Hey travelers! My name is Wendy Song, better known on Instagram as @wenwensong. I was born in Shanghai, lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this article, I will be sharing my experiences at the amazing Horseshoe Bend of Arizona which I visited in May of this year. Before I get started, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
Creatively, I am a published travel photographer (check out my portfolio here: wenwensong.com). Photography is both fun and work for me. It all started with me taking photos of clouds and sunsets with my phone. Now, I work with travel brands and tourism boards in the US, promoting places.
Professionally, I have worked in the hospitality and tourism industry for over nine years now – mostly in sales and marketing roles at hotels, a tour company and the Los Angeles tourism board. I have now co-founded a creators marketing agency that focuses solely on the travel and hospitality industry called Evolusen. We do digital marketing consultant work as well.
Road Trippin’ from Los Angeles to Tulsa
Recently I took a seven day road trip from Los Angeles to Tulsa. We had a car full of belongings and our pets. So we didn’t make as many stops as we would have but we still had a great time. Road trippin’ with my husband and pets (dog and cat) was so much fun! Our cat was surprisingly relaxed with the trip and we even took her out to the beach and parks on a leash.
On this seven day road trip, we hiked the Angels Landing in Zion National Park, chilled at the beach in Sand Hollow State Park, checked out the Glen Canyon Dam Overlook, Ship Rock, Albuquerque, spray painted a car at the Cadillac Ranch and spent a good few hours at Horseshoe Bend.
I first heard about Horseshoe Bend when I was working in a tour agency after college. It was one of the more popular tour destinations in the US at the time (and still is to this day). It has been on my bucket list ever since!
Hiking to the Famous Horseshoe Bend Viewpoint
To my surprise, Horseshoe Bend didn’t require much hiking. It’s a 1.5 mile round-trip over a paved path from the parking lot with a $10 per car fee and pets are allowed as long as they are on a short leash. We were there in May and it was already pretty hot with almost no shade at all. So make sure you bring plenty of water and proper sun care when you are there.
I found Horseshoe Bend to be massive! The trip to see it in person is definitely worth it, even if you have seen multiple photos online. We spent about an hour or two there just taking in the views and trying to get some good shots – which was quite difficult because of how massive it is.
Best Time to Visit Horseshoe Bend – Sunrise!
We visited Horseshoe Bend before sunset and it was busy! I recommend going for sunrise instead of sunset. Most people situate themselves towards the right of Horseshoe Bend, assuming the view there is nicer. My husband and I went to the left where there weren’t many people and the view was still not bad. So that is always an option if you find it to be busy.
Need to Know Before you Go
Horseshoe Bend was the only stop on our road trip where we stayed at a hotel. We decided to stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Page at Lake Powell. It’s a cute place and is located eight minutes drive from Horseshoe Bend. If you plan on staying at Lake Powell then this is a good hotel to choose.
Unfortunately, the tours for Antelope Canyon were closed when we were there due to the pandemic. However, you are still able to enter the canyon via a kayaking route – which we didn’t know about before booking just one night at Page, Arizona. The kayak plus hike can take around five hours (or more), so we couldn’t make it by staying there just for one night.
So I would highly recommend anyone visiting to stay for two nights. The Antelope Canyon tours are open now so you can do the tour, kayak in, visit Horseshoe Bend and also chill at Lake Powell for the full experience.
