June 12th, 2023
Near the more famous Arches and Canyonlands National Parks lies Dead Horse State Park. We had a great day exploring this beautiful vista with a strange name.
The park includes gorgeous overlooks of the Colorado River and Canyonlands. It features a natural corral where a point of the mesa juts out into the canyon connected by a skinny neck of land. Cowboys used to round up wild mustangs onto the point and fence off the neck. According to legend some nasty dudes then took only the best mustangs to sell and left the rest in the corral to die of thirst.
From the overlooks you can see the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park, the town of Moab, the La Sal Mountains and the Colorado River. You can also see the bright blue solar evaporation ponds used in the mining of potash.
Tim, Reba and I did the Big Horn Overlook trail. Tim and Reba took a seat about halfway to the overlook point after getting a little unnerved by the drops along the trail. I made it to the overlook and saw some gorgeous views!
If you get to Moab, see the big parks, but don’t miss this gem!