Watching the sunset at Dead Horse State Park was high on our to-do list for the Moab area and we’re glad we did it. We were treated with some of the best desert landscapes we’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.
After a full day of exploring Canyonlands National Park, we decided to wind down by watching the sunset at Dead Horse Point State Park just down the road. It’s pretty incredible that this little peninsula isn’t part of the national park, because the views are stunning. We actually preferred the viewpoints at Dead Horse to any of the ones we saw at Canyonlands.
If these photos look like they were taken on different days – they weren’t! That’s how drastically the weather changed in the two hours we were in the park. The clouds and wind rolled in pretty drastically just before sunset.
We were too late to check out the Visitor Center, but we were quickly distracted by the views. The snow-capped La Sal mountains to the south east had been a beautiful backdrop to the dramatic desert landscapes we had been exploring all weekend, and it was no different at Dead Horse Point.
Part of the reason we loved the views at Dead Horse Point so much was that we didn’t feel so far removed from the landscapes. The focal points felt much more up close and personal, like the dramatic bend in the Colorado River (reminiscent of Arizona’s famed Horseshoe Bend), but the desert still felt vast. We actually could have gotten even closer, as we noticed there was a road down below (might have required a 4×4 vehicle).
Dead Horse Point represents everything we think makes the southwest desert so amazing: the vastness, the layers, the colors, the amazing sunsets… Plus the name “Dead Horse Point” is pretty hard to forget. All of the legends we read mention cowboys in the 1800’s corralling horses on the point and the horses then dying of thirst and exposure – pretty depressing.
Getting around the park is pretty easy. There are trails that follow the entire peninsula from the east to the west rim. You can park at the visitor center and also drive out to the points. In addition to a few campgrounds, there are also some fun yurts you can rent out. The park is also a popular spot for star gazing and night photography.
We were super impressed with Dead Horse Point State Park. If you’re pressed for time in the Moab area and want some amazing desert views, we recommend stopping here over Canyonlands!
