Parking
Park at the Dead Horse Point State Park Visitor Center lot. The path begins beside the front entrance and returns to the same lot by the visitor-center access path.
Overview
About Visitor Center Nature Trail
Why go
- Eight plant and tree exhibits give a short stroll a clear purpose.
- East-facing basin views include the La Sal Mountains and Chimney Rock.
Heads up
- It’s brief and works best as a Visitor Center stop, not a destination hike by itself.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Dead Horse Point map
Full mapElevation5,931–5,945 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 Visitor Center Nature Trail, 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
- Wingate Campground and Yurts
- Visitor Center Rim Trails
- Dead Horse Point Overlook
- 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 Visitor Center Nature Trail
A quick Visitor Center walkVisitor Center Nature Trail is a roughly 0.
Visitor Center Nature Trail is a roughly 0.3-mile interpretive loop from the front of the Visitor Center, along the east rim, then back to the same parking area. The park lists the trail itself as 1/8 mile one way; the complete walk includes the short return around the visitor-center access. Allow about half an hour if you read the exhibits. It’s an easy add-on while you’re here, not a hike to set aside half a day for.
Start at the front entranceThe path begins just outside the front door and finishes near the back of the building.
The path begins just outside the front door and finishes near the back of the building. Follow the visitor-center access path back to the parking lot to close the loop. Most of the route is paved, with a few short slickrock stretches that feel rougher underfoot than a continuous sidewalk. Dogs are allowed on park hiking trails but must stay leashed.
Eight small exhibitsEight trail-side panels point out common desert plants and trees.
Eight trail-side panels point out common desert plants and trees. The walk is a nice chance to look closely at the hardy vegetation you’ll see across the park; no special plant knowledge is needed to get something out of the signs.
Look eastThe open views face the basin, the La Sal Mountains and Chimney Rock.
The open views face the basin, the La Sal Mountains and Chimney Rock. One of the signs explains the pale blue solar-evaporation ponds used in salt and potash mining. Pick them out below, then look back to the panels to connect the distant industrial pools with the landscape around the park.
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.
