Meander

Rivers seldom follow a straight line. Instead, they meander, following a winding, convoluted course. Six-Mile Bend of Arizona’s Colorado River (today’s Friday Photo) meanders so substantially that it takes on a horseshoe shape at this location.

The word meander has an absorbing etymology. Three millennia ago, the Maíandros River twisted and turned its way through Asia Minor. Now known as the Büyük Menderes in southwestern Turkey, it’s the longest river flowing into the Aegean Sea.

The two names gave rise to the common English term “meander" used to describe the sinuous curves characteristic of river bends. The river’s meanderings even captured the imagination of Albert Einstein. In 1926, he pondered the physical laws that might explain its serpentine curves.

 View of Maeander Valley, 1714, by Flemish traveller and artist Cornelis de Bruyn (1652–1727). Public domain/Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation/Hellenic Library - Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation

The Shot

The most famous meander of the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River is the Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona. Carved over millions of years, this dramatic canyon plunges 1,000 feet into the vibrant red-rock plateau, revealing layers of ochre and crimson shaped by time. It stands as a world-class example of what geologists call an entrenched meander—a striking river bend that eroded deeply into the landscape, leaving the river winding far below sheer, rugged cliffs.

It’s beautiful, but there are “tripod holes” (photographer’s slang for an overphotographed location) everywhere along its iconic rim. It seems every visitor to Page stops there for a picture.

Ten years ago, I was on a trip to the Southwest looking to get off the beaten path. Six-Mile Bend of the Colorado River was one of those out-of-the-way locations.

Located about two miles upstream of Horseshoe Bend, it’s easy to appreciate from river level on a rafting trip. But few have ventured through the desert to its elevated rim.

The “road” there is two barely discernible ruts in soft sand following a pole line through the middle of nowhere. Once you’re close, it’s an “interesting” scramble down a wash for about a mile to the rim.

When you arrive, the feeling is indescribable. It’s just your small group of photographers transfixed by the sight of the mighty Colorado River meandering its way through the Grand Canyon.

The best composition requires you to stand next to the edge, about eight hundred feet above the river. Both photographs shown below were kindly provided by Jon Christofersen, who has accompanied me as a friend and fellow photographer on numerous journeys.

Unlike Horseshoe Bend, there are no safety warnings or fences. You must trust your judgement (or ignore it) to get a good composition.

We didn’t get a Technicolor sunrise that morning. But the experience of journeying there and soaking in the Colorado River meandering through the Grand Canyon all to ourselves that morning made it special.

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus Zenfolio | Chuck Derus