Dead Horse Point State Park

What makes Dead Horse Point worth the detour

Most people drive right past the turn on their way to Canyonlands National Park. That is a mistake. About 32 miles from Moab, a narrow mesa juts out over the Colorado River canyon and drops 2,000 feet straight down to the river below. This is Dead Horse Point State Park, and it is one of the most dramatic viewpoints in the American Southwest.

Two things set it apart from every other canyon overlook in the region. First, the sheer scale of the drop: you are standing at the very tip of a mesa, looking straight down at the Colorado River as it loops through a tight gooseneck bend, with Canyonlands National Park spreading to the horizon and the snow-capped La Sal Mountains beyond. Second, and this catches almost everyone off guard: the bright turquoise evaporation ponds of the Intrepid Potash mine shimmer far below against the rust-red canyon floor. The color is completely unexpected. No other overlook in Utah has it.

The name comes from a grim piece of local history. In the late 1800s, cowboys discovered that the narrow neck of the mesa made a natural corral for wild mustangs. They drove the horses onto the point, stretched a makeshift fence across the neck, and picked the best animals to keep. The rest were left behind. With the river 2,000 feet below and no way off the point, the abandoned horses died of thirst while the water was within sight. The name has been there ever since.

One practical note before you go: Dead Horse Point is a Utah State Park, not a national park. The National Park Service does not manage it, and your America the Beautiful pass does not work here. Entry is $20 per vehicle and covers two consecutive days.

Getting to Dead Horse Point from Moab

The drive takes about 35 to 40 minutes from downtown Moab. Head north on US-191 for about 9 miles, then turn left on UT-313. Follow UT-313 for about 22 miles to the park entrance. The road is paved the entire way. Fill up with gas and water in Moab before you leave: there are no services on UT-313.

For the first 13 miles on UT-313, you share the road with Canyonlands-bound traffic. At the signed junction, the road splits: left for Canyonlands Island in the Sky, straight for Dead Horse Point. The two parks are commonly visited together on the same day, and the shared access makes that straightforward.

There is no shuttle service to Dead Horse Point. You need a car. Parking is at the visitor center, with space for standard vehicles and RVs. The lot fills on weekend mornings in spring and fall: arriving before 9 a.m. avoids the squeeze.

Entry fees and hours

Dead Horse Point State Park is open year-round, 24 hours a day. The visitor center keeps seasonal hours, roughly 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the park itself never closes.

• $20 per vehicle (car, truck, or SUV): covers two consecutive days
• $15 per motorcycle
• $10 per person arriving on foot or by bicycle

Utah State Parks passes and the Utah State Parks Annual Pass cover entry. The America the Beautiful interagency pass does not work here because Dead Horse Point is a state park. Pay at the entrance station or self-pay kiosk. The two-day window means you can combine a day visit with an overnight at the campground without paying twice.

The overlooks

The park has five named overlooks reachable by a mix of short drives and brief walks. You can see all of them in about an hour without breaking a sweat.

• Dead Horse Point Overlook: the main event. A paved path from the visitor center parking lot reaches the tip of the mesa in about 10 minutes. The view drops straight to the Colorado River gooseneck, with the turquoise potash ponds far below and Canyonlands spreading to the horizon. This is the photograph everyone takes home.
• Meander Overlook: a short drive and walk from the main overlook. Gives you a different angle on the river curves, slightly quieter than the main point. Worth the extra 15 minutes.
• Shafer Canyon Overlook: look down into the canyon where the Shafer Trail, a gnarly 4-wheel-drive road, switchbacks along the cliff face. A sharp reminder of how technical this terrain is when you are on it rather than above it.
• Rim Overlook and Desert View Overlook: both accessible from the rim trails, each with its own slice of the canyon and different light conditions morning versus evening.

Short on time? Go straight to the main overlook. Have 90 minutes? Drive the full loop between all five. No single overlook is a long walk from the car.

Trails at Dead Horse Point

The park has about 9 miles of marked trails. Most follow the canyon rim, which means constant views with minimal elevation change. Heat and lack of shade are the main challenges: bring more water than you think you need, and start early in summer.

For most visitors, the Bighorn Overlook Trail is the sweet spot: long enough to feel like a real hike, short enough to finish without rushing, and it ends at a viewpoint that earns every step. The East + West Rim Full Loop covers everything in one go and is the right choice if you have a half day.

The Intrepid Trail System doubles as mountain biking terrain. Bighorn Mountain Biking rents bikes inside the park. Book ahead in spring and fall when demand is highest.

