(gentle music) - Hey, I'm Jayarr and on this season of Trail Mix'd, I'm gonna take you around, under, and through Arizona.

Join me in my quest to see the best trails that Arizona has to offer from the iconic spots to the hidden gems.

Along the way, we'll be diving deep into what makes Arizona's trails some of the best in the world.

So, come on, let's take a hike.

(upbeat rock music) Every day, thousands of people head outside to explore the outdoors, but everyone does it for different reasons.

Some are looking for silence and solitude.

Some go for the fresh air and proximity to nature.

Others are looking for exercise or physical challenge, and some explorers are looking to capture that perfect shot.

Today we're gonna check out one of the most famous places to get a picture in Arizona.

Then we're gonna get some expert photography tips from an adventure photographer.

We'll also explore a lesser known trail and learn a little more about creating great art while keeping the desert safe.

(bright music) - [Announcer] Trail Mix'd is made possible in part by a gift from Sue and Bill Ahearn.

(bright music) Additional support provided by.

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We're investing in one of the country's largest solar battery storage projects to deliver power that's as reliable as it is sustainable.

- [Announcer] Whitfill Nursery proud to support Arizona PBS, a valley tradition since 1946.

Over 200 acres of Arizona grown trees citrus and palms, complete custom design and installation, and Whitfill Nursery still does the digging.

Whitfillnursery.com.

- [Narrator] Arizona, you never cease to amaze us.

From your determination to your resiliency, both individually and as a community.

Because of you, the Arizona lottery can use its resources to help make our state stronger, from supporting small businesses to protecting Arizona's most vulnerable people, and giving hope to future generations paving the way for a better tomorrow, for our better tomorrow.

- [Announcer] And by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(logo whooshes) - If you're a nature enthusiast who always has a camera on you to try to capture that perfect photo to post online, welcome to Horseshoe Bend.

(gentle music) If you're located in the Phoenix area, Horseshoe Bend is quite a trek.

It's about a four-hour drive to get there and another four hours back.

There's plenty of other amazing sites to see in Page, like the beautiful Antelope Canyon and the second largest manmade lake in the United States.

Lake Powell.

It'd be easy to fill up a whole weekend.

Today we're exploring one of the most photographed spots in all of Arizona, Horseshoe Bend.

So come on, let's take a hike.

(pin pops) (gentle music) I have seen this place about a billion times on social media, and I've actually never been here before, so I'm excited to get my own photos to post.

That view right there, like we haven't even hit the main spot but I feel like that view right there is what people move to the Southwest for.

This is by far the most picturesque.

I mean, we're not even there yet.

This is by far one of the most picturesque views that I've ever seen.

(footsteps crunching) (gentle music) I mean, where else can you find landscapes like this that look like they were handcrafted by a master artisan, by a master sculptor?

Yeah, this is what people travel from all over the world for, these rare, beautiful cliffs.

These red rocks.

(footsteps crunching) (gentle music) Oh yeah, this is selfie country for sure.

I see people with their selfie sticks and people they're posing.

They're asking each other to take photos for each other, they're trading cameras to take photos for each other.

From the parking lot to the overlook, it's just under a mile.

The trail is easy, wheelchair-friendly, and with minimal elevation.

Don't let the short distance fool you though.

Page temperatures can range from below freezing to the high 90s so be sure to check the forecast and prepare accordingly.

Here we go, y'all.

Horseshoe Bend.

My goal is to find the spot 'cause I know there's this one spot that everybody takes a picture at, and I gotta get me one too.

(gentle upbeat music) Oh, that's, (chuckles) that's dizzying.

(chuckles) It's like my...

It's like my eyes went into wide angle mode.

I mean, that is unbelievable.

(gentle upbeat music) I know, it's a very cliched thing to say, oh, photos don't do it justice.

But this is one of those moments where it's not even close.

(gentle upbeat music) Horseshoe Bend is a fantastic example of something called an entrenched meander.

As rivers flow, they take the path of least resistance.

When rivers encounter harder rocks or changes in the landscape, they flow around them.

Here, the Colorado River ran into an object and gradually cut deeply into the surrounding area, forming a 270 degree bend in the river.

We just call this particular entrenched meander, Horseshoe Bend.

(birds twittering) Clearly, Horseshoe Bend is a beautiful and unique place to visit, and a wonderful place to get a stunning selfie.

But there's a dark side to posting online.

In Horseshoe Bend, tourism has risen from around 4,000 visitors per year to over 2.2 million a year, over 4,000 in just a day.

This huge influx of people has resulted in new safety measures being put in place.

It's about a thousand feet from here to the bottom.

