Dead Horse Point State Park

Perhaps Utah’s most spectacular state park, Dead Horse Point is a promontory of stone surrounded by steep cliffs that provide breathtaking views of canyon country and the pinnacles and buttes of Canyonlands National Park.

(435) 259-2614, www.stateparks.utah.gov

Park hours 6am-10pm.

Visitor center hours: summer (March 15-mid-October) 8am–6pm, winter (mid-October-March 14) 9am–5pm.

Visitor center closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, however, the park remains open.

Entrance Fees

$10 day-use (per vehicle, up to 8 passengers), subject to change.
$5 day-use for Utah seniors 62+,
$75 annual day-use pass,
$35 Senior Adventure (annual) Pass.
(All fees subject to change).

Note: This is a Utah State Park. The National Parks Pass will not be valid here.

Directions

Nine miles northwest of Moab on US Hwy 191 and then 23 miles southwest on Scenic Byway Utah Hwy 313 to the visitor center at the end of the highway.

Visitor center, interpretive museum, developed campground and large overlook shelter. New Pony Expresso Coffee Shop open 9am-5pm through October.

Cool Things To Do

You can walk along Rim Walk, towering 2,000ft directly above the Colorado River. There are ten miles of hiking trails running close to the unfenced cliff edge and through meadows on the plateau.

The Intrepid Trail System offers three hiking and biking loops ranging from one to nine miles with varying degrees of difficulty. (Sorry, no dogs allowed.)

Camping

Camp only in designated areas. The 21-site Kayenta Campground features electrical hookups, tent pads, sheltered tables and charcoal grills at each site. No showers. Limited water so bring your own. Reservations recommended as the campground may be full. Group overnight camping $3 per person (25-person minimum, 30 max, $75
minimum). Quiet hours 10pm-7am.

Reservations accepted by telephone or online. Credit or debit card only. Telephone reservations: Utah State Parks Reservation Call Center, 7am–6pm, Monday–Thursday.
800-322-3770, www.stateparks.utah.gov/reservations.

Note: This is a Utah State Park. The National Parks Pass will not be valid here.

Pet Friendly

Except on the Intrepid Trail. Pets must always be on a maximum six-foot leash and never left unattended.

Why Dead Horse?

According to legend, around the turn of the century the point was used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa. Cowboys rounded up the horses, herded them across the narrow neck of land and onto the point. The neck, which is only 30-yards wide, was then fenced off with branches and brush. This created a natural corral surrounded by precipitous cliffs straight down on all sides, affording no escape.Cowboys then chose the horses they wanted and let the others go free. One time, the horses were left corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst within view of the Colorado River, 2,000ft below.