Dead Horse Point State Park; Moab, Utah

The concentration of national parks and monuments in the "Four Corners" region of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah speaks to the geology of the area. Canyons and mesas sculpted by the Colorado River and erosion of sandstone by ice, water, and wind have created a unique landscape. This region is known as the "Grand Circle". Some parks, including the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Cedar Breaks, were closed in early April. At 8000' elevations, they were still snowed in. But while in Utah, after Zion and Bryce, we decided to visit Moab, gateway to two more parks - Arches and Canyonlands.

Our home base was Dead Horse Point State Park. Dead Horse Point sits atop a 6000' elevation plateau left between canyons carved by the Green River and the Colorado River.



The view from the promontory of the point is extraordinary. Two thousand feet above the Colorado River, Canyonlands National Park goes on seemingly forever.





In the other direction, a view of the snow-capped La Sal Mountains. These mountains also provide the backdrop to the formations of Arches National Park, our next stop.