Day 5: Horseshoe Bend & Monument Valley

At 5 AM, my alarm jolted me from my sleep.

Why was I up so early after an exhausting day of hiking? Yesterday’s clouds had robbed me of an opportunity to see a proper sunset, so I’d be damned if I left the park without seeing a sunrise. I therefore wasted no time in rushing to Mather Point to watch the sun rise. The sky was clear, and the faintest signs of dawn had already begun to illuminate the night sky.

Sunrise Over the Grand Canyon

Mather Point is perhaps the best place in Grand Canyon National Park to view the sunrise. Unfortunately, everyone knows this, so the famous overlook is often crowded at dawn. April 19, 2023, was no exception.

I rolled up to Mather Point around 5:30 AM: 20 minutes before sunrise. To my annoyance, a crowd of tourists already flooded the overlook. Those who wanted an unobstructed view of the canyon had arrived ages ago to claim their spot. “Oh, well,” I thought as I began setting up my tripod. Instead of wrestling the crowd to record a time lapse of the sunrise without interference, I decided to try something different. I recorded a time lapse of the people instead, to show the progress of crowds at Mather Point at sunrise. In my opinion, the final result was rather cool.

Shortly after the sun crested the horizon, I shifted my camera to face west. With this angle, I could capture the evolution of the rising sun’s impact on the canyon’s appearance. Once again, the final result was pretty sweet.

During this second time lapse, the crowd at Mather Point thinned rapidly. As the tourists vacated the area, I met an older gentlemen named Christopher with whom I struck up conversation. We exchanged brief life stories, and he shared with me his “Better” project: a series of books aimed at helping people live a better life for themselves and the people they care about. I enjoyed listening to his wisdom and anecdotes, and if you’re interested in supporting his mission – like me – check out betterforyoubooks.com.

Goodbye, Grand Canyon

Upon my arrival back at the campsite – just before 7 AM – I found my dad already packing up our sleeping bags, pads, and tent. Way to go, Papa!

We departed Mather Campground a few minutes before 8 AM, ahead of schedule. We drove east along Desert View Drive as the rising sun bathed the canyon in spectacular colors. Lured by the sun’s golden rays, we made a final stop at Moran Point to admire the Grand Canyon one last time. After two unbelievable days in the national park, I still wasn’t ready to leave.

On the way out of the park, we passed the Grand Canyon National Park entrance sign. I pulled over, requesting one more touristy photo with my dad. He obliged.

29 national parks down, 34 to go…

Horseshoe Bend

Ninety minutes of scenic driving later and we arrived at our first stop of the day: Horseshoe Bend!

Located upstream of the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend has become a popular tourist destination in recent years. It is an “incised meander” of the Colorado River sitting just south of Page in northern Arizona. With a 1,000-foot drop from the overlook to the river, it is a jaw-dropping spectacle. Its iconic shape and massive scale make it a destination for many in the area. If you know a friend who has visited Arizona recently, there’s a strong likelihood that Horseshoe Bend appeared on their Instagram during their trip.

Unfortunately, the expectation of Horseshoe Bend – created by countless social media posts – is starkly different than reality. After my dad and I paid the entrance fee and parked, we immediately noticed the abundance of tourists. Oh boy…

During the 0.7-mile walk to the overlook, we walked quickly and passed hundreds of people. When we reached the overlook of Horseshoe Bend, I gaped in awe… partially at the sight, but more-so at the huge number of people standing there.

My dad and I admired the hydrologic wonder for as long as we could… about 10 minutes. Then, we interrupted a particularly annoying group taking excessive photos at the overlook to nab a quick selfie and take photos of each other with the bend. We then promptly got the heck out of there.

Glen Canyon Dam

After Horseshoe Bend, we made our way north towards Page. The town is home to Lake Powell, a reservoir and centerpiece of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Glen Canyon Dam – built from 1960 to 1963 – dams the Colorado River to form the lake. As a longtime hydrologist working for the National Weather Service, my dad was eager to see the dam up close. So, I diverted the car through Page to satisfy that desire.

We rolled up to a parking lot next to the dam to walk around, get a better look, and nab some photos. My dad was thrilled with the brief stop. We both marveled at the engineering required to create such a large dam. Standing only a few feet shorter than Hoover Dam downstream, it was an impressive sight.

