Dead Horse Point State Park, UT
An easy mesa loop on Raven Roll, Crossroads and the Pair return.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Dead Horse Point Tour Guide
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 area
Visitor Center and Desert View“Up ahead is the visitor center, with geology exhibits, an art gallery, and a canyon view just outside.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Dead Horse Point Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
This is the complete 5.9-mile Raven Roll and Crossroads loop, mostly rolling mesa trail with a shared Intrepid approach. Start at the north end of the Visitor Center lot, follow Intrepid to Raven Roll, take Raven Roll north and Crossroads west, then return on the east Pair branch of Prickly Pair. The distance includes the Intrepid connector twice. Allow about 2½ hours at a steady hiking pace. It suits you if you want a longer walk with easy grades; it doesn't visit the Great Pyramid or Big Chief overlooks, which are different Raven Roll loop options.
Raven Roll is semi-sandy with gradual ups and downs. Crossroads is mostly packed, with short dips and rollers; it crosses the park road and continues over shallow washes. At the Prickly Pair junction, stay with the east Pair branch. The west Prickly side is a different, rougher option. Trail maps are posted at junctions, so check the branch before you turn.
Hikers and mountain bikers use the same paths, and riders can move quickly through the dips. Look ahead at bends and take care at the park-road crossing. Dogs are allowed on leash throughout the mixed-use system.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
EasyIntrepid Loop1.3 mi · 54 min · At the trailheadA short rim loop returns from Intrepid on a hikers-only path.
EasyGreat Pyramid Loop4.4 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadA gentle desert loop reaches two Colorado River canyon overlooks.
ModerateBig Chief Loop8 mi · 4 hr · At the trailheadAn 8-mile mesa loop with Big Chief and La Sal views.
ModeratePrickly Pair Loop3.5 mi · 1.5 hr · At the trailheadTwo branches make a compact loop with a Shafer Canyon glimpse.
ModerateWhiptail and Twisted Tree Loop9.2 mi · 4.5 hr · At the trailheadA long desert loop to Shafer Canyon’s rim and a twisted juniper.
EasyDesert View Overlook Trail1 mi · 36 min · 0.1 mi awayAn easy rim walk to potholes and Colorado River views.
EasyVisitor Center Nature Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · 0.1 mi awayA short paved walk for desert exhibits and basin views.
ModerateBighorn Overlook Trail3 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awayCairns lead to deep potholes and a distant horn-shaped fin.
Food · 0.1 mi awayPony Expresso Coffee ShopA quick caffeine stop beside the visitor center, if still operating.
Visitor center · 0.1 mi awayDead Horse Point Visitor CenterA geology primer with a canyon view right outside.
Campground · 0.3 mi awayKayenta CampgroundJuniper shade gives this small campground a tucked-in feel.
Campground · 0.5 mi awayWingate Campground & YurtsPick from electric sites, walk-in tents, and four mesa-top yurts.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayDesert View OverlookAn easy half-mile walk for canyon layers and a different rim view.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayBasin OverlookA quieter shelf for La Sal Mountains, canyon towers and mining ponds.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayRim OverlookA West Rim spur for an eastward look into Canyonlands.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayBig Horn OverlookA long, exposed walk to a different angle on Shafer Canyon.Parkwolf’s Dead Horse Point ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
