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.[4] The park covers 5,362 acres (2,170 ha) of high desert at an altitude of 5,900 feet (1,800 m).

Dead Horse Point State Park panorama
Dead Horse Point State Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
View of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park from Dead Horse Point
Location of Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah
LocationUtah, United States
Coordinates38°30′30″N 109°44′32″W
Area5,300 acres (21 km2)[1]
Elevation5,900 ft (1,800 m)[2]
Established1959[2]
Visitors560,783 (in 2017)[3]
OperatorUtah State Parks
Websitestateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/dead-horse/

Amenities

The park has several overlooks, a visitor center, and picnic areas. The Kayenta Campground has 21 RV campsites with electricity and tent pads. The Wingate Campground features 4 yurts, 20 RV campsites and 11 hike-in tent-only sites. There are five additional yurts at the Moenkopi Yurt area. A coffee shop serves food and beverages.

Dead Horse Point State Park features an 8-mile (13 km) hiking trail that includes loops and overlooks on the East Rim Trail and the West Rim Trail. The Intrepid Trail System contains 17 miles of single-track mountain bike trails with loops of varying levels of difficulty. Bikes are also allowed single-file on paved roads.

Hunting is not allowed in the park. Safety concerns include the relative isolation of the park (gas, food and medical care are over 30 miles (48 km) away in Moab), lightning danger and unfenced cliffs.[5]

Dead Horse Point Name

According to legend, 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.[6] Dead Horse Point has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[7]

In film

Dead Horse Point State Park appeared in the final scene in the 1991 film Thelma & Louise.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Dead Horse Point State Park Resource Management Plan" (pdf). Utah State Parks. April 2007. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  2. "Dead Horse Point State Park: About the Park". Utah State Parks. Archived from the original on 2011-03-16. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  3. "Utah State Park 2017 Visitation" (pdf). Utah State Parks Planning. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  4. Leigh, Rufus Wood (1961). Five hundred Utah place names: their origin and significance. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press. p. 17.
  5. "Dead Horse Point State Park" (PDF). Utah State Parks. February 2004.
  6. Van Atta, Dale (Jan 22, 1977). "You name it - there's a town for it". The Deseret News. p. 15. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  7. Parker, Quentin (2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. pp. ix.
  8. "Movies filmed in the Moab area". Moab Area Travel Council. Retrieved 2013-10-06.
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