We slept right through the sunrise Saturday morning; not waking up until we had been baked to a crisp in our little tent oven. Rob even slept through the sound of me unzipping the tent to get out and use the bathroom, and by bathroom I mean popping a squat behind a sage bush. He was out cold. My little sleeping handsome was laying face up snoring soundly on our over-sized air mattress. Dang I wish I slept as soundly as he does. He can fall asleep the moment his head hits the pillow and almost nothing can wake him during the night.
We discovered in the morning, our campsite was pretty rad. After Rob woke up we decided to forego spending time to cook breakfast and quickly packed up camp and got on the road; excited to get to our first destination, morning hairdos and all!
With it being Memorial day weekend, we figured any of the state parks in Southern Utah would be really busy, but we were willing to take the risk and fight the crowds if we had to, to continue our state park quest! It was only about a 45 minute drive to Dead Horse Point State Park from where we had camped so we were there in no time! Although the two campgrounds near the park, Horse Thief and Cowboy Camp, were very busy, we did see at least one open campsite at Cowboy Camp. And we were pleasantly surprised to find that the park was not very busy at all.
We hiked along the East Rim, about a 1.5 mile hike to the point. Along our way we saw the Potash ponds in the distance. They were a vibrant aqua and cobalt blue. Beautiful contrast of rich blues against the dark browns, grays, and greens in the surrounding rocks and pale greenish brown Colorado river.
The East Rim trail was pretty flat and very easy, more like a leisure walk than a hike. Rob wanted to take a time-lapse of the clouds moving in the distance, so we stopped for a little 15 minute snack break, fig and blueberry fig bars, about half mile from the point. We were in no hurry, just enjoying the day. Surprisingly, even on Memorial Day weekend, we had the whole trail to ourselves. It wasn’t until we reached the Dead Horse Point lookout that we saw quite a few people. No hiking is required to get to the lookout. You can literally drive up to and park about 50 feet from the point and there are at least two pavilions with picnic tables if you’re looking for somewhere to eat lunch in the shade. We didn’t bring lunches with us, only some little snacks, so we just walked through the pavilions and headed straight for the point.
Rob’s head was beginning to get pretty sun burned to so he turned my light weight pullover into a lovely turban. 🙂
I am not sure exactly what I was expecting when I saw it for the first time, but for me, it was a bit of shock and awe. The water in the river was a muddy brown color and it wasn’t moving much at all. When I think river, I think movement. This was not a fast flowing river. This was a very quiet, still river. I was fascinated by this. Wowed by the thought that this quiet, humble river has shaped these rock walls into the gorgeous sculptures that they are today. I was in awe.
We spent some time walking around the area, looking at the magnificent scene, and taking pictures. Rob thinks it’s dumb when people want to pose for pictures on top of specific rocks or other things, but I think it’s fun and memorable, so he just shakes his head at me, totally embarrassed by his wife, while I have my picture taken just like the other tourists… sometimes I can get him to join me if I am really lucky. 😉
We had a wonderful time at Dead Horse Point State Park. It was a great time of year to come, the weather was fantastic, and the views were breathtaking! I would definitely recommend it as a must-see if you are planning a trip to Southern Utah!
