The Horseshoe Bend parking lot is quite full and a good proportion of visitors are foreign which is a good indication of the popularity of this viewpoints. There is a 3/4 mi walk to the overlook which might be hard to do during the summer especially as the trail is sandy and goes uphill and then downhill a small hill.
However when we get to the viewpoint the views are spectacular and unusually there are no guardrails or any type of protection to impede photo taking. Of course that means you have to be extra careful where you step as it is a long long way down :).
There are quite a few people taking pictures but they are spread out along the rim and it is relatively easy to find a more quiet spot for picture taking.
Boats pass often through the canyon and give you a good idea how far the bottom is as they appear to be really small. So we stay safely away from the edge and enjoy the views from a distance.
We walk along the rim for a bit and find quite a few spectacular formations near the edge but of course we are always drawn back to the rim to view the impressive gorge.
Another thing that appears to be common in the area are the rabbits. They are almost everywhere and seem to be mostly used with the humans or at least they expect us not to see them as they stand in different positions near the rocks.
As we return back to the overlook we walk a bit further from the edge and are surprised by the number of hoodoos that we find in such a short distance.
There are also a few nice “Wave”-like areas that we explore before we decide to go back to the rim for a final look at the river and the gorge.
On the return trip through the Flagstaff area we exit close to the highest point on the highway to see the impact of the snowstorm. The dirt road is mostly clear but there is a lot of snow on the side of the road, the first snow that we touch this winter as we have to exit to walk a bit through it. After that it is straight back to Phoenix already planning the next trip to this great area with lots of slot canyons and weird rock formations.
