Dead Horse Point State Park - Wikipedia

State park in Utah, United States

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 UtahShow map of UtahDead Horse Point State Park (the United States)Show map of the United States
Location	San Juan County, Utah, U.S.
Coordinates	38°30′30″N 109°44′32″W / 38.50833°N 109.74222°W / 38.50833; -109.74222
Area	5,300 acres (21 km2)[1]
Elevation	5,900 ft (1,800 m)[2]
Established	1959[2]
Visitors	560,783 (in 2017)[3]
Operator	Utah State Parks
Website	stateparks.utah.gov/stateparks/parks/dead-horse/

Dead Horse Point State Park is a state park in San Juan County, Utah in the United States, featuring a dramatic overlook of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park.[4] The park opened to the public in 1959 and covers 5,362 acres (2,170 ha) of high desert at an elevation of 5,900 feet (1,800 m).

Nature

[edit]

The plants and animals of Dead Horse Point have adapted to a land of scarce water and extreme temperatures.

Animals

[edit]

Mule deer, coyote and Hopi chipmunk live in the park.

Flora

[edit]

Plants grow slowly due to the extreme conditions and usually have small leaves with a waxy coating to reduce evaporation. Some plants in the park include singleleaf ash, cliffrose, Utah juniper, Mormon tea, blackbrush, claret cup cactus, pinyon pine and narrowleaf yucca.

Amenities

[edit] State Park Map

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

[edit]

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]

Film and television

[edit]

• Against a Crooked Sky (1975)
• Choke Canyon (1986)
• Con Air (1997)
• Joe Dirt (2001)
• John Carter (2012)
• MacGyver (1985)
• Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
• Rio Conchos (1964)
• The Comancheros (1961)
• Touched by an Angel (2001)
• Warlock (1959)
• Westworld (2016)
• Thelma & Louise (1991)

See also

[edit]

• Utah State Route 313 - Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway

References

[edit]

1. ^ "Dead Horse Point State Park Resource Management Plan" (PDF). Utah State Parks. April 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
2. ^ a b "Dead Horse Point State Park: About the Park". Utah State Parks. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
3. ^ "Utah State Park 2017 Visitation" (PDF). Utah State Parks Planning. Retrieved May 12, 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
6. ^ Van Atta, Dale (January 22, 1977). "You name it - there's a town for it". The Deseret News. p. 15. Retrieved October 18, 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. ISBN 9781440507397.[permanent dead link]

External links

[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dead Horse Point State Park.

• Official website
• "Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission ".

v t e Protected areas of Utah
Federal	National Conservation Areas Beaver Dam Wash John Wesley Powell Red Cliffs National Forests Ashley Caribou–Targhee Dixie Fishlake Manti–La Sal Sawtooth Uinta–Wasatch–Cache National Historical Parks Golden Spike National Monuments Bears Ears Cedar Breaks Dinosaur Grand Staircase–Escalante Hovenweep Jurassic Natural Bridges Rainbow Bridge Timpanogos Cave National Parks Arches Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef Zion National Recreation Areas Flaming Gorge Glen Canyon National Trails California Mormon Pioneer Old Spanish Pony Express National Wild and Scenic Rivers Green River Virgin River National Wildlife Refuges Bear River Migratory Bird Fish Springs Ouray Other National Historic Landmarks National Natural Landmarks National Register of Historic Places Wilderness Areas
State	State Parks Northern Region Antelope Island Bear Lake Camp Floyd Deer Creek East Canyon Echo Flight Park Fred Hayes at Starvation Great Salt Lake Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail Hyrum Jordan River OHV Park Jordanelle Lost Creek Red Fleet Rockport Steinaker Utah Field House Utah Lake Wasatch Mountain Willard Bay State Parks Central Region Fremont Indian Goblin Valley Green River Huntington Millsite Palisade Scofield Territorial Statehouse Utahraptor Yuba State Parks Southern Region Anasazi Coral Pink Sand Dunes Dead Horse Point Edge of the Cedars Escalante Petrified Forest Frontier Homestead Goosenecks Gunlock Kodachrome Basin Otter Creek Piute Quail Creek Sand Hollow Snow Canyon

v t e Colorado River system
Jurisdictions	United States Arizona California Colorado Nevada New Mexico Utah Wyoming Mexico Baja California Sonora
Canyons	Byers Canyon Gore Canyon Red Gorge Glenwood Canyon De Beque Canyon Horsethief Canyon Ruby Canyon Westwater Canyon Cataract Canyon Narrow Canyon Glen Canyon Grand Canyon Marble Canyon Granite Gorge Middle Granite Gorge Lower Granite Gorge Grand Wash Canyon Iceberg Canyon Virgin Canyon Boulder Canyon Black Canyon Pyramid Canyon Mohave Canyon
Natural features	River course Rocky Mountains Colorado River Basin Colorado Plateau Grand Lake Horseshoe Bend Sonoran Desert Mojave Desert Lower Colorado River Valley Mohave Valley Parker Valley Palo Verde Valley Colorado Desert Alamo River New River Salton Sea Imperial Valley Delta Montague Island Gulf of California/Sea of Cortez
Tributaries	Blue River Dirty Devil River Dolores River Escalante River Eagle River Fraser River Gila River Green River Gunnison River Kanab Creek Little Colorado River Paria River Roaring Fork River San Juan River Thunder River/Tapeats Creek Virgin River Las Vegas Wash Williams Fork Río Hardy
Engineering	Mainstem dams Shadow Mountain Granby Windy Gap Grand Valley Price-Stubb Glen Canyon Hoover Davis Parker Headgate Rock Palo Verde Imperial Laguna Morelos Major reservoirs Fontenelle Reservoir Flaming Gorge Reservoir Blue Mesa Reservoir Navajo Lake Lake Powell Lake Mead Lake Mohave Lake Havasu Imperial Reservoir Theodore Roosevelt Lake San Carlos Lake Aqueducts andcanals Grand Ditch Colorado River Aqueduct San Diego Aqueduct Central Arizona Project All-American Canal Alamo Canal Coachella Canal Water projects Boulder Canyon Project Colorado–Big Thompson Project Colorado River Storage Project Grand Valley AVA Yuma Project
Designated areas	Arches National Park Canyonlands National Park Colorado National Monument Dead Horse Point State Park Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Grand Canyon National Park Lake Mead National Recreation Area Rocky Mountain National Park
Related topics	Arizona v. California Colorado River Board of California Colorado River Compact Floyd Dominy Lee's Ferry International Boundary and Water Commission Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Rapids and features U.S. Bureau of Reclamation William Mulholland

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
Other	NARA