So these railings help hikers experience the views safely.

To be 100% honest, I'm absolutely terrified of heights.

I always have been.

But it's moments like these where I have to be really cognizant of my physical ability and play it safe.

I mean, there are no railings there so, the reality is, the reality is this is all gonna work out.

How about that?

(lighthearted instrumental music) Do it for the photo.

Oh my God.

Oh.

(chuckles nervously) (sighs) Okay.

No, I can't, I can't go out there.

Okay, here, I'll stop right here.

Holy Jesus.

Hmm.

That is.

My legs have turned to jelly.

(lighthearted instrumental music) Okay.

That's my instinct wanting to protect me.

(lighthearted instrumental music) There's something about being this close to something so big and beautiful that it reminds you of how one, short life is.

'cause you think about how long this has been here and how long it's taken to carve this beautiful spot out.

And two, how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things.

Really humbling, really healthy.

(lighthearted instrumental music) Capturing a beautiful shot while getting it safely is particularly important in locations like this.

To help us out with that, today I'm chatting with Horseshoe Bend photography veteran, Kristen Marie.

(upbeat music) - So, my name is Kristen Marie.

I am an adventure wedding photographer and an elopement photographer.

- That sounds interesting.

Well, what does that mean?

- So I take photos of couples who are having non-traditional weddings essentially.

Instead of having a 300-person wedding, they decide to get married in the mountains or at places like this.

- Yeah.

- [Kristen] There's usually an adventurous element to it.

So they go hiking or they go whitewater rafting, horseback riding.

Anything that you want, they incorporate into the day of their wedding to make it more meaningful.

- [Jayarr] So that's cool.

You actually get to like be on adventure with them.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

- Part of my job is to go hiking with them and capture the story of what's happening throughout the day.

- So how often do you shoot at Horseshoe Bend or other areas like this?

- So, because I am an adventure elopement photographer, pretty much all of the work that I do is at places like this, whether it's Horseshoe Bend, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Colorado.

People when they hire me, they know that I shoot at epic locations.

I come to Horseshoe Bend a couple times a year, but I travel all throughout the United States and sometimes out of the country as well for my weddings.

- [Jayarr] What's your favorite place in Arizona to shoot?

- So, as far as weddings goes, I actually really love shooting in Page and I'm not just saying that because we're doing this interview here.

I love the variety that's in Paige.

Some of the best spots in all of the United States are in Page, Arizona, which is totally nuts.

Like within minutes you can go from Horseshoe Bend to Antelope Canyon to Lake Powell and Lake Powell is so vast, there's so much to explore.

- What's the best time of day to shoot here, specifically?

- The best time of day in general for any photographer is gonna be during what they call golden Hour.

Most people have heard of this, it's pretty easy to guess.

It's the hour after sunrise, the hour before sunset.

Specifically a Horseshoe Bend, sunset is gonna be better than sunrise because then you get that glow.

What happens at sunrise is most of the time the sun is rising from the wrong direction.

So when it's rising, there's a shadow, a stark line that goes across the wall.

And it just means that you have to expose for the harsh shadows and the bright highlights, and that makes it really difficult.

So even though Sunset is a little bit busier, I generally say the lighting is better.

- You were mentioning getting close to the edge for the ultimate shot.

Do you have any safety tips?

- Yes.

So, at places like this, Horseshoe Bend, the Grand Canyon, there's always gonna be an element of risk.

Just because this is a thousand foot drop.

I get more nervous when I bring clients here and I have a conversation with them about the risks of taking photos here.

You get a really beautiful epic view, but you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times.

You never wanna walk backward toward the edge.

You always wanna know where the edge is.

- (sighs) Just hearing you say that made my legs turn to jello.

Oh my God.

- And you know what?

At the Grand Canyon, which I'm sure it's similar here, there are a number of fatalities every year and you know what the number one reason for the fatalities?

- People taking photos of the Canyon.

- Selfies.

- Yeah.

- Selfies.

- Oh, probably 'cause they're going like that, they're faced backwards and just, oh.

- Faced backwards.

- What a nightmare.

- They're doing it to try to impress their friends.

And that's the last thing that you wanna do, is take your eyes off your feet.

- It is literally the last thing you wanna do.

It will be the last thing you wanna do for sure.

(Kristen chuckles) People be careful.

- And I always tell my clients, if at any point they feel uncomfortable or they start to feel dizzy, take five steps away.

It's not worth the risk getting the shot.

- Yeah.

Agreed.

Would you be down to like give me some tips and pointers and maybe show me how to capture an epic photo here?

- Yeah, I love that.

- Okay, right.

All right.

You wanna do it now?

- Let's do it now.

