Horseshoe Bend: Don't worry, I'm from the government and here to help you!

[JeffAZ]

So there now will be fees to visit previously free Horseshoe Bend overlook near Page AZ.
Car: $10
Motorcycle: $5
Bus: $35 to $140, based on number of passengers. I don't know if a
motorhome with just 1-2 people will be considered a bus or not.

Aaahhh, the price of progress.

[rk911]

i was there a year or two ago. there was work being done on the path to the top and to the parking lot.

[twogypsies]

The national park passes will not be honored. Supposedly, they improved parking and the trail.

[jlentz32]

What a shame.

[TeamReif]

I was just there. A kind man in Monument Valley warned me about the new parking fees. But told me if we got there before 8 AM we could still park in the original free parking lot. We got there about 7 AM and were able to park in the original parking lot. On our way the lot was full and people had to park at the shuttle parking lots just down the road. That was a few weeks ago. You might check if that is still the case. They were actively working on the new shuttle system.

[twogypsies]

I thought the shuttle system from Page ended mid-April when new parking opened. So they're going to keep the shuttle?

[rk911]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usa...amp/3528273002

[Navy H-60]

National parks are shrinking. Soon we'll be visiting government owned oil fields. Please vote to protect our national treasures in 2020! [emoji178]

[twogypsies]

Here's a link to the shuttle and it does look like they planned to end it April 15. Perhaps it's extended. A shuttle makes sense.

https://cityofpage.org/images/homepa...nt-1-30-19.pdf

[Superslif]

Originally Posted by Navy H-60

National parks are shrinking. Soon we'll be visiting government owned oil fields. Please vote to protect our national treasures in 2020! [emoji178]

The problem is 90% of the US citizens have rarely visited a national park, so they can't understand what the big deal is to plow some them over in the name of "progress" & "profit". If they did, they would change their thinking, or the the people who think for them. When their gone, their gone. You can't plant or grow a new national park.

I'm glad some of the national parks have stepped forward to control visitation issues. We recently visited Acadia National Park in Maine, where the "free" bus shuttles were a blessing. Even picked us up right in the national park campgrounds.

With that said, $10 per vehicle seems a little profit driven for here at Horseshoe. 2 million visitors divided by say 4 people per vehicle is $5 million a year.

[traveldawg]

We visited there yesterday for the first time. When I asked about using my NP Pass the polite young lady said the parking is on city property. So I'm OK with a fee. If it keeps some people away that's fine with us too. They seem to be investing the money into new parking lots so at least improvements are being made.

I'm not sure the whole place isn't city or county property versus federal (National Park land).

There is also work being done to improve the trail. So maybe some money is going into that too.

The rates went up a National Parks too. Good for them. Maybe they'll put that extra money into upgrades.

I think social media has pretty much caused this explosion in visits to Horseshoe Bend. Now everyone knows about it. And it's too easy to get to so every bus from the west drops off 40 or 60 people at a time so they can walk to the viewpoint.

[rk911]

Originally Posted by traveldawg

We visited there yesterday for the first time. When I asked about using my NP Pass the polite young lady said the parking is on city property. So I'm OK with a fee. If it keeps some people away that's fine with us too. They seem to be investing the money into new parking lots so at least improvements are being made.

I'm not sure the whole place isn't city or county property versus federal (National Park land).

There is also work being done to improve the trail. So maybe some money is going into that too.

The rates went up a National Parks too. Good for them. Maybe they'll put that extra money into upgrades.

I think social media has pretty much caused this explosion in visits to Horseshoe Bend. Now everyone knows about it. And it's too easy to get to so every bus from the west drops off 40 or 60 people at a time so they can walk to the viewpoint.

i agree completely. nothing in this world us free. there is a cost to maintain access these sites and the fees being charged seem reasonable. we're not on facebook and the like and "discovered" Horseshoe Bend quite by accident when we spent a couple of weeks in Page a year or so ago. i'm glad i was able to see jt/climb it when i did. not because f the new fees but because of the crowds. it was very un-crowded the day we were there.

[Cliffy]

I live in Page. HB has exploded with tourists in the last 3 years. The City of Page owns the property around the area. There were many many issues with the increase in tourists. Toilets had to be installed (what do you do with the effluent?). So many people went there that cars were parked on highway 89 for 1 mile each way on busy days. Its a 65 MPH highway right there. Many real bad car accidents were happening on that stretch of highway. The city had to do something. Now new parking lots are available, pretty good toilets are in (how many do you need for a 2-5 thousand visitors a day? ) The trail had to be "Accessible" for the handicapped. A shade structure had to be built at the top of the hill (many rescues for dehydration on the hike in and out- about 1/2 mile). A fence had to be built near the edge but many just climb over it and a few have taken the long step down (first stop 700') by backing up taking a selfie near the edge.
The city run shuttle service had to be paid for somehow. @12 hrs a day/7 per week.

The fees are to cover the improvements as the city doesn't really have enough money to do that (basically we're almost broke but that's a long and different story).

The bad part is the popularity. It used to be easy to go there but not now. I don't even take family from out of town there anymore.

BTW, our tourist season has grown longer each year. We now are only "dead" basically December through Feb. 5 new hotels have been built in the last 2 years and 3 more are on the drawing boards right now. Food in town is the biggest issue. Limited options as there is nowhere to house service workers in this area. No big apartments available, 65% of the housing in Page is on VRBO, no low income housing in existence. A full service/table service restaurant won't work here as no one to do the waiter work is available.

Its beyond me why someone like Golden Corral Buffet doesn't open up here. Low man power compared to a full service restaurant. They would be swamped with business 18 hrs a day. That kind of restaurant would work here (I used to be in the restaurant business, now retired).

[JpalmerCass]

This is why when I stumble on a good thing I keep it under my hat.