Visiting Horseshoe Bend in December – You will ‘fall’ for its 1000-foot drop!
Fast Facts:
Entrance Fee | Free(Please note that parking at this site may no longer be free as per the latest information I’ve available as on Nov 2019. I’ll update the post as soon as I’ve more information) |
Credit Card Accepted | NA |
Handicapped Accessible | No |
Parking Available | Yes |
Changing Room | No |
Lockers Available | No |
Food Available | No |
Recommendations:
- There are no restrooms, food or water available at the Horseshoe bend. Therefore, don’t forget to use the bathroom and grab some water before you take off.
- Parking is available for free right off Highway 89. Here are the Google Maps directions for the same.
- There is half a mile of walking involved on an uneven/rocky surface from the parking to the bend. The walk takes around 15-20 mins.
- Please be advised that there is no protective barriers or guard rails at the cliff edge. Therefore, please be careful for you and extra careful for your kids while visiting there.
- I’d recommend visiting Horseshoe bend on a sunny day a couple of hours before the sunset. Sunset views are simply spectacular from the bend.
- You can easily fit in tour of Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend visit on a single day. I’d recommend visiting Antelope Canyon in the morning and Horseshoe bend in the evening.
Overview:
Horseshoe Bend was the last scenic spot that we’re visiting on one of our recent trips to Vegas. After having visited Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and Antelope Canyon on the same trip, we were definitely a little tired, but the excitement of visiting this natural attraction kept us going. Just to give you an idea about how huge this canyon is; the Colorado River flowing through the canyon is at 3,200 feet above sea level, while the Horseshoe Bend overlook point is located around 4,200 feet above sea level; which means it’s a breathtaking 1000 foot drop. Whoa!
Weather at Horseshoe Bend, Arizona in December:
When we visited Page, AZ in the month of December, the weather was cold with daily high temperatures in the mid-30s. However, visiting Horseshoe Bend in cold weather is like a blessing in disguise because of fewer crowds and the absence of desert heat waves. With careful planning, a trip to Horseshoe Bend in December can be a great winter getaway.
Year-round Weather at Horseshoe Bend, Arizona:
Not visiting Horseshoe Bend in winter? No problem. The chart below will give you an idea about the year-round weather in Page, AZ, and the average high and low temperature for each month of the year. Hopefully, this information will help you plan your trip to Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Lake Powell.
Getting to Page, Arizona:
If you are in Las Vegas, Grand Canyon or nearby, the best way to visit Page, AZ is by car. Page is located around 130 miles northeast of Grand Canyon Village (2 hours) and around 275 miles (4 hours) east of Las Vegas. However, if you are in some other part of the country/world and want to visit Antelope Canyon, flying is the best bet. The city of Page, AZ has Page Municipal Airport which is a commercial service airport with daily flights to Denver and Phoenix.
Our time at the Horseshoe bend:
We arrived at the Horseshoe Bend in the afternoon after an awesome tour of Antelope Canyon and we were still mesmerized by the sight of it. Though I must admit it was not the perfect day to visit the Horseshoe Bend because it was cloudy, we were still pretty excited to see it.
1000 foot drop…no railings…unstable rocks…beware! That’s the first thing we read when we arrived! 😉
Parking is available for free right off Highway 89. This is how full it was on a cold December afternoon. Now you can think of the situation during summer!
As I said, no railings! You’re responsible for your own safety.
Magnificent Horseshoe Bend!
Where did we stay in Page, AZ
We were visiting Page, AZ during our trip to Vegas. This is how we’d planned our week-long trip: Fly into Vegas, a few nights in Vegas, drive to Grand Canyon, a night at Grand Canyon Village, drive to Page, AZ, a night in Page, AZ, drive back to Vegas, spend another night and fly out. That is, we were looking for someplace to spend just one night in Page, AZ. We opted for Best Western Plus At Lake Powell, Page because we got a great rate for this hotel at Booking.com and the hotel had good reviews on TripAdvisor. We’d paid $58.18 including taxes for a double room. Pretty good bargain, right? Well, I am not done yet! $58.18 including breakfast. How about it now? The room was clean and the breakfast was sumptuous. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Best Western Plus At Lake Powell, Page and I would highly recommend it.
Please note that we visited Antelope Canyon in December which is considered to be off/shoulder season. Maybe, that’s why we scored such a great deal for this hotel. The prices may vary based on your dates of travel.
Verdict:
If you’re visiting Page, AZ, or Grand Canyon, I’d definitely recommend visiting Horseshoe Bend. It’s breathtaking, free, and has more than 5000 five stars reviews on TripAdvisor. How many more reasons do you need to visit it? 😉