Arizona’s Most Beautiful Selfie Spot Has a Dizzying 1,000-Foot Drop at the Edge of a Cliff

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona

Around 10 years ago, you could visit Horseshoe Bend without seeing another soul. Now this massive river bend sees over 2 million visitors annually. But between the selfie spots and tour buses, the same force that carved the Grand Canyon is still doing its work, one grain of sandstone at a time.

The river has been carving this landmark for 6 million years

The Colorado River started carving Horseshoe Bend when the ground suddenly rose 5-6 million years ago. This trapped the river, forcing it to cut through 1,000 feet of Navajo Sandstone.

It’s still expanding today at about 1 foot every 1,000 years. In about 15,000 years, the river will cut through the neck of the bend, making a natural bridge before leaving the horseshoe pattern behind completely.

Social media turned this local secret into a tourist hotspot

Before 2010, fewer than 100,000 people visited Horseshoe Bend each year. By 2015, that jumped to 750,000, and now over 2 million people visit yearly—that’s a 2,000% increase in just over ten years.

It all started when Instagram launched in 2010 and photographers shared pictures of the view online. By April 2018, there were more than 400,000 posts tagged #horseshoebend, making it one of Arizona’s most photographed spots outside the Grand Canyon.

You’ll see emerald water thanks to the dam upstream

That pretty blue-green water in the Colorado River comes from Glen Canyon Dam, just 5 miles upstream. Built in 1963, the dam releases clear, cold water (always 47°F) from 500 feet below Lake Powell’s surface.

This water has much less dirt than before the dam, when the river was reddish-brown. Sunlight now goes deeper into the clear water and bounces off minerals in the riverbed, creating that beautiful emerald color that changes throughout the day.

People died falling from cliff edges before safety rails were added

Between 2010-2018, at least six people died falling from Horseshoe Bend’s open edges, including a 14-year-old girl on Christmas Eve 2018. The park put in the first safety rails in 2018, but they only cover 200 feet of the 1,000-foot viewpoint.

In February 2022, a 29-year-old man named Seyedamirhossein Mirhosseininiri died after going past the railed section. The sandstone edge is extra dangerous because it can break suddenly, and some edges stick out several feet without solid support underneath.

Ancient rock carvings are hidden at the river level

You can’t see them from the top, but ancient rock carvings from 800-1,000 years ago exist at Horseshoe Bend. They’re at ‘Petroglyph Beach’ at mile 10 of the river below the overlook. These carvings by Ancestral Puebloan people show bighorn sheep, patterns, and human figures.

You can only reach them by boat or kayak since there’s no trail from the overlook to the river 1,000 feet below. The best-preserved panel is 15 feet long with over 30 different figures carved into the dark coating on the sandstone.

Sound bounces around the canyon in unusual ways

The curved shape of the canyon creates some weird sound effects. Sound waves bounce between the walls, so during quiet times, you can hear the river from 1,000 feet up. The canyon works like a natural concert hall, with certain spots making sounds much louder.

If you clap your hands at specific points along the rim, you’ll hear echoes that last 2-3 seconds. These sound effects work best before 8am, when there’s less wind and fewer people around.

You can swim here but it takes work to reach the water

While you can’t hike down to swim from the lookout, you’ve got options if you’re determined. You can rent kayaks from Kayak Horseshoe Bend for $85 per day to reach the 47°F water under the bend.

Another choice is taking a raft tour from Glen Canyon Dam for $99 per person, which stops at Petroglyph Beach inside the bend. The river flows at about 8-15 mph through the bend, creating a moderate current. Swimming is allowed but be careful—even in July, the water stays below 50°F.

There’s a secret beach at the center of the bend

Horseshoe Bend has a hidden beach at its center that you can only reach by water. ‘Petroglyph Beach’ sits at the innermost part of the bend, where you can look straight up the 1,000-foot canyon walls.

The beach is 85 feet long by 30 feet wide when river levels are normal and is made of fine sand mixed with small pebbles. Half-day rafting tours ($99-119) include a 30-minute stop here, while kayakers can park their boats and spend as much time as they want exploring this unique spot.

Extreme athletes have pulled off crazy stunts here

Despite strict rules against it, Horseshoe Bend attracts daredevils. In 2017, professional base jumper Jeb Corliss illegally jumped from the rim, opening his parachute halfway down the 1,000-foot drop.

Park officials fined him $5,000. In 2019, a team secretly set up an 820-foot slackline across the canyon at dawn, walking between two points on the rim before rangers showed up. Rock climbers have also made unauthorized climbs of the inner canyon walls, completing routes they’ve named ‘Emerald Embrace’ and ‘River Run.’

Rescuers once saved someone 800 feet down the cliff

In March 2020, a 25-year-old hiker trying to climb down to the river got stuck on a 6-foot ledge 800 feet below the rim. After 17 hours, a rescue team from Coconino County performed one of Arizona’s most difficult cliff rescues.

They needed 1,200 feet of rope, six rescue specialists, and a helicopter team from the Department of Public Safety. The hiker was moderately dehydrated but not seriously hurt and got a $2,500 fine for leaving the viewing area.

Three different governments run this single attraction

Horseshoe Bend crosses three different government areas. The Colorado River and horseshoe shape belong to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (federal). The parking lot and access road are owned by the City of Page (city government).

The trail and main lookout are on Navajo Nation land (tribal). This unusual setup requires three separate permits for commercial photography. When emergencies happen, responders must work with all three groups, and different rules apply depending on where you’re standing.

The bend’s shape creates different lighting effects all day

Horseshoe Bend faces east-west, creating interesting light changes throughout the day. At sunrise (around 5:45am summer/7:30am winter), the eastern rim glows golden while the western wall stays dark. By 12:30pm, the sun sits directly overhead, removing most shadows and making the water colors most vibrant.

During sunset (around 7:30pm summer/5:15pm winter), the west rim turns orange while the eastern wall darkens. Photographers take advantage of this by taking pictures 3-4 hours apart to capture completely different views of the same place.

Beautiful but poisonous flowers grow along the riverbanks

The sacred datura plant grows along Horseshoe Bend’s riverbanks. It has striking white trumpet-shaped flowers 4-6 inches across, but it’s part of the nightshade family and contains dangerous poisons. Ancestral Puebloans and Navajo shamans used it carefully in rituals.

Just 1/4 teaspoon of its compounds can cause life-threatening symptoms. Park rangers have recorded 17 poisoning cases between 2010-2022 from visitors touching the plant. Despite being toxic, the plant helps the environment with its deep roots that hold the sandy riverbanks together.

Visiting Horseshoe Bend

You’ll find Horseshoe Bend 5 miles south of Page, Arizona on Highway 89. It’s open every day from sunrise to sunset. Parking costs $10 per car or $5 per motorcycle (as of April 2025).

The 1.5-mile round trip hike takes 30-40 minutes on a moderately sloped trail with two shade structures along the way.