Many people know the iconic Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado river in Page, Arizona. The beautiful lookout is one of the most visited tourist spots in Arizona! However, did you know that you can kayak along the famous section of the river? I am breaking down my experience kayaking Horseshoe Bend!
We traveled to Page Arizona in March 2025 for a quick weekend trip. We stayed in and explored the city of Page, visited Lake Powell and hiked Antelope Canyon! On Saturday, we drove about 45 minutes outside of town to kayak along the Colorado river through Horseshoe Bend. It is easily one of the most incredible things I have ever experienced!
Kayak Horseshoe Bend
The most popular time of the year to kayak Horseshoe Bend is May through September because of the warmer weather in Arizona. We went in March and I will admit, it was very cold. However, it did not make this experience any less incredible. In fact, I almost preferred what we did because there were hardly any people on the river. It felt like we had the entire river to ourselves! This allowed us to truly take our time and not feel rushed.
We booked our kayaking trip through Kayak Horseshoe Bend. They provide kayaks and life jackets for your trip. You will also be backhauled up to your drop point on a boat to wherever you want your trip to begin. They make it so easy to drive up, get on a boat, kayak down the river and return your kayak and paddles.
Our Kayaking Trip
Kayak Horseshoe Bend offers several trip options. All trips are different lengths and they give you the option of how long you want to spend out on the water. We chose the most popular drop off location which is at the top of Horseshoe bend. This is about a 5 hour kayaking trip. I was a little nervous about the length of the trip but it honestly flew by!
We arrived at the river around 9:00 am. We met our guide at Lees Ferry who helped us get all of our kayaking tools together and told us everything we need to know while we are on the river. There was one other couple on the boat with us. Other than that and the few other companies that run tours, we really had the river to ourselves!
The weather this morning was extremely low in the 40’s. While this may not sound too bad, we had to boat into the wind to get to our drop point. It was about a 20 minute boat ride and it was the coldest boat ride I have ever taken! I won’t lie, it made me very nervous for the trip back but once we got off of the boat, the weather was truly perfect!
Petroglyph Beach
Petroglyph beach is the most popular drop site. It is located at the top of Horseshoe Bend and it takes about 4-5 hours to kayak back. This is where we chose to begin our trip! There is a small beach area that makes it simple to dock the kayaks and get all of your bearings together before going out on the water.
The reason it is called Petroglyph beach is because there are petroglyph carvings on the canyon walls. Historians think they are 3,000 t0 6,000 years old! They are believed to have been left by ancient Native Americans who inhabited the area centuries ago. It is a protected site and you can only access it by boat. If you kayak horseshoe bend, I highly recommend checking these out on your trip!
Kayak Horseshoe Bend With Us
We were dropped off at Petroglyph beach which was about a 20 minute boat ride from Lees Ferry. We got all of our belongings together and decided to check out the petroglyph carvings. It was a 5 minute walk from the beach and they were fairly easy to locate. This beach area also has public bathrooms so we decided to utilize them before starting our trip.
There are a few bathrooms along the river available for you to use. However, bathroom is a loose term. These outhouses are an enclosed hole in the ground! While it wasn’t the best thing I have ever experienced, I was able to go to the bathroom which was nice. Just hold your breath, go quickly and bring hand sanitizer!
Once we were ready to get going, we put our kayaks in the water and began our trek down the river and around Horseshoe Bend. Being at the bottom of the canyon was mesmerizing! You truly can’t put into words how magnificent everything was. I kept thinking that my brain couldn’t fully comprehend how incredible this was!
Getting the trip started
The water this morning was so crisp! It was very clear and we could see straight to the bottom. It was also freezing but it didn’t take away from the beauty of it. Beginning the trip in the morning was great! Even though it was cold, the morning sunlight added to the beauty of the canyon.
Since we started at the start of Horseshoe Bend, we were able to see people above at the lookout. They looked like ants in the sky but it was so fun to think about the various ways to experience Horseshoe Bend! This also put the vastness of the canyon into perspective.
The river was flowing fairly quickly so paddling wasn’t too difficult. It took us 40 minutes to fully kayak around Horseshoe Bend. By this time, it was around noon and we were beginning to get hungry. We pulled over to a shallow area of the river and ate some trail mix and took in the beauty of it all!
Kayaking
We both have amateur kayaking skills. Outside of a few other kayaking tours and summer camp, our experience is very limited. This river is so tame that it really is available to all skill levels! If you can paddle, you will be fine!
As long as you have your kayak back to the return site by the specified time the company gives you, you can take as long as you want to kayak down the river. There were times that the river was flowing quickly and we would kayak fairly quickly. Other times, we decided to slow down and just hold onto each other’s kayaks and let the water carry us at its own pace.
