Dead Horse Point State Park

The point is a mesa about six hundred metres above the Colorado River, connected to the main plateau by a neck only thirty metres wide - which is where the name comes from. Cowboys used the neck as a natural corral by fencing it, and according to the account that has stuck, a group of horses was left corralled there and died of thirst within sight of the river below; the details are not documented and the story has variants. The river makes a tight gooseneck bend below the overlook, and the potash evaporation ponds visible downstream are dyed blue to speed evaporation. The park is an International Dark Sky Park. The final scene of Thelma and Louise was filmed here, standing in for the Grand Canyon.

The landscape

• A mesa six hundred metres above the river - on a thirty-metre neck.
• A gooseneck bend of the Colorado - directly below the overlook.
• Blue potash ponds - dyed to speed evaporation, downstream.
• A dark sky park - with very little light pollution.

When to go

March to May and September to November; sunrise is the light. Half a day.

What to expect

Summer heat is severe with no shade. The park is small - the overlook is the visit. Entry fees are separate from the adjoining national park. Water must be carried in; there is no supply.

Nearby

Canyonlands Island in the Sky is a few kilometres on; Moab is north-east.

Key facts