PAGE, Ariz. — If you plan on visiting the most famous and photographed river bend in the Southwest, pack sunscreen, water, and some money.
A picture may be worth a thousand words and one at Horseshoe Bend will cost you $10.
Gone are the days of free parking or parking along the shoulder of Highway 89. There are signs and barriers to prevent that.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Page realiza mejoras, y más, con fondos provenientes del estacionamiento de Horseshoe Bend
“It became very, very unsafe,” said Page Mayor Bill Diak.
Prohibiting it has also become profitable. The City of Page, which owns the parking lot and most of the trail at one of the Southwest’s most photographed locations, has pocketed $20.3 million since it started charging fees in 2019, according to documents provided in response to a 12News public records request.
The profit started with … selfies. Or one selfie.
“Back in 2010, we were only seeing about 40,000 people [per year] out here,” Page Mayor Bill Diak said. “But what happened was that selfie went around the world and from one year to the next it went from like 40,000 to over 1.2 million [people] in one year.”
Social media truly brought the world to Horseshoe Bend. In fact, Page, nearby Lake Powell and the surrounding Glen Canyon National Recreation Area welcomed more visitors last year than the Grand Canyon.
More people meant more problems for the Horseshoe Bend overlook. Diak said it took a beating. The old trail from the parking lot went up a steep hill and once at the top, visitors made a beeline to the edge of the canyon, creating their own trails.
There were no bathrooms — people would “do their business” in the desert and leave toilet paper behind, Diak said.
“As it got more popular, we decided we needed to protect the area,” Diak said.
In 2019, the City of Page worked with the National Park Service to improve the trail and infrastructure around Horseshoe Bend. This partnership led to the creation of a new ADA-accessible trail, which now runs around the steep hill instead of over it.
“You can come out here in a wheelchair, you can come out here in an electric chair, it’s very accessible,” Diak said.
There are also pit toilets in the parking lot.
But how did all of this cost $20.3 million?
Expenses since 2019 include the new trail design and construction, parking lot paving, fee booths, gates, shade structures, signage, equipment, employee salaries and benefits.
Oh, and the National Park Service gets a cut of the revenue — about 20 percent of the $20.3 million ($4 million) since they own some of the land.
It’s been a windfall for the town of 7,400. But Diak said state law limits how the money the parking lot has generated can be spent.
“The money cannot be commingled with the general fund, it has to be used to support the operation here,” Diak said.
A public records request by 12News revealed that between January 2019 and May 2024, the city of Page spent:
- $2.02 million on employee salaries and overtime
- $378,093 on employee medical insurance
- $102,188 on operational supplies
- $283,038 on bank processing fees
- $2,158,532 on contract services
- $175,629 on maintenance
- $633,641 on interest
Total expenditures at Horseshoe Bend totaled $16.1 million and included $5.2 million in reimbursements to the city’s general fund, which fronted the cash needed for the facility upgrades, and $2.68 million toward the capital fund.
It is not a cheap place to maintain.
“We pay over $250,000 a year just to pump the toilets,” Diak said.
Phase three upgrades at Horseshoe Bend will add power and running water. Diak said that the project is still a few years away but once it is completed, the city may lower the parking fee, to collect just enough for ongoing operational expenses.
After all, people will always want to visit a special place.
“There are a lot of horseshoe bends on the Colorado River, but it is all about accessibility,” Diak said. “This is so accessible, and it has a special view.”
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