near Page, Arizona
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Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona |
October 21, 2018
Best of the Best Tour: Day-13
On our previous trip through here in 2014, Gary and I missed the chance to visit
this well-known photo-op. Having toured Monument Valley earlier
today, we arrive at the trailhead in mid-afternoon.
It will not be too hot today
The trail is quite crowded, as expected. Five years ago, this place still was more a less a local secret; but that has changed forever. In 2017, visitation exceeded 1.3 million, or nearly 4,000 people per day.
Looking northward, a corner of Lake Powell is in view
The total walk to the overlook takes just twenty minutes.
Horseshoe Bend, on the Colorado River
Wow! This is a relatively unique photographic opportunity; perhaps I can find a better vantage point.
Unloading camping supplies for a rafting expedition
The anticipated rafters will have traveled only a few miles downstream from the vicinity of Glen Canyon Dam. Presumably, they will get going in earnest tomorrow.
Enjoying the guard rail
Construction of this overlook began about a year ago and is still underway.
Previously, there was nothing but the exposed cliff edge with a sheer 800-foot
dropoff. A man fell off the precipice just last May, which can only mean that
he was outside the fenced area at the time.
This is why I go hiking
After taking our requisite photographs, there is nothing else for Gary and me to do here. It could be interesting to watch the river rafters show up, I suppose; but there is no telling how long the wait would be. It's time to head back.
The trail hardly could be easier to walk
Apparently the trek proves not to be so easy for some, however. Busloads
of unprepared tourists stop here in mid-summer, planning to stroll to the
overlook in their flip-flops or even high-heels; yet dozens of them
have been carted away on stretchers after suffering heat-stroke in the
115-degree sunlight. Darwin wins here frequently —
56 times in 2016 alone.
No ambulance for us
§: Well, I am pleased finally to have gotten Gary down here, after having
screwed up our prior opportunity. Unless you are a photographer dreaming of
capturing the 'perfect' shot, one visit is enough. Also, the hype about this
being a 270-degree bend is bogus. An examination of any map will show it
to be only about 200 degrees, but that still is unusual.
As of this date, the Google Earth view of the overlook still shows no improvements
at cliff-side.
The medical statistics regarding this trail exemplify my standard mantra about this area: Do your visiting in April or October; otherwise, travel somewhere else.
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