Our next stop? Monument Valley, one of the most recognizable places in cinema history!

From Page, we faced a 2-hour drive to get to the scenic desert location. On the way there, we dealt with high winds, tumbleweeds, and even a brief dust storm. It was all worth it, however, when Mitchell Butte – the first member of Monument Valley – appeared on the horizon.

Monument Valley

We turned onto the entrance road and more recognizable features began to appear. The Mittens and Merrick Butte appeared, as did a number of massive mesas. I grew giddy as we paid the entrance fee and navigated to the 17-mile scenic drive that winds through the valley.

This was every bit as scenic as people had told me. It was late in the day – almost 3 PM – which meant that the valley’s peak crowd of visitors had already thinned out. While there were still a number of other cars around us, the valley was way less crowded than I’d expected. It seems we had picked the perfect time to show up.

Our first objective was to reach John Ford’s Point, a stellar overlook named for the influential film director. Monument Valley’s world-famous status is largely thanks to Mr. Ford, who used the valley in a number of his films throughout his career, including Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956). Ford’s films greatly influenced audiences’ perception of the American West.

Did you know? Monument Valley is managed by the Navajo Nation, not the National Park Service. Many people assume the latter, and come to the valley thinking their national park passes will grant them free entry. This is not the case, so be aware of this when you visit! Visit the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park website for details on current entrance fees.

Monument Valley’s Scenic Drive

After navigating a bumpy, pothole-ridden dirt road for a few miles, my dad and I reached John Ford’s Point. We timed our arrival perfectly: we pulled up immediately after a large group had left and mere minutes before a tour bus rolled up. This gave us a small window to nab some photos without photobombers.

Then, we continued our drive through the valley. Though the bumpy road forced me to drive slowly with our 2WD vehicle, this ended up working in our favor. It gave us plenty of time to admire the scenery around us, read about the valley’s history, and snap plenty of photos.

Along the drive, our favorite stops were John Ford’s Point, Artist’s Point, and the North Window. On the way out, we stopped at a couple of overlooks of the Mittens and Merrick Butte, the valley’s most recognizable features. It was 5 PM when we took our last photos in the valley, and most of the remaining crowd had vacated.

Forrest Gump Point

Around 5:15 PM, we began heading to our final destination for the day: Mesa Verde National Park. I’d booked a room at Far View Lodge, a motel in the center of the park. From Monument Valley, it was another 3 hours of driving.

We began to drive northeast, following US 163 into Utah. While we drove away from the valley, we continued to ogle at the massive buttes and mesas in the distance.

Suddenly, I noticed a road sign indicating a reduced speed limit. A few hundred feet later, we passed another sign stating “Watch for Pedestrians.” This was odd… why would pedestrians be a problem on a major highway?

Then, I looked down at Google Maps and noticed a marker approaching ahead of us. “Highway from Forrest Gump Movie,” it stated. Somehow, I’d completely forgotten about this other famous viewpoint, named for a scene in Forrest Gump where the titular character runs on a highway with a crowd of people behind him.

Shortly thereafter, my dad and I spotted a line of cars along the road and a gaggle of people in the middle of the road, taking photos. I excitedly pulled the car over, eager to join these people. It was here where I asked a French stranger to take quite possibly the most touristy photo I’d ever requested…

I have no shame.

Utah to Colorado

After that brief (but entertaining) stop, my dad and I continued our long drive to Mesa Verde. Thankfully, the landscapes of Utah were far from boring. Nearby mesas, colorful rocks, distant mountains, rivers, and the occasional canyon kept me on my toes as the road twisted and turned through diverse environments.

Two hours later, we reached Cortez, CO. Here, we made a quick stop for some positively delicious Thai food. Check out Thai Cortez & Sushi if you’re ever passing through: you won’t regret it.

In the faint light of twilight, we drove across steep and windy roads leading into Mesa Verde. We reached Far View Lodge shortly before 9 PM, tired and ready to sleep in a warm bed.

Though Day 5 forced us to do lots of driving, we had still managed to have a blast. We’d enjoyed every stop of the drive, and the driving was easy thanks to the beautiful scenery.