- All right, come on.

(lighthearted music) - So the shutter is how long the lens stays open.

Kinda like when you're blinking your eye.

It's how long your eye lets in light before you close it again, capturing an image.

If you want a crisp photo, it's a fast enough shutter that you're not gonna get any movement.

With landscapes, it's really fun to play around with slow shutters as well.

And that would just give you a really flowy look with the river.

So for this photo, you're gonna be sitting facing the canyon.

- [Jayarr] So we're doing a portrait?

- We're gonna do a portrait.

- Okay.

- I'm gonna take a picture of you.

- [Jayarr] Thank you.

- So you're gonna sit right here.

You can sit down on this higher section right there.

You're gonna look out over the view.

- Okay.

- The best way to get a portrait photo at Horseshoe Bend is to try to get higher than the subject.

And this spot is really nice because there is a high spot that I'm gonna be standing on.

- Is that so you can capture the river in the canyon?

- Yep, so I can capture as much of the river as possible.

Usually with portraits, you just kinda have to be okay with the fact that you're gonna get some rock blocking the river, but you still get the idea of how grand everything is, so.

- So, you're telling me right now I don't have to do anything.

I just have to sit here and just look pretty.

- You don't even have to have your eyes open.

You just meditate.

Well, then I'll take a nap.

- (chuckles) Perfect.

- [Jayarr] I can close my eyes for real?

- You can close your eyes, I can't see anything.

(upbeat music) (camera shutter clicking) Perfect.

(camera shutter clicking) (upbeat music) Awesome.

Stay right there.

I'm gonna get a series of photos of you.

(camera shutter clicking) (upbeat music) Perfect.

Have you seen those Instagram girls that hold their hands up in the air?

- Oh, like this?

- Yes.

Yes.

(camera shutter clicking) That's perfect.

- [Jayarr] Oh my God.

Yay, the sun.

- That's the one.

- Can I give you an action shot?

- [Kristen] Yeah.

Let's see an action shot.

- Can I jump in the air or something?

- I'm down.

- Okay.

Okay.

All right.

Do you wanna do three, two, one, jump and then I'll jump when you tell me to jump?

- [Kristen] Okay.

- And I'll look right at the camera.

- Okay.

Three, two, one, jump.

(camera shutter clicking) (Jayarr laughing) You jumped so high.

Oh my God.

- Really?

That was way scarier than it looked.

What do you think?

- Oh, I got it.

- All right.

- Pretty cool.

We got a lot.

- All right.

- [Kristen] I just kept going.

I was kinda good with the first shot, but I was like, I'll just keep going.

- My favorite, my favorite by far is the one where I am, where I'm jumping with my little feet tucked up.

- [Kristen] Yes.

You jumped so high.

- Awesome.

After talking to Kristen, I was inspired to explore other trails that Page has to offer.

I got my social media-worthy picture at Horseshoe Bend, but I wanted to find something beautiful to photograph that was a little more tucked away.

(bright music) Tucked away in Page is a little trail with beautiful rocks, great views, and a hidden garden at the end.

Welcome to the Hanging Garden Trail.

(pin pops) (bright music) (pin pops) (bright music) (footsteps crunching) Although I didn't have a camera with me today, I met with someone who did.

Today I met with Wagner Kelley, a local photographer and president of the Grand Circle Arts Alliance.

Kristen had some great tips on how to get a great shot and keep ourselves safe.

Wagner is a solid resource to talk to us about how to get a great shot and keep the desert safe.

- I'm a photographer.

I do landscape work, I do portrait work, sculpture, all kinds of stuff.

- You have a camera with you, so you're obviously passionate about photography, but earlier you mentioned conservation.

Does photography connect with that at all?

- It does.

I try and in the subject of a lot of my work, I try and to show people how beautiful the desert is, how diverse it can be, and how lonely and quiet it can be without over promoting something.

A lot of times I'll take a picture and people say, "Where is that?"

And I say, "Well, it's out there," you know?

- [Jayarr] Yeah.

- Go find it, right?

- Yeah.

- This place is controversial especially when it comes to the talking about conservation and ecology.

I mean, the dam is controversial.

The lake is controversial.

The industry here, sometimes.

If you've ever read anything by Edward Abbey, you talk about industrial tourism and this place can suffer from that big time.

The desert's so delicate and it's so dry, but there's just enough of everything for what's here.

And you start messing with that a little bit, building ATV trails or something like that, and it starts to kinda tilt that balance one way or the other, and things get affected negatively pretty quickly.

(melancholic instrumental music) (footsteps crunching) (melancholic instrumental music) - Your work obviously isn't promoting industrial tourism.

