- Dead Horse Point State Park
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Dead Horse Point State Park Utah State Park 
View of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park from Dead Horse PointCountry 
United StatesState 
UtahCounties Grand, San Juan Location Moab - elevation 5,900 ft (1,798 m) [1] - coordinates 38°30′30″N 109°44′32″W / 38.50833°N 109.74222°W Area 5,300 acres (2,145 ha) [2] Founded 1959 [1] Management Utah State Parks Visitation 167,875 (2010) [3] 
Location of Dead Horse Point State Park in UtahDead Horse Point State Park is a state park of Utah, USA, featuring a dramatic overlook of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park. The park is so named because of its use as a natural corral by cowboys in the 19th century. The "dead horse" part of the name is that the corral was abandoned, but the horses did not leave the corral, even after the gate was left open, and died there. The park covers 5,362 acres (21.70 km2) of high desert at an altitude of 5,900 feet (1,800 m).
The plateau is surrounded by sheer cliffs 2,000 feet (610 m) high with only a narrow neck of land 30 yards (27 m) wide connecting the mesa to the main plateau. Thus it was easy for cowboys to simply fence off this narrow neck, and keep rounded up wild horses from running away. Legend has it that one group of horses was inadvertently left fenced in and eventually died of thirst. The area was also used in the final scene of the 1991 film Thelma & Louise.
The park has several overlooks, a visitor center, a 21-site campground and a group campsite, one picnic area, and a 9-mile (14 km) loop hiking trail with two cutovers to allow shorter trips. 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 .[4] While nearby Moab is a noted center for mountain biking, bikes in the park are only allowed on paved roads. Hunting is not allowed in the park.
See also
- Utah State Route 313 - Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway
References
- ^ a b "Dead Horse Point State Park: About the Park". Utah State Parks. http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/about. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- ^ "Dead Horse Point State Park Resource Management Plan". Utah State Parks. 2007-04. http://static.stateparks.utah.gov/plans/DHP_Plan.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
- ^ "Utah State Park Visitation". Utah State Parks Planning. http://stateparks.utah.gov/about/visitation. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
- ^ "Dead Horse Point State Park". Utah State Parks. 2004-02. http://static.stateparks.utah.gov/docs/DHP_brochure.pdf.
View of the Colorado River looking up at Dead Horse Point, upper right
Dead Horse Point State Park panoramaExternal links
Protected Areas of Utah Federal National ParksNational MonumentsNational Historic SitesDesert Biosphere Reserve • Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area • Glen Canyon National Recreation Area • Mormon Pioneer National Historic TrailNational Wildlife Refuges:Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge • Fish Springs • OurayAshdown Gorge • Beartrap Canyon • Beaver Dam Mountains • Black Ridge Canyons • Blackridge • Box-Death Hollow • Canaan Mountain • Cedar Mountain • Cottonwood Canyon • Cottonwood Forest • Cougar Canyon • Dark Canyon • Deep Creek • Deep Creek North • Deseret Peak • Doc's Pass • Goose Creek • High Uintas • LaVerkin Creek • Lone Peak • Mount Naomi • Mount Nebo • Mount Olympus • Mount Timpanogos • Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs • Pine Valley Mountain • Red Mountains • Slaughter Creek • Taylor Creek • Twin Peaks • Wellsville Mountain • Zion
State Antelope Island • Bear Lake • Camp Floyd • Deer Creek • East Canyon • Flight Park • Great Salt Lake • Historic Rail Trail • Hyrum • Jordan River OHV Park • Jordanelle • Red Fleet • Rockport • Starvation • Steinaker • Utah Field House • Utah Lake • Wasatch Mountain • Willard Bay
Fremont Indian • Goblin Valley • Green River • Huntington • Millsite • Palisade • Scofield • Territorial Statehouse • Yuba
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
Municipal Municipal parksFort Buenaventura • Gallivan Center • Liberty Park • Jordan River Parkway • Minersville Reservoir • Murray City Park • Sugar House Park • Veterans Memorial Park
Utah State Parks and Recreation Categories:- Protected areas of Grand County, Utah
- Protected areas established in 1959
- Protected areas on the Colorado River
- Protected areas of San Juan County, Utah
- Utah state parks
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