Great Hikes in the Utah Back Country

Moab, Utah local and unofficial tour guide, Ivan Lasater takes us on some great hikes in the Utah back country. Join us in exploring Dead Horse Point.

Dead Horse Point State Park is located in Grand County, Utah just 30 short miles from one of the greatest extreme outdoor recreation hubs in the United States. Moab is a small and quaint agricultural community with a population of only 5100. It is the most densely populated town in Grand County and its Southern Utah, western charm attracts tens of thousands of tourists each year. Tourism flourishes in Moab due to its location and geography. The landscape offers a variety of scenic trails for off road vehicles, bikes, ATV’s, and hiking. The mighty Colorado River shares its banks with the north end of Moab and provides plenty of beach space, swimming holes, and river rafting opportunities. Moab itself is situated within short driving distance of 5 National Parks and several State Parks including Dead Horse Point. The town provides a surprisingly vivacious night-life with regular live music, friendly local hospitality, and some fine breweries and restaurants. Shoppers will love the eclectic variety of art galleries and gift shops and the outdoor enthusiast will be overwhelmed with the quality selection of retailers available to them.

Rising over 2000 feet above the valley floor below, looms the gargantuan monolithic desert plateau of Dead Horse Point. A star attraction for thousands of site seeing tourists each year, this sheer sandstone formation offers some of the greatest views and most photographed vantage points in the state of Utah.

The recommended trail for experiencing Dead Horse Point would be its main trail, referred to as the Rim Trail. The Rim Trail runs in a loop around the circumference of the mesa and changes only 150 feet in elevation, making for an easy to moderate and brisk hike. The trail head is located at the visitor’s center and loops back with several lookout points deviating along short distances off the trail itself along the way.

Along a great portion of the Rim Trail, the snake like passages of the Colorado River meander thousands of feet below. The red rock monoliths and bluffs of Canyonlands and Arches National Park are also visible from a distance but in this part of the state, park boundaries mean little in terms of holding in the scenery. The back country seems to blend homogenously into itself, even among the various landscapes. The sky is wide open in all directions, creating an atmosphere that inspires deep breaths and long measured gazes.

Eventually the trail open up onto the actual Dead Horse Point after narrowing across the only land bridge connecting the mainland with the awe-inspiring majesty of 2000 foot drop offs. The point is a tiny lookout post with more than 180 degree panoramas of the surrounding geology.

Dead Horse Point State Park rates high on my list of things to see in the great state of Utah. It’s one of our most protected and cherished state parks. The Rim Trail offers amazing views, easy to moderate hiking, and an opportunity to feel like you’re standing on top of the world. The sheer, red-rock, sandstone cliffs of Dead Horse Point are guaranteed to give you that queasy feeling in your stomach and safety measures should always be observed while hiking this unpredictable terrain, but the views you’ll experience and the memories you retain are more than worth the price of admission.

• Rating: Easy to Moderate
• Elevation Gain: 150 feet
• Trail Distance: 8.5 mile loop with about 1 mile of additional trail spurs
• Fee: Yes
• Landscape: Desert, rocky, some black top, soft dirt in places, possible high winds
• Contact Info URL: http://stateparks.utah.gov/park/dead-horse-point-state-park