked this bucket list item off and unless I pass through the area again, I probably won’t be back.