In my previous post, I shared the first part of my visit to Grand Canyon. If you want to peek on that, click the link below:
The Wonder of the Earth, Grand Canyon, Part I - Wupatki National Monument
Day 2 - It was a fine sunny morning when I woke up the next day. Today, our goal is to visit Horseshoe Bend(Glen Canyon National Recreation Area), Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell and some more scenic spot which will come on our route. (In this part, I am going to share only my experience of Horsehoe bend.) It was cold in the morning but the weather forecast is showing it will get hotter and dry, which is obvious in a desert area. It is going to be a long day, we pack water bottles, Juice, Gatorade and some snacks for kids. Shades, hat, wet tissue, and sunscreen lotion is a must. I must say covered shoes like sneaker is best. In this type of trip, I always take a first aid box along with me. After packing done we quickly get ready and had our breakfast in the restaurant in Jacob Lake Inn. I must say breakfast was delicious. I never ate this type of scrumptious pancake before.
Beside our Inn, within 20 feet, situated the Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center. We visit the visitor center, the guide explains to us about the area, and I took some snaps of the forest area which can be viewed from the back deck of the Visitor Center. Now finally all set up we start towards Horseshoe Bend clock showing 9:00 am morning.
That day, when we went to Jacob Lake Inn, it was night and we missed all the scenic views while driving. Now that was day time, specifically, you didn’t need to find any scenic spot, as you moved your eyes it is the incredible beauty of nature, that’s why I called it the wonders of Earth. Hence, we stopped at Pasture Canyon Lookout Point. The view from there is incredible, the entire mountain range is visible from there. We got a chance to frame it. In the picture below my husband was posing for me.
The Vermillion Cliffs National Monument is very near about 4 to 5 minutes’ drive from Pature Canyon Lookout Point. It was also in our itinerary when we planned the trip but unfortunately, we didn’t get the tickets all slots are full at that time.
From the Kaibab plateau to the **Horseshoe Bend Parking Lot **it took us around 2 hours. In between the way, time changed two times, as we asked locals they said in Arizona the time differs in from county to county. The parking area is big but when we are there it was almost full we need to wait a couple of minutes then get a chance to park. Restrooms are beside the parking area, it is best to use restrooms before going to visit Horseshoe Bend, the facility is not available there. From the parking area, you need to walk to visit Horseshoe Bend. It is 0.5 miles hiking, in the desert, it took us around 15 minutes to reach there. The winds are making blow the dry sand in the air. Best put on the air mask if you have dust allergies. Time is showing 11.00 am and it was already too hot, as there is no shade or trees only shrubs the sun is like scorching us.
Now the long-awaited dream of mine is going to be true, I am super excited and march ahead. As I said before I am literally on my tears when I view the exotic beauty of Horseshoe Bend. I am so astonished that it took me some time to realize that I am truly there. We rested a bit then climb the small hill nearby. We were busy capturing the moments as much as possible. By the picture of the Horseshoe Bend, everyone can realize that it is very dipped till touched the colorado river at the bottom which is circling the Horseshoe Bend. There are no boundaries or walls around it, so it is very much dangerous if someone accidentally slipped over. We took extra caution always holding our kid’s hand and not be very much adventurous to go very near to the edge.
If you are spotting white spot like thing down in Colorado river at Horseshoe Bend, those are boats. Sailing through the colorado river around the Horseshoe Bend is another experience however we don’t make it. Maybe next time. We start walking back to the parking area and after refreshed start towards our next adventure to Antelope canyon.
The Wonder of the Earth, Grand Canyon, Part III - Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell coming soon in the next post.
