GRAND CANYON & HORSESHOE BEND
To start our third day in Arizona, we drove from the nearby hotel into Grand Canyon National Park. Like the first leg of our trip, I had also been to the Grand Canyon in 2012, but we obviously had to go back so that Shae could see it. It is just as impressive the second time around, though, so it didn’t feel like a waste for either me or my aunt, who has been there multiple times.
Our bad luck with the weather continued at the Grand Canyon. (Who knew I would have so much to say about the weather on this trip?) It was alternately freezing cold and surprisingly warm, and cycled through sunny, partially cloudy, completely cloudy, very windy, raining, and hailing. We were taking layers and sunglasses and hats off and then hurriedly putting them back on.
This was another day of bizarre weather we definitely didn’t expect, but these were interesting conditions in which to see the Grand Canyon. (Well, other than the hail. I would have been fine not getting hit with hail.) Usually, the view of the Grand Canyon would be accompanied by a bright blue sky, lots of sun, and not many clouds. Instead, we got to see the way the shifting heavy clouds added shadows to the canyon and how a downpour across the canyon looked from the trails. It was a pretty dramatic way to take in a place that is an already very dramatic sight.
We parked near the cluster of hotels on the South Rim — which includes Bright Angel Lodge, where we stayed in a little cabin back in 2012 — and headed right over to the first lookout spot. We came, we saw, we took a lot of pictures that made me a little too anxious (namely Shae going close to the edge — thanks for the heart attacks!!). We walked east along the South Rim Trail and Trail of Time section, and then went down a small portion of the Bright Angel Trail, which takes you down into the canyon, once we were back where we started.
After ducking into one of the lodges to warm up and hide from the rain and hail for a little bit, we drove over to the visitor center and lookout points east of the hotels area called Grand Canyon Village. Mather Point is the major lookout point in that section, offering a different view and a built-in lookout area with a larger platform. It’s more crowded over there, but it’s an accessible spot. You can also take trails from this point.
We left the Grand Canyon mid-afternoon, driving east on the winding path out of the park. It’s a very pretty drive, with some views of the canyon and some views of the forest that borders it. That drive on Route 64 then turns into 89, and for us that was a couple of hours north to Page. The route goes back to wide open views, bordered by mountains, sometimes other canyons, and glimpses of other parks (like the Vermilion Cliffs), and mostly goes through Navajo land.
Our next destination was Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona, also the first of our stops that was totally new to me. I hadn’t gone farther north than the Grand Canyon, and Page is nearly on the state border with Utah. We timed our visit to be there for sunset and, after thinking we had mixed up the time — because you enter a different timezone when you leave the Grand Canyon — we made it at just the right time, as the sun was going down. Horseshoe Bend was a really stunning view and there was a pretty perfect sunset that night. The golden light washed over all of the red rock, and then the sun set behind the bend.
Unfortunately, Antelope Canyon and the other slot canyons in the Page area had closed, so our tours were cancelled and our time in Page was limited to Horseshoe Bend and seeing some views from the car. I’d also like to go rafting or kayaking on the Colorado River down below and see Horseshoe Bend from that perspective. I’ll just have to go back eventually.