Nearby Attractions

Dead Horse Point State Park

One of Utah's most scenic state parks, Dead Horse might be considered a mini-Canyonlands. The Dead Horse Point Overlook offers a splendid view across the river to the nearby national park, as well as down past seven distinctive and colorful layers of rock to the Colorado River. A strip of land only 30 yards wide connects the point with the rest of the mesa, and in the late 1800s, this natural corral was used by cowboys who herded wild horses in, roped all they wanted, and left the rest to find their way out.

From Canyonlands' Island in the Sky Visitor Center, drive north out of the park for 3 1/2 miles to the intersection with Utah 313, and turn right. The state park's visitor center is about 7 1/2 miles down the road. From Moab, head north on U.S. 191 for 17 miles, and turn south on Utah 313 for about 20 miles to the park (passing the access road for Canyonlands National Park).

For information, contact Dead Horse Point State Park, P.O. Box 609, Moab, UT 84532-0609 (tel. 435/259-2614; http://stateparks.utah.gov).

The visitor center/museum is near the entrance to the park, with exhibits on the park's geology, history, plants, and animals. Rangers are on hand to assign campsites and answer questions; books, posters, maps, and souvenirs are available for purchase. A video presentation on the human and geologic history of the area is shown by request; in summer, nightly campfire programs and short guided walks are scheduled.

Day-use fee is $7 per vehicle. In addition to the usual regulations requiring vehicles and bikes to stay on roads and pets to be leashed, visitors are asked to conserve water (which has to be trucked in) and to avoid stepping on cyanobacterial crusts -- the fragile, bumpy, black mats composed of bacteria, algae, lichen, moss, and fungi found along trails and roads.

Exploring the Park -- Dead Horse Point Overlook is about 2 miles from the visitor center via a paved road. A short, wheelchair-accessible paved walkway leads from the parking area to a platform overlook that provides a magnificent panoramic view of the deep red canyons, the Colorado River, and distant mountains. The light is best either early or late in the day, but this is a worthwhile stop at any time.

Although you can easily drive to Dead Horse Point Overlook, it's a fun hike if you have the time. The main trail starts at the visitor center, follows the east rim of the mesa to the overlook, and returns on the west side. The fairly easy loop is 4 miles; you can add another 3 miles in side trips out to overlook points. Along the way, you pass a variety of rock formations while scrambling over the slickrock.

Another 3.5-mile loop leads from the visitor center to a series of potholes (holes in the rock that catch rainwater and may contain tadpole shrimp and other aquatic life) and a canyon overlook.

Camping -- The park's attractive campground has 21 sites, all with electric hookups and covered picnic tables, plus flush toilets and an RV dump station. However, because water must be trucked in, there are no showers, and campers are asked to conserve the small amount of water available. Because the electric outlets are hidden on the underside of picnic tables, which may be 50 or 60 feet from the site parking area, those with recreational vehicles will likely need long extension cords. Camping costs $20; reservations are accepted (and encouraged from March through October) with an $8 processing fee (tel. 800/322-3770; http://stateparks.utah.gov).

Newspaper Rock

This site is famous for a large sandstone panel covered with petroglyphs that date from 1,500 to 200 years ago, created by a long line of humans, from the Fremont people to the Ancestral Puebloans to the Utes and Navajo. The panel also includes initials and names left by early European-American settlers, including one J. P. Gonzales of Monticello, who herded sheep in the canyon in the early 1900s. Administered by the Bureau of Land Management's Monticello Field Office, 435 N. Main St., P.O. Box 7, Monticello, UT 84535 (tel. 435/587-1500; www.blm.gov/utah/monticello), the site is located in Indian Creek Corridor, along the road to Canyonlands' Needles District, Utah 211. Camping is free at a primitive campground just across the road from Newspaper Rock, with dispersed camping for about eight tents or small RVs, but no drinking water. Vault toilets are located at Newspaper Rock.