Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah (9/11/17)

Our first view of the deep canyon below --from the East Rim Trail

Dear Friends,  This is my 5th post from our WEST TRIP  to Utah and Arizona from Sept 6-21,  2017.     If you missed any of the posts so far  (Overall Summary,   Antelope Canyon,  Arches,  and Zion),  you can find them by going to my labels on my sidebar and clicking on  WEST TRIP 2017.  (WEST TRIP 2017 is also listed on "My Favorites" on my right side bar.)

We visited 11 National Parks or Monuments,  5  Navajo Indian areas,  took many Scenic Drives and also visited 3 state parks on that trip...   TODAY ---I'm sharing one of our favorite State Parks from this trip...

DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK is located near Moab,  Utah  (and not far from Canyonlands,  Island in the Sky National Park).    You may wonder how this park got its name...  WELL--according to legend,  the point was once used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa.   The 'neck' where the horses entered was only 30 yards wide and was fenced off with branches and brush at one end,  with all of the other outlets being high cliffs.  The horses were trapped in there. The cowboys chose the horses they wanted and for unknown reasons,  they left the other horses in that corral.  The horses died of thirst --although the Colorado River was 'only' 2000 feet below!   (Sad story,  isn't it?)

Regardless of that sad story, this park is absolutely GORGEOUS.   Hope you enjoy seeing some of my pictures today from there.

Ten million years of erosion sculpted this land of canyons,  mesas and buttes

Did you see this from a distance in the first two pictures?  What do you think it is??????  We had no idea until we read the sign.  This is a Solar Evaporation Pond owned by Intrepid Potash, Inc.  The potash is used to make plant fertilizer.    (I have never seen anything like this in my entire life.)

Check out this sign for more details.

You can only imagine how happy I was being on top of the mountain with those views from Dead Horse Point State Park.

So much beauty all around

This is the sign telling how Dead Horse Point State Park got its name.

Now we are on the south side of the canyon--heading west to the Point Overlook.  That is the Colorado River.

Look at all of these little roads down there (and in several of these photos)....  Wouldn't it be neat to be down there,  up close and personal with the landscape????   There are roads all over that area  (out of the park) --so I don't know how one would even get to those areas.

Now I am looking toward the west  late in the afternoon.  This is the POINT ---and I am looking toward Canyonlands in the distance.

Beautiful Colorado River --as it carved its path deep into the ancient rock layers

We should have taken our picture together here --but since it was late and we were tired,  we didn't...  SO---you'll just have to enjoy seeing pictures of us individually!!!!!   

A map of the park;  You can see the narrow 'neck' (where they pinned up the horses) and also the 'point' where we had a great view of the Colorado River.  ALSO---you can see 9 miles of hiking trails here.   

Finally,   here is a close up of the Colorado River taken from the Point Overlook at Dead Horse Point State Park 

I hope these pictures have peaked your interest.   IF you get to Moab and/or Canyonlands,  PLEASE visit this state park.   AND --if you enjoy biking,  check out those trails.   ALSO---if you enjoy hiking,  there are LOTS of great hiking trails here....   For more information about this state park,  click HERE.

Have a great week.

Hugs,