Last time I mentioned seeing that sign along the roadway…as I was pulling out of the dinosaur museum’s parking lot. That night, I investigated using google and the next day, I was back up here heading to Dead Horse Point. Has kind of a sad history. Seems that local cowboys herded a herd of wild horses through a choke point onto a large, very high bluff. Then they close off the choke point. It seems they were interrupted at that moment and either ran off or chose to leave. And all the horses on that bluff starved or died of thirst. Sad.
Anyway, there’s some spectacular views here so that’s why I visited. First some shots of the scenery along the way…just to my left in this first shot is the dino museum. Wasn’t much of interest along this route so no pictures until I got to the overlook. Well, maybe just one…
After arriving at the park entrance kiosk, I paid my $21, and headed on in along the road 2-3 miles to find a large building where there were lots of cars parked. Curious, I stopped in. But, it’s under the Covid restrictions kind of setup so there isn’t much to see or in the way of information there when I visited. But the store is open. I did pick up a park map, checked it, and headed to the overlook. At the overlook, you park on paved parking, and then walk nice paved trails to the views. And what views they are! Wow. You can see why the horses couldn’t get down from here without killing themselves so died up here.
Here’s the movie I made of horseshoe bend…followed by all the pictures I took in the park.
It’s spectacular. I realized that I should have gotten here at dawn for the best pics…but who am I kidding, I don’t get up that early any more. Arrived here around 9:45 AM or so.
Poor horsies, dying within sight of all that water.
The views are really stunning. I walked along the trails for quite a distance and each few feet brought another spectacular view. The trail is sort of a long loop on this peninsula type of lofty uplifted mesa.
Is that cool or what?? I mean in general. Not just the pic of these evaporation ponds off in the distance.
As I wandered around the mesa on the paved trail, I did see a few people but it was on a weekday, fairly early in the AM so it wasn’t crowded at all. Very pleasant.
Many of the above pics, starting at the evap pond, were as I was stopping along the road after leaving that big horseshoe bend in the river, than hiking a few hundred feet onto lookout points to take pics.
Green River has some history but I forget what it was. Early explorers came through here. The roads and trails you see are old miners tracks. Nearly all closed off now by the park service.
Pretty amazing country. Doesn’t look worth anything but people moved here anyway, centuries ago, for some reason. Maybe the view.
Really enjoying this place. So peaceful and relaxing gazing out over this countryside. These overlooks are all developed so no real worries about falling off a cliff or anything. There was this one mesa though…
Very easy to get right up to the edge of the cliff. But, I’m still here. It was a battle to stay focused and not walk off a cliff.
Hey, someone I totally agree with here in the red state of Utah.
Yes, there’s so many views that I was beside myself with wonder. Lookie here at this white over layer on top of that softer, weaker brown rock.
Amazing place.
Well, that’s all for this article. I left here around 2 PM and went virtually next door to Canyon National Park, but I’ll leave that article to next time.
[Edit: Well, I screwed up and posted all the pictures of Canyonlands NP here in this article, so there won’t be anything about that in the next one except a panorama video. Instead, I’ll continue on the trip from Moab to Aztec, NM.]
Thanks for visiting!
Jim
Beautiful pictures of a scenic area with such a negative history.
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. But even back then the horses would have been valuable, and not just for food, so it’s curious why they didn’t return for the mares and fowls. Story has it that they captured the stallions that they wanted and just abandoned the rest to die but that doesn’t make sense. I keep thinking they got interrupted somehow, scattered, and never made it back, each one thinking someone else would go back.
Don’t you hate what States charge to access their parks? Not that it isn’t gorgeous and certainly worth something for the administration and protections the State provides, but it’s also not likely you put $21 of wear and tear on their infrastructure.
Absolutely I hate it. California really pissed me off several years ago when I stopped at one of their low cost parks near the ocean when visiting that huge mansion, to find they blocked off the low cost area so you had to use the high priced section. A-holes. That’s when I decided to never camp in a CA state park again. And I only have once in 7 years now. Stayed in a SP outside of San Diego as that was the only spot I could find.
During the 1980s while transporting trucks I’d pass through Green River, Utah. Took a picture there of the trucks and myself. The place left a memory with me. Like Glenwood Springs in Colorado.
Yeah, it’s a spectacular country that’s for sure.
Looking at the photos I could’a swore you had a drone…Wow!…
I agree with the bumper sticker..Q-13 has switched to Fox 13….I almost throw up when those liars..etc..etc.. show up when I’m watching a local channel..Grrrrr.
Thanks! I try to take a good picture. As far as news, the local stations usually offer real *facts* and just facts, not opinion.