Dead Horse Point State Park, Moab, Utah, USA

From the prominence of Dead Horse Point, 2,000 feet above a gooseneck in the Colorado River, an ever-changing landscape unfurls. Immense vertical cliffs meet with canyons carved by ice, water and wind creating a visual masterpiece.

Plants and animals surviving on the edge of existence face many challenges of extreme conditions within this high desert environment. Stories of ancient hunters, resting along the cliff tops while knapping chert in preparation for the next hunt, and cowboys of the late 1800’s, chasing wild mustangs onto Dead Horse Point, using the narrow neck to block off the natural corral. What story will you discover on your visit to Dead Horse Point State Park?

Dead Horse Point State Park is a state park of Utah in the United States, featuring a dramatic overlook of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park. The park covers 5,362 acres of high desert at an altitude of 5,900 feet.

View of the Colorado River looking up at Dead Horse Point, upper right.The park has several overlooks, a visitor center, a 21-site campground and a group campsite, one picnic area, and a 9-mile loop hiking trail with two cutovers to allow shorter trips. Safety concerns include the relative isolation of the park (gas, food and medical care are over 30 miles , lightning danger and unfenced cliffs. Nearby Moab is a noted center for mountain biking. Bikes in the park are allowed on paved roads, and there is a mountain bike trail called Intrepid Trail near the State Park Visitor’s Center with loops of varying levels of difficulty. Hunting is not allowed in the park.

The park is so named because of its use as a natural corral by cowboys in the 19th century, where horses often died of exposure. Dead Horse Point has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.

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