Parking
Start at the north end of the Visitor Center parking lot. This secondary Intrepid access is distinct from the main mixed-use trailhead one mile south of the Entrance Station. Park admission is charged per vehicle.
Overview
About Intrepid Loop
Why go
- Quick access to a canyon overlook with little climbing
- A hikers-only path makes a short return loop
Heads up
- The return fades across slickrock near the overlook
- The outbound Intrepid trail is shared with mountain bikers
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Dead Horse Point map
Full mapElevation5,896–5,935 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Dead Horse Point Tour Guide
Your drive to Intrepid Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Dead Horse Point State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Visitor Center and Desert View0:00 / 0:29
“Up ahead is the visitor center, with geology exhibits, an art gallery, and a canyon view just outside.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Dead Horse Point Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Kayenta Campground
- Visitor Center Rim Trails
- Wingate Campground and Yurts
- Intrepid Trailhead and Cable Line
- 11 audio storiesacross Dead Horse Point’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Raven, Whiptail Lizard, Fence Lizard, and 1 more
- Works offlinemaps, 21 trails, 22 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Intrepid Loop
A short rim circuitIntrepid Loop is about 1.
Intrepid Loop is about 1.3 miles from the north side of the Visitor Center parking lot: follow the easy, rocky Intrepid trail to its rim overlook, then backtrack a short stretch to the Hikers Only path and return. Allow about 45–60 minutes with time at the view. It is a compact way to reach the canyon edge without taking on the park’s much longer bike loops.
Finding the returnAt the first fork, stay right; at the next signed junction, bear right toward the overlook.
At the first fork, stay right; at the next signed junction, bear right toward the overlook. The Hikers Only route branches back toward the Visitor Center. It fades across slickrock near the overlook, where small cairns mark the line, then becomes easier to follow closer to the parking area. Use the existing markers and leave rocks and wood where they are; moving them can create confusing false routes.
The canyon viewThe Intrepid leg reaches Desert View Overlook, with the Colorado River basin below and the…
The Intrepid leg reaches Desert View Overlook, with the Colorado River basin below and the Abajo Mountains on the horizon. For a photo, keep a little canyon foreground in the frame so the distant ridges have scale.
Access and dogsStart at the north end of Visitor Center parking.
Start at the north end of Visitor Center parking. This is the secondary access for the short walking circuit, separate from the main trailhead used by the broader Intrepid system. Park admission is charged per vehicle. Dogs are allowed on the park’s hiking and biking trails, but must stay leashed at all times.
Part of a larger trail systemIntrepid is also the name of a much broader nonmotorized network, completed in 2014 with…
Intrepid is also the name of a much broader nonmotorized network, completed in 2014 with support from Intrepid Potash. This Visitor Center hike is a distinct short circuit, not the separate 1.1-mile mountain-bike Intrepid Loop. The outbound trail is shared, so mountain bikes may be present; the return follows a hikers-only path.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Dead Horse Point
33 sightingsRavenMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
16 sightingsWhiptail LizardMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
34 sightingsFence LizardMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
42 sightingsSide-blotched LizardMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Dead Horse Point. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