Since we went so early in the season, we essentially had the river to ourselves. This made the trip so peaceful! We were able to float casually and not have to worry about other kayakers. While we did run into other people, 95% of our trip was all on our own!
Lunch On The River
We were able to bring any food that we wanted on our trip with us. As long as you don’t throw anything into the river or leave it behind, you can bring whatever you want with you! We brought pre-made wraps to eat for lunch. We figured this would be easy to eat in a kayak if we didn’t end up getting out to eat.
Our guide pointed out a beach area when he was taking us to our drop point. It’s called Waterhole Canyon. This area is a popular spot to stop and take a break if needed. It has a small beach area making it easy to dock and get in and out of your kayak. It also has a 1 ½ mile-long hike through a slot canyon.
This area is so beautiful! It was the best spot to pull over, take a break to stretch your legs and have something to eat. We walked to the end of the slot canyon which was about three quarters of a mile deep. It is very sandy and rocky. If you don’t have hiking boots with you, I would be very careful walking through this area!
Kayaking The Last Leg Of Horseshoe Bend
After about 45 minutes, we decided to continue kayaking the rest of the trip. We explored the slot canyon, ate our lunch and felt refreshed to finish the last leg of the trip! The water was moving fairly well and we ended up kayaking with another couple for a small portion of it.
This part of the trip has hills and smaller rocky canyon walls surrounding you but they are still massive! We saw horses grazing the grassy hills which was stunning! The water gets a lot deeper for the last mile of the river before you get to the stopping point. This means that the water slows down a lot.
The last mile was definitely the hardest part of the trip. Since the water is so deep it moves much slower. You have to work a lot harder to paddle. It’s so difficult because by this time, you have been out in the sun and on the water for 3-4 hours. Your body is tired so naturally, it’s going to be difficult.
Once we reached Lees Ferry, we got out of the kayaks and grabbed all of our belongings. We carried the kayaks and left them where the guides indicate before you depart in the morning. Once you return everything, you are good to leave!
What To Know Before You Kayak Horseshoe Bend
What to bring
When planning your trip, it is important to know what you can and should bring with you on your trip. We brought a lot of things with us and were able to fit everything in our portable hiking bag. The most important thing to bring with you is water. We filled up our camel back and brought that with us along with additional water bottles for each of us.
The next important thing to bring with you is sunscreen. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of summer or winter, you need sunscreen. Sitting in the sun for hours as well as on water that reflects the sun, you will get sunburned if not prepared.
I also recommend bringing food. We brought snacks and lunch to eat while kayaking. As mentioned before, we brought pre-made wraps for lunch. For snacks, we brought bags of trail mix, cliff bars and cheez-its. I would also recommend bringing some medicine for allergies. I had a really bad cold the weekend we were here. We brought DayQui and I took it while we were kayaking. If you have allergies, it could be good to have on hand.
Other things to think about bringing are waterproof pouches for your phones! We took so many pictures and videos. It is important to protect your phones! You won’t have service down in the canyon but you don’t want anything to happen and lose your phone. We also brought our polaroid camera and additional film with us. We took some incredibly unique polaroids that we love! If you have a GoPro, definitely bring it with you!
What to wear
Knowing what to wear can be difficult. If you go in the warmer months, a bathing suit and outdoor summer attire is sufficient. We went in March when the weather was very cold. To make things worse, it was the time of year where the weather is much cooler in the mornings and warms up in the afternoon. So, layers were very important for us.
I wore leggings and a long sleeve running shirt. I layered the running shirt on top of a short sleeve athletic shirt. This was for additional warmth in the morning and layers in case I got too hot in the afternoon. We also brought water proof jackets and beanies for our heads. These were so handy on the boat ride up the river since it was so cold! They were easy to drape over our seats in the kayaks when we got too warm.
For shoes, my husband and I both wore our hiking boots. They are water proof and it was helpful when we walked to the petroglyphs and hiked the slot canyon. These shoes also helped keep our feet warm in the morning! If we had gone in the summer, I would have worn my chacos for adequate water shoes. Most of the river bottom is filled with rocks so having shoes with a sole on the bottom will be very nice if you plan on getting into the river at any point.
My Final Thoughts
If you are thinking about booking this trip, DO IT. It is by far one of the most incredible things we have ever done. My husband and I talk about this trip all the time. We tell everyone about it because we feel as though everyone should experience it.
This is a unique trip that anyone can do. A lot of people visit Horseshoe Bend but not many people kayak along the river and experience it from this point of view. You will appreciate it so much more and have incredible stories to share afterward!
If you are looking for other unique travel ideas, you should read about our trip on the Coast Starlight, a 36 hour train ride from Los Angeles to Seattle. Or, check out our experience hiking Angels Landing in Zion National Park!