How to avoid the crowds at Horseshoe Bend

We feared hoards of people cramming for the ‘gram, but were pleasantly surprised on our sunset trip.

Sunsets draw huge crowds, but we didn’t photoshop any people out of this photo of me on as a speck on a distant ledge!

Horseshoe Bend is an iconic Arizona spot, located right off Highway 89 near the town of Page.  It’s about a four hour drive from Phoenix, AZ, or from Las Vegas, NV.

The Colorado River weaves through, almost doing a full 360 through the rock, at this site which  is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

It’s similar to the Grand Canyon, in that the colors of the water and the rocks change from sunrise through midday, and again turn different vibrant shades at sunset.

While crowds are always a concern at these “Insta-famous” spots, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the viewpoint.  

It’s so vast, you just have to move slightly down the edge to get some privacy, and your own photos. That’s all there is to avoiding the major crowds during the “high season,” or at sunset.

Photographer Matt Ehnes is too close to the edge here, but I’m posting this to show the lack of people on the ledge, if you walk beyond the main overlook. Plenty of space to spread out!

The photo above shows photographer Matt Ehnes getting too close to the edge! I’m posting it to show how vast the area is around the bend, and how few people were there at primetime (sunset)! You can barely see the big crowd way down on the ledge.

I openly admit, I wanted my Insta-shot, too! But we stuck around well after sunset to enjoy the peace and beauty. A bottle of wine is on the list for next time (or maybe a box, since glass probably isn’t a good idea :)

Early morning sunrise photos are beautiful, and you’ll find fewer people at sunrise than at sunset.  

Still, nothing beats an Arizona sunset, so it may be worth two stops, depending on how serious you are about the lighting in your photos. A lot of people come for engagement shoots, wedding shoots, etc…. so it’s worth getting it “just right.”

Walking along the rim, you’ll find amazing rock formations carved by nature over millions of years.

Walking farther down the rim, you’ll find other beautiful rock formations, so it’s definitely worth spending some time here exploring. We walked only a quarter of a mile, and left literally the entire crowd behind!

For even fewer people, consider exploring the bend from 1,000 below the cliffs.  A variety of outfitters offer paddle board and kayak tours.

There’s a minimal hike to get to the overlook.  The  perfectly-manicured trail from the lot to the overlook is about half a mile.  It’s flat, and accessible to all ages and abilities.  We saw parents pushing strollers.

The parking lot is huge and well organized.  There’s a $10 fee to park, and open from sunrise to sunset.

One of the staff members working in the booth said when the huge lot fills up during the high season, there’s often a two-hour wait to get in.  They also open off-site parking and bus people to the trailhead during the busiest days.

Nine miles downstream from  Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon National Park’s boundaries begin.