After visiting Kanab we took the opportunity to visit two “big” attractions in Arizona.

Just nine miles upstream from the start of the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River had to made a wide sweep around a sandstone cliff forming this massive escarpment. The location is know as Horseshoe Bend and it is located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Knowing how this formation came to be is not as important as just enjoying the spectacular vista. Over millions of years Colorado River slowly sliced a thousand feet down through the uplifted layers of sandstone. Can you imagine the view from the boat (at four o’clock in the photo above) floating in the Colorado River. It must be spectacular!

The desert flowers were still in bloom when we visited, adding lots of color to the short hike to the Horseshoe Bend viewing site.

Later that day as we were driving east on Highway 40 we decided to follow this interesting sign.

We turned off Highway 40 onto a small road for a few miles and reached the best preserved and proven meteor crater in the world. About 50,000 years ago, an iron meteor penetrated the Earth’s atmosphere and smashed into Northern Arizona.

The crater is huge, too large for my 24 mm lens to totally capture. The crater measures 3/4 miles across and over 600 feet deep. Take a look at the photo above. Can you spot the 6 foot tall astronaut near the center of the crater? Click on the gallery below to get a sense on how vast this crater is.

The Barringer Meteor Crater is so rare that it is Registered as a National Natural Landmark by the US Department of Interior.

Both Horseshoe Bend and Meteor Crater are worth visiting if you find yourself driving east on route 40 in Arizona between Kanab and the Grand Canyon. They provide stunning and unique views of uncommon natural phenomena.

Up next is the Petrified Forest National Park. Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day holiday weekend.