Photography tips

Sunrise and sunset are the two times to be here if photography matters to you. Midday light bleaches the canyon colors and creates flat, harsh shadows.

Sunrise: arrive about 20 minutes before sunrise and position yourself at the main overlook. The canyon walls shift from deep pink to violet to orange as the sun clears the horizon. The Colorado River catches the light last, and that transition lasts about 15 minutes.

Sunset: red rock goes gold in the last hour of light, and shadows from the canyon walls stretch toward you. The turquoise evaporation ponds pick up warm color at this time. Stay until the light is completely gone.

The potash ponds: the bright blue patches on the canyon floor are the Intrepid Potash evaporation ponds, where potassium chloride is extracted from briny water pumped from underground. Dye added to the water speeds up evaporation and gives the ponds their distinctive color. No other overlook in the region has anything like it. A wide-angle lens captures the full scene: the gooseneck river bend, the ponds, and the layered canyon walls. A polarizing filter cuts glare off the water and deepens the sky.

Dead Horse Point also holds International Dark Sky Park certification. On a moonless night from April through October, the Milky Way core is visible directly over the canyon.

Camping at Dead Horse Point

The park has two campgrounds. Both require reservations, and both fill weeks in advance during spring and fall.

• Kayenta Campground: the main campground, with electric hookups, modern restrooms, and showers. Many sites sit on the rim with canyon views. This is the one most people want and the one that books first.
• Wingate Campground: more primitive, no hookups, shared facilities. Further from the rim but still close to the trails and overlooks. Less competition for reservations.

Book at reserveamerica.com. In spring and fall, check availability three to six weeks out. Summer and holiday weekends go faster. Cancellations do appear close to the date, so checking again one week out is worthwhile.

Camping at Dead Horse Point and watching the sunrise from the main overlook before the day visitors arrive is the experience most people remember longest from a Moab trip. If you can book a site, do it.

For more camping options around Moab, including Arches National Park and free BLM dispersed sites, see the complete Moab camping guide.

Guided tours from Moab

Most visitors drive themselves. Guided tours make sense if you want a knowledgeable interpreter explaining the geology and history, or if you are traveling without a rental car.

The 3-parks day tour covers Arches, Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point in a single long day and is the best option for visitors who want a guide across all of Moab's main attractions. The private 3-hour tour focuses entirely on Dead Horse Point: a better fit if you are already planning to visit Arches or Canyonlands separately and want to go deeper on this one location.

Combining Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands

Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky district) are the natural pairing in the Moab area. They sit a few miles apart, share UT-313 for the first 13 miles, and together give you two distinct perspectives on the same canyon system: a focused mesa tip at Dead Horse Point and a vast plateau rim at Canyonlands.

The split is well signed at the junction on UT-313. Dead Horse Point is straight; Canyonlands Island in the Sky is to the left. A workable schedule for a full day from Moab:

• 7:00 a.m.: leave Moab, arrive at Dead Horse Point for sunrise or early morning light
• 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.: main overlook, all five viewpoints, and one rim trail (about 3 hours)
• 11:00 a.m.: drive 15 minutes to Canyonlands Island in the Sky
• 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Grand View Point, Mesa Arch, White Rim Overlook, and the Upheaval Dome viewpoint (Canyonlands, about 5 hours)

Canyonlands charges a separate $35 per vehicle entry fee. Neither pass covers both parks: Dead Horse Point is state-run, Canyonlands is federal.

Planning a multi-day Moab trip? The Moab guide covers how to sequence Arches, Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point, and jeep tours on BLM land across several days.

Best time to visit Dead Horse Point

Spring (March to May) is the most popular season. Temperatures at the 5,900-foot elevation are comfortable for hiking, wildflowers appear in April, and the light is clean and clear. Book camping reservations early if you are coming in April or May.

Fall (September to November) is the other peak. Crowds thin after Labor Day, temperatures drop to a pleasant range, and the low-angle autumn light deepens the canyon colors. October is the best single month.

Summer (June to August) is manageable but hot. The elevation keeps Dead Horse Point a few degrees cooler than Moab, but midday temperatures still reach 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Start your hike before 8 a.m. and carry significantly more water than you think you need.

Winter (December to February) is quiet and can be visually stunning. Snow on the canyon rim and heavy white caps on the La Sal Mountains contrast hard against the red rock. Trails can be icy: bring microspikes or traction devices. The park stays open, though the campground may have limited availability.