Horseshoe Bend

Before visiting Antelope Canyon in Page, we ventured to a location on the Colorado River, just four miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam. I was interested in seeing Horseshoe Bend, a site that I had overlooked in prior visits to the area. Horseshoe Bend, as the name would imply is a bend in the Colorado River and is shaped like a perfect horseshoe.

We approached it from a parking area just off the highway, walking about 1/4 mile to the edge of the gorge. The terrain betrays no sense of what awaits you. Seen from anywhere but the canyon’s edge, there is no indication of the size and depth of gorge.  Here’s a shot of what you see from the high point between the highway and the gorge. In the background you can see the prominent Vermilion Cliffs.

The first view of Horseshoe Bend is a look over the precipice, 1000 ft. (300 m.) straight down. The following shot portrays that first breathtaking view. If you look closely you’ll see a small white speck in the very centre of the photograph, near the bottom. That’s a boat, beached at the base of the landform in the centre  of the horseshoe. It gives a pretty good sense of the size and depth of the gorge.

Following is a slideshow of other selected scenes taken while I was at Horseshoe Bend. It includes some other perspectives of the view of the gorge as well as some details of the terrain around it. Click on the right to advance, on the left to back up.

The light was good, the sky was clear so conditions were excellent for capturing these shots. The most important requirement was a wide angle lens to take it all in. The shots of the full width of the bend were taken with a 17-40 mm lens with focal lengths varying between 17 and 19 mm.

My thanks to my traveling companions and fellow photographers, Tracey Wilkens and Steve Scott from Canmore who made the  journey a very enjoyable one.