American Parks II · Farstep pack

Horseshoe Bend in 3D

The Colorado River, 300 m below

Near Page, Arizona, USA

At Horseshoe Bend the Colorado River loops some 270 degrees round a spur of Navajo Sandstone, about 300 m below the rim. It is an entrenched meander: the river kept its winding course as it cut down into rising rock. Water released from deep in Lake Powell, 8 km upstream, keeps the river cold and green.

Where: Near Page, Arizona, USA
Drop: About 300 m to the river
The bend: About 270 degrees round a sandstone spur
Upstream: Glen Canyon Dam, completed 1966

Official site

Walk Horseshoe Bend in 3D

A real-time 3D model, built from open elevation data and published measurements. Loads 2.3 MB when you start.

Horseshoe Bend

Walk it yourself. Works on this phone.

Part of the American Parks II pack: a one-time unlock in this browser.

Terrain from open elevation data · a 3D reconstruction, not a photograph · tags as in the app

What you'll find in the walk

Gold markers in the scene open these cards.

Horseshoe Bend
Known
The Colorado River loops some 270 degrees round a sandstone spur, about 300 m below the rim. It is an entrenched meander: the river kept its winding course as it cut down into rising rock.
Navajo Sandstone
Known
The walls are Navajo Sandstone, the dunes of a vast desert about 190 million years old. Dark streaks of desert varnish run down the cliffs.
Glen Canyon Dam
Known
About 8 km upstream, Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1966, holds back Lake Powell. Water released from deep in the lake keeps the river cold, clear and green.