About two hours from the north and south entrance of Grand Canyon National Park and halfway to Zion National Park, is the iconic Horseshoe Bend displaying the Colorado River. This was how the beginning of Day 4 of 8 was spent on the way to Zion National Park. This part of the Grand Canyon is right outside of Page, AZ, and you park right off of US-89. Its a short 0.75 mile hike (1.5 mile roundtrip) to access this part of the Grand Canyon. Don’t let this short distance fool you! You are in direct sunlight and it is hot! Bring water! The sand is also mildly challenging to hike in. This was my favorite view of the entire trip. I loved being able to see the Colorado River up close, and that’s why I can’t wait to hike more at the Grand Canyon!

This part of the Grand Canyon wasn’t quite as crowded as the park, and it is definitely worth going out of your way to see. Similarly to Grand Canyon National Park, there are people from all over the world here. These pictures were taken around 10 am. I would love to see Horseshoe Bend at sunrise or sunset. Those small spots in the river are boats, and the river is approximately 1000 feet below. Once again, my iPhone pictures do not do it justice. I loved seeing the colors of the Colorado River and the vegetation near the river! It’s much different than the National Park, because you are so much closer! I love the intimacy of this view. If you go to the Grand Canyon, I’d recommend setting aside two hours to go see this beautiful naturally occurring wonder.