
Horseshoe Bend
Location
Located a scant five miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, you can access the trailhead directly from Highway 89. A 1.5-mile round-trip hike takes you up over one moderate hill and then down to the bend and back. At the overlook, you’ll be soaring more than 1,000 feet above the Colorado River.
When to Photograph
This is obviously a destination for taking photos. Pre-dawn and dawn makes for some of the most richly saturated photos. High noon is lucrative because the deep shadows that the tall canyon walls cast are at their shortest, and, of course, facing sunset over the bend is simply lovely.
Crowds
There are heavy crowds throughout the summer months especially during the aforementioned best hours for photography. Keep this in mind, but don’t let it spoil your experience of nature.
Parking and Regulations
Horseshoe Bend is located outside of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Park at the big lot at the trailhead, right off Highway 89. The parking lot can accommodate RVs, busses and passenger vehicles. Fee charged for admission.
Take caution with children, there are massive cliff drop-offs from the viewing area. Dogs are not allowed here.
GPS Coordinates: (36.878866, -111.510394)
What's Nearby
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Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Coral Pink Sand Dunes are open for hiking and kid-friendly playing. About 90-percent of the dunes are open for ATV riders, an attraction for which this state park has become ever popular.
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Glen Canyon and Lake Powell
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers more than 1.2 million acres of unparalleled opportunities for land- and water-based recreation.
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Grand Staircase-Escalante
The allure of the Grand Staircase region — the bulk of which is contained in the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument — is phenomenal. Sun-drenched Utah backcountry spreads out well beyond the visible horizon from the road, whether you’re traveling along the The All-American Road: Scenic Byway 12, or on Highway 89.
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Kanab
Kanab, Utah is classic American West, surrounded by towering Navajo sandstone cliffs and vistas of sagebrush. Kanab's self-proclaimed title, "Little Hollywood," is fitting for its many abandoned film sets.