How does it promote conservation?

- I try and just show people what the place really looks like.

What the elements are out here that are important to the ecology.

- And it makes sense if you preserve visually something like that, like nature, then that draws attention to, hey, if we don't protect this, this will be gone.

- Absolutely.

- Yeah.

- Not only do we have to be conscious of the environment and conscious of this cryptobiotic soils or small insect holes or whatever, but the cultural stuff here, it's so important that people really, really, really pay attention.

There's places out here with shards of pottery and beautiful points and things like that laying all over the place that, I can take them and show them, but I'm always afraid I'm gonna come back and it's gonna be gone.

(chuckles) - Yeah.

- Sometimes I have that in my photography work.

You'll see a lot of cultural stuff involved with it, but I almost would never tell somebody where it's at.

- Your work, it makes sense 'cause it brings it back to conservation, education, and awareness leaving the natural landscape the way it is.

(melancholic instrumental music) (footsteps thudding) (melancholic instrumental music) There's parts of this trail that are better marked than others.

Like you can see here, there's a very smooth line of rocks, but it's not like most trails where there's a very defined dirt path.

So, to keep yourselves safe and to stay on trail, just make sure you're keeping an eye out for the rock pass.

I can see it's a little broken up, but it is here.

(gentle upbeat music) Huh.

Uh.

I lost the trail for a second, but, okay, okay, we're good.

I see the line of rocks.

Okay.

Shout out to the people who, whether it's people who live in the area or rangers who maintain this 'cause it does make it easier.

Unique problems require unique solutions and a lot of times those unique solutions are just using your eyes and paying attention to your surroundings.

Have you hiked the Hanging Garden Trail?

- I have.

- Yeah.

- [Wagner] I have a few times.

- [Jayarr] What are some highlights we should look out for?

- It's really representative of this Navajo sandstone and this type of country the scrub that's out here, but you get around and you go around the corner and you run into the gardens hanging in there.

And this time of the year they're not quite as beautiful.

Things are kinda shut down and gone dormant.

But in the summertime, you get out here in June and it's amazing.

The water dripping out of the rock and the ivies and the grasses and stuff, it's really pretty place and it's so accessible, you know?

It's literally a 15-minute walk.

(gentle upbeat music) - Oh, this is very nice.

You can see the watermarks, it trickles down and creates this canopy of shade and moisture for these plants to thrive in.

(gentle upbeat music) Well, this is really cool.

It is surprisingly green and I understand why it's called the Hanging Gardens because these plants are hanging, look at this little guy right here.

Reminds me of mistletoe but, oh, and there's even roots that have gone their way through the rock.

But this is a really rare experience.

It just reminds me of how important adventuring and hiking is 'cause you never know what you're gonna find.

I've been in the desert now 10 years and I've never seen plants like this.

So, yeah, hiking will do that.

Hiking will lead you to spots that are very rare and very exciting, and this is definitely new.

I've actually never seen a plant like this in Arizona.

I don't know if these are vines.

They have these beautiful black stems.

Cool.

(gentle music) I would imagine in the summer too, this is a really nice place to kinda rest and maybe have a snack and get a bit of shade, and then go back on that rocky trail.

But this is really special.

These stems are jet black.

I have never seen a plant like this in my life.

(gentle upbeat music) In the desert, water sources are rare and vitally important.

In stark contrast to the surrounding red rock of the Colorado Plateau, streams and springs support small areas of verdant vegetation.

One type of spring-supported plant community are hanging gardens.

Hanging gardens form in places that are cooler and wetter than the rest of the desert, often in vertical alcoves along the cliffs.

Winter precipitation flows down through the porous stone, seeping out sides of the cliff and allowing a wide variety of plants that thrive directly on the rock.

Hanging gardens are diverse places where many species of plants thrive, including ferns, lilies, sedges, and orchids.

(gentle upbeat music) These beautiful oasis are extremely delicate.

Take plenty of pictures but be careful not to disturb the fragile plants and stay on the marked trails.

(gentle upbeat music) When you come to check out Hanging Garden Trail, don't forget to take a moment to soak in the view.

This trail, like many in Page, is a fantastic place to get a great shot.

Not only does this trail have a unique alcove with rare desert plants, but it has a wonderful view of the canyon and even a bit of Lake Powell.

(gentle music) While it's important to put energy into getting the perfect shot, just don't forget to be present.

Don't forget to be here right now, enjoying the vista.

I'm extremely fortunate to have spent the day absorbing one of Arizona's most beautiful, stunning, natural landscapes.

I really hope you enjoyed hiking with me today, and I'll catch you on the next trail.

(bright music)