Dead Horse Point State Park Utah
Southern Utah is packed full of incredible geologic formations creating a splendid natural landscape. Arches National Park is undoubtedly the most popular, but Canyonlands National Park also offers an awe-inspiring landscape. Close to Canyonlands is an often-overlooked state park called Dead Horse Point State Park Utah. It offers a vast panoramic view 2,000 feet above a bend in the Colorado River. We went for sunrise to capture this shot.
Dead Horse Point gets is name from the time in the 1800’s when cowboys chased wild mustangs onto Dead Horse Point, using its narrow neck to block off the natural corral. One time, for some unknown reason, horses were left corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst with a view of the Colorado River far below. Dead Horse Point is situated atop a high plateau at an elevation of about 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) above sea level. From this viewpoint, the many layers of geologic time may be viewed, showing 300 million years of the earth’s geologic history.
Now Dead Horse point is a excellent place for hiking, mountain biking, and camping, not to mention one of the best spots in the area for photography.
If you go: Dead Horse Point State Park Utah is 32 miles (51.5 km) from Moab, To get there drive 9 miles (14.5 km) northwest of Moab on US 191 and then 23 miles (37 km) southwest on Utah 313. Driving time from Moab is roughly 45 minutes.
