Horseshoe Bend sits 127 road miles from Duck Creek Village, about 2 hours 45 minutes each way on US-89 through Kanab and Page. Parking costs $10 a car, the walk runs 1.5 miles round trip, and Arizona clocks run an hour behind Utah until November 1.
Horseshoe Bend From Duck Creek Village: Is the 127 Mile Drive Worth It?
Horseshoe Bend sits 127 road miles from Duck Creek Village, about 2 hours 45 minutes each way. You take Highway 14 east to US-89, then run south through Kanab and east past Big Water to Page, Arizona. Parking costs $10 a car, the walk to the rim runs 1.5 miles round trip, and the river sits about 1,000 feet below you. Arizona clocks run an hour behind Utah until November 1.
So yes, it works as a day trip, and it makes a long one. Five and a half hours of driving buys you an hour or two on the rim. The trade gets better when you pair it with Antelope Canyon, ten miles away, and plan the return around the light.
| Duck Creek Village to Horseshoe Bend | Details |
|---|---|
| Road distance | 127 miles one way |
| Driving time | About 2 hours 45 minutes |
| Route | Highway 14, US-89, Kanab, Page |
| Elevation | 8,443 ft at the inn, 4,319 ft at the lot |
| Clock in Arizona | One hour behind Utah until Nov 1 |
The drive down US-89 through Kanab
The first 50 miles cover familiar ground. Highway 14 drops off the plateau to Long Valley, and US-89 carries you through Glendale, Orderville and Mount Carmel Junction into Kanab. Our Kanab guide puts that leg at about 70 minutes.
Past Kanab the road turns east and empties out. OpenStreetMap shows no fuel station for the 57 miles between the last Kanab pump and Big Water, so fill the tank in town on the way out. You cross into Arizona at mile 115, then cross the Colorado River on the bridge beside Glen Canyon Dam about five miles short of the parking lot.
Elevation along the route, sampled every 2.5 miles from the USGS 3DEP public domain elevation service, with fuel stations taken from OpenStreetMap data.
The profile tells you most of the day. You lose 4,100 feet on the way down, and the warm air comes with it. Page averages 70.9F for an October high and 46.8F for a low, against 58 to 60F by day at the village. Pack for both ends. Our October weather post covers the mountain side.
Parking, the walk, and the rim at Horseshoe Bend
| At the Horseshoe Bend lot | Details |
|---|---|
| Parking fee | $10 car or RV, $5 motorcycle |
| National park pass | Not accepted at this lot |
| Gate hours | Sunrise to sunset, every day |
| Trail | 1.5 miles round trip, hardened path |
| Water on the trail | None, carry your own |
The City of Page runs the parking lot, so the fee goes to the city and an America the Beautiful pass does nothing here. The lot has no overflow area and no shuttle. A full lot sends you away to try again later, and nobody may wait in line on the highway.
The walk itself takes little effort. The path climbs a low rise and drops to the rim, with two shade structures along the way and none at the overlook. The Park Service warns about the 1,000 foot drop at the edge. Keep small kids within arm’s reach.
Leashed dogs may walk the trail. Drones need the superintendent’s approval here, and without that approval the drone stays in the car. Horseshoe Bend sits inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, not Grand Canyon National Park, even though a lot of photo captions online say otherwise.
Adding Antelope Canyon to the same day
| Antelope Canyon basics | Details |
|---|---|
| Distance from the Horseshoe Bend lot | About 10 miles by road |
| Entry | Guided tour required |
| Navajo Nation fee | $15 per person, plus the tour price |
| Dogs | None, at any site |
| Closed | Thanksgiving, the day after, Christmas, New Year’s Day |
Antelope Canyon sits on Navajo land east of Page, and you cannot walk in on your own. Upper Antelope, Lower Antelope and Antelope Canyon X all require a guided tour with a licensed operator, and the Navajo Nation charges $15 a person on top of the tour price. Book ahead, since a tour time you cannot get turns the plan into a five hour drive for one overlook.
Watch the clock on the confirmation. The Navajo Nation keeps daylight saving time while the rest of Arizona does not. Lower Antelope Canyon Tours says it runs on Arizona time, the same as Page, so a 10:00 am tour there means 11:00 am on a Utah phone through October. Confirm which clock your own operator uses.
A day that works: leave the village at 8:00 am Utah time, reach Horseshoe Bend near 9:45 am Arizona time, walk the rim, then take an 11:30 or noon tour at Antelope. Lunch in Page, and you can still clear the lot window in the tip above. A dog in the car rules out Antelope, so pick the rim alone or leave the dog at home.
Seasons and the clock change on November 1
| Sun and temperature | Details |
|---|---|
| Sunset at the rim, Oct 15 | 5:51 pm Arizona time |
| Sunset at the inn, Oct 15 | 6:54 pm Utah time |
| Page normals, November | 55.2F high, 34.5F low |
| Clocks match again | From Sunday, November 1 |
On November 1 Utah falls back and the hour difference disappears until March. Daylight shrinks too, with sunset at the inn near 6:34 pm on October 31 and earlier each day after. A November trip calls for an earlier start, not a later one.
We like Horseshoe Bend as a fall and spring outing from the mountain, since a Page afternoon in the low 70s feels easy in October. Top off at the village gas station the night before, then again in Kanab on the way out. Back at elevation, a warm room waits: see our rooms for a base that puts Page, Bryce, Zion and Cedar Breaks inside one day’s drive.
Quick answers for the Page day trip
How far is Horseshoe Bend from Duck Creek Village? About 127 road miles, 2 hours 45 minutes each way, by Highway 14 and US-89 through Kanab and Page.
Does Horseshoe Bend cost anything? Yes. The City of Page charges $10 per car or RV and $5 per motorcycle to park, and a national park pass does not cover it.
Can you see Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon in one day from Duck Creek? Yes, with a booked Antelope tour. The two sit about 10 miles apart, and the full day runs about 10 hours door to door.
Is Horseshoe Bend part of the Grand Canyon? No. It sits in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Page, and the Park Service manages it as part of Glen Canyon.
Can you bring a dog to Horseshoe Bend? Yes, on a leash on the trail. Antelope Canyon does not allow dogs at all.
Hero photo: Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River, NPS Photo via NPGallery, public domain.
