With one of the best vistas in Utah, it’s hard to believe that more people haven’t heard of Dead Horse Point. Located outside of Moab, on the way to Canyonlands National Park, this is a “must see” if you’re in the area. While it technically doesn’t qualify as a hike, it would be a shame to leave it out. Dead Horse Point won’t take more than an hour visit, and is definitely worth it!
While the name “Dead Horse Point” can sound rather gruesome, rest assured that you’ll find no dead horses at Dead Horse Point. However, supposedly there was some a century or so ago. Back then, Dead Horse Point was an excellent bottleneck for cowboys and ranchers to herd in wild horses. On the road, about a quarter of a mile from the lookout point, you’ll pass the bottleneck which is only about 30 feet wide. Here, once the horses would be herded in, a fence and gate were placed trapping the horses. The cowboys could then pick out the wild horses they wished to keep. Unfortunately, as the story goes, once the cowboys picked the horses they wanted, they opened the gate at the bottleneck and left. It was said that the wild horses were so spooked that many didn’t leave the point, even though the gate was open, and being on top of a mesa, with no shade and no water, they died of thirst.
How to get there:
From Moab, UT, head north on the main road (US-191) through town. After passing the turn off to the entrance of Arches National Park, you’ll continue north on US-191 for 6.5 miles, when you see a sign for Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. Turn left here onto UT Hwy 313. You will follow this road, which winds you past petrified sand dunes, for 14.6 miles. Here you’ll see a small sign for Dead Horse Point State Park. Turn left here. If you continued to go straight instead of turn left to Dead Horse Point, you would arrive at the park entrance for Canyonlands National Park, after an additional 5.6 miles, which makes for another great place to go after Dead Horse Point. After taking the left toward Dead Horse Point, you’ll follow this road for 6.4 miles to the entrance of the state park. While there is a guard hut, it’s always been unmanned, so just park at the visitors center, and the entrance fee is only $5 or $10. From the visitors center, follow the road for another 1.5 miles to the parking area for Dead Horse Point.
There are new, modern bathrooms at the parking area, and pets are allowed on a leash.
View from the first overlook
Hitting the Trail!
The trail here consists of wide sidewalk and a covered pavilion. Views are incredible in all directions. The Colorado River, which formed the breathtaking canyons you see is found 2000 feet below the point. The opening of Mission Impossible 2, an episode of MacGyver, and others have been shot here as well. Enjoy the wonderful views, but don’t get too close to the edge, as the rock can be loose. After walking around the point, you’ll see Canyonlands National Park across the canyon from you. I highly recommend visiting both Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands together!
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The view from Dead Horse Point
