Horseshoe Bend: What's with all the Hype?

To be honest, when I was growing up, I was asked what I know about the State of Arizona, and my answer was no other than the majestic Grand Canyon National Park which is included in the Seven Wonders of the World! Also the Sedona National Park comes to mind when I think of Arizona. Those were the first things that I've always pictured in my mind when I think of the 48th U.S. state. Fast forward to today's world, with the pervasiveness of social media in all of our lives, there was this unintended effect that the more spectacular places within this great Western state - all of these amazing sights were more highlighted and promoted with avid travelers. Hence the trip to see the Horseshoe Bend has always been on my list as I had been seeing it all over social media!

But is it all that it's hyped up to be? Is it really as breathtaking as those Instagram photos suggest? We're about to find out!




The Horseshoe Bend is named as such because of its shape in relation to the Colorado River, as you can see below!


We have the whole day dedicated to Page, in the spectacular state of Arizona. That day it wasn't in our plans to wake up a bit later than scheduled and we were coming off not too long of a night's rest from Henderson in Nevada. From there we planned on being on the road around 5 in the morning, and once we get to Page we intended to start to drive back to Los Angeles around three in the afternoon. None of that happened! We left Henderson at 8:00 in the morning!!! And Page is 5 hours away! With all the stopping for gas and some restroom breaks, we reached our destination a mere 10 minutes  before 15:00 (I know, I know - by then our earlier plans tell us we should have already started to head back to L.A. from Page, yet we found ourselves having just arrived!). Since Antelope Canyon general admissions ends at 3 pm, pressed for time we decided to go there directly. (Avoiding crowds at Antelope Canyon on a separate post). To make the long story short, we reached Horseshoe Bend around sunset, when Mr. Sunshine is almost nowhere to be found!

We didn't even take into consideration that from the parking lot we needed to hike another mile and a half. Our energy was all used up from the trek to the earlier canyons but since we were running out of time and its getting dark, we hiked fast enough to see a little bit of sunshine! And we still made it, just in time for sunset!

And wow! No words can accurately describe the beauty of this place! None of our photos can give justice to how beautiful and majestic it was in real life! All the hype in social media were true. All I could say is it's worth the drive, the hike, the shortness of breath! Go see it for yourself!

Just a friendly reminder, though it is still winter with cool breeze until the 20th of March, don't forget to put on sunblock and bring bottles of water as there are no stores within the vicinity, and no shades to protect you from the bright sun. And don't forget to wear good shoes too!



The overlook is 4,200 feet above sea level and the Colorado river is 3,200 feet above sea level. I was scared the whole time. There were no railings installed. One wrong step, and I'll exit this world through the Colorado river.

The reference of the location seen in social media increased the visitors of this place over time.

Location:
Horseshoe Bend Page, AZ 86040

Hope this helps!