In a land surrounded by national parks, scenic byways and countless scenic wonders, one of Utah's most popular state parks may well have been a national park in any other location. Leaving newcomers puzzled about its name, spectacular viewpoints 2000 feet above the Colorado River greet visitors at Dead Horse Point State Park. The breathtaking panoramic views of this vast landscape quickly sidetrack any previous thoughts of the perplexing Dead Horse name.
   For the curious, it seems that one section of the 5200 acre parkland once substituted as a natural corral. During the 1800s, it was common for wild horses to roam the high chaparral throughout the west. These horses would be driven onto a promontory, fenced in at a narrow neck of the point, culled, and the remainder released. With summer heat topping the 110 degree mark, the nervous horses were unwilling to leave the point and died of thirst.
   Here in the harsh desert environment, vegetation and animal life are predominately nocturnal. Both plants and wildlife rely on unique survival methods during long periods of drought. For all the human visitors, water is trucked in from the nearby city of Moab, the central hub for all these scenic marvels.

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