The walking track to reach the lookout gave us a tiny window into what it’s like to walk on dusty, gritty sand type rock and to feel the burn of the sun overhead while the red rock bakes you from underneath. What could be considered a bleak landscape is home to so many creatures but we saw none. There are so many people on the track you don’t even have to be scared of snakes. The view is amazing and perhaps I’m biased towards water bodies, but the blue of the water combined with the red/brown/pink rock definitely makes for a pretty picture.

Horseshoe Bend is located fifteen minutes from the town of Page and fifteen minutes from the tour places for Antelope Canyon. The walk is a light twenty minutes (if you’re not carrying kids) up and over a hill then down to a cliff edge where you can view the river and wide bend in the canyon. Avoid going at peak times when it’s hotter and flooded with tourists. Morning and late afternoon is best.

Unfortunately we were still jet lagged on our fourth day arriving in America from NZ so we woke late and, after a two hour drive plus a few stops for the kids, only arrived at Page by 2pm. We had booked the Lower Antelope Canyon tour for 4pm but my watch said 3pm. Side note: Page is the closest town to Antelope Canyon but it’s also close to the border of Utah and Arizona which are in different time zones. It was this confusion that meant we only had thirty minutes to see Horseshoe Bend before sunset.

We parked the car in a very full carpark that also had bus loads of tourists. The signs said to take at least one bottle of water per person and to wear closed toe shoes. I laughed at the water warnings because I’d read that the walk is only fifteen minutes from the carpark. And the older kids smirked as they passed a lady wearing sandels who was complaining about stones in her shoes when there are multiple warnings to wear proper shoes and she had only just started the walk.

The water suggestion is important for the little ones. Having said that, Horseshoe Bend is in a desert and the earth heats up. That means you feel the heat from above you and below making you feel much hotter than if you were doing a fifteen minute trek in bush. We were brisk walking to ensure we didn’t miss our slot at Lower Antelope Canyon, so hubby and I were hot and thirsty by the time we reached the bottom where the lookout is. But if you had time to sit and savour this place for a while then you definitely want to bring water with you.

Our 12yo and 14yo, free of any excess weight, cruised it even on the uphill back to the carpark – with proper footwear and a water bottle.

On another note, it was safe to be at the lookout with the 2yo because there is a proper railing as long as your child doesn’t stray from the path. You could easily take a pram down this track but it is quite dusty and sandy so a carrier would probably be easier. (Because I was asked: No, we don’t have a carrier – it would’ve been too much extra luggage for a year of travel).

Sometimes I wonder if visiting a place will be as beautiful as the photos I googled portray. Feeling the awe of such natural beauty and the work of natural phenomenons having carved out this massive space makes Horseshoe Bend more beautiful than a picture can describe.