Dead Horse Point State Park

The mesa-edge overlook and how you get there

Dead Horse Point is a peninsula of rock on the Island in the Sky mesa, about two thousand feet above a gooseneck of the Colorado River. The park opened to the public in 1959. Elevation is roughly 5,900 feet.

From Moab, drive about nine miles northwest on US-191, then twenty-three miles southwest on Utah State Route 313 to the end of the pavement. The same highway continues into Canyonlands National Park’s Island in the Sky district. One day-use fee stack and one tank of gas cover both overlooks if the day is timed carefully. From Salt Lake City the drive is roughly two hundred forty-eight miles southeast.

Day-use requires a park entry fee (private vehicle, senior, motorcycle, and commercial rates differ; walk-in and bike-in rates apply if the vehicle stays outside the gate). Fees can be bought online in advance or on arrival; reservations are not required for day entry. The park keeps set day-use hours year-round, and the visitor center runs shorter hours in winter — check the state parks site for current times. Spotty cell service is normal. The nearest gas, groceries, medical care, and full services are about thirty-two miles away in Moab.

What you walk, and what you skip if time is short

About seven to eight miles of rim hiking connect nine overlooks. Trails stay on the mesa top with modest elevation change, but slickrock is uneven and many overlooks have no guardrails. Treat every edge as a drop. Dogs are allowed on leash. Sturdy footwear beats sandals.

The main overlook is a short paved ADA-accessible path of about two hundred feet from the parking lot to a shade shelter above the river gooseneck. Side spurs off the shelter are paved in places but not fully accessible. The Visitor Center Nature Trail is roughly an eighth of a mile one way, paved, with plant exhibits and a view toward the La Sal Mountains, Chimney Rock, and the solar evaporation ponds used for salt and potash mining. Desert View Overlook is about half a mile one way north of the visitor center along the east rim.

East Rim Trail runs about 1.5 to 2 miles one way from the visitor center south to the point — a flat alternative to driving the park road, with a Basin Overlook spur that drops about one hundred feet for a quieter shelf view. West Rim is the longer, quieter route (roughly 2.5 to 3.5 miles one way): more primitive, cairn-marked across slickrock, with Meander, Shafer, and Rim overlook spurs into Shafer Canyon. Bighorn Overlook spur adds about 1.5 miles one way north from near Kayenta Campground. Views rival the main point, and deep potholes hold fairy shrimp and tadpoles after rain. A full East-plus-West loop from the visitor center is roughly five miles and makes a solid half-day without leaving the mesa.

Mountain biking is a separate system — nearly thirty miles of Intrepid Trail network with easy-to-difficult loops. A concession rents bikes in season. The park is an International Dark Sky Park; night sky programs and unlit horizons are part of the visit when weather is clear. Drones are restricted to a winter window and require a permit when allowed.

Camping, water, and heat logistics

Kayenta Campground sits in a juniper grove with twenty-one sites (one ADA), each with a shade structure, picnic table, fire ring, tent pad, and 20/30/50-amp electrical hookups. Wingate Campground adds more RV and hike-in tent sites plus yurts; Moenkopi yurts sit separately. Maximum occupancy is typically eight people and one camping unit per site. All campsites require reservation in peak months (March through November is often fully booked). Quiet hours apply overnight; confirm check-in and quiet-hour times with the park.

No potable water is available for filling RV tanks anywhere in the park. Water is trucked in for restrooms and limited use. Fill tanks in Moab on US-191 or in Green River on I-70 before climbing the mesa. Firewood gathering is prohibited; wood is sold at the entrance or visitor center when fires are allowed. Fire restrictions escalate in dry summers — Stage 2 bans open flames even in rings. Pets stay leashed. Food and trash go in hard-sided containers or vehicles.

Summer heat on bare rock is severe. One gallon of water per person per day is the park’s baseline. Thunderstorms bring lightning on the exposed rim — seek a building or vehicle. Biological soil crust is living and slow to recover; stay on trail. For a single Moab-area day, many visitors hit Dead Horse Point first for morning light on the gooseneck, then continue on SR-313 to Island in the Sky overlooks, or reverse the order for sunset at the point. Confirm current fees, fire stage, and visitor-center hours on the state parks site before the drive; pricing and seasonal rules change.