Dead Horse Point State Park

Nature

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

Animals

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

Flora

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

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 mi 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 mi away in Moab), lightning danger and unfenced cliffs.

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. Dead Horse Point has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.

Film and television

• 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)

References

References

1. (April 2007). "Dead Horse Point State Park Resource Management Plan". Utah State Parks.
2. "Dead Horse Point State Park: About the Park". Utah State Parks.
3. "Utah State Park 2017 Visitation". Utah State Parks Planning.
4. Leigh, Rufus Wood. (1961). "Five hundred Utah place names: their origin and significance". Deseret News Press.
5. (February 2004). "Dead Horse Point State Park". Utah State Parks.
6. Van Atta, Dale. (Jan 22, 1977). "You name it - there's a town for it". The Deseret News.
7. Parker, Quentin. (January 2024). "Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places". Adams Media.