As we drove toward Bluff, I knew we were going to pass Goosenecks State Park. I thought we would skip it since it was growing dark, but when we came to the turn, I realized we could catch the goosenecks at sunset. We made the snap decision to try to beat the sun.

There isn’t much at Goosenecks SP aside from a small campground of eight sites and the overlook. The park sits above the San Juan River as it flows through several bends (goosenecks) of towering terraced cliffs. This particular site is one of the best examples of an entrenched river meander in North America. The river flows for six miles within the meander but only moves 1.5 miles west toward Lake Powell.

There are no official trails and you cannot hike the 1,000 feet down to the river. It’s simply a protected place where visitors can observe thousands of years of geological transformation. It’s stunning and worth the detour.