of dead horses and goblins

It was difficult to leave Moab. Not only did we have an amazing time in Arches and Canyonlands, but we also knew that heavy rains awaited us in the Grand Staircase region where we were headed. So we dawdled, and wound up visiting a surprisingly scenic state park that initially was not on our itinerary. The park is called Dead Horse Point, and if you’re in Moab, it is not to be missed.

After three consecutive days of serious hiking in which we covered more than 35 miles, our transit day offered a bit of respite. We still wound up walking about six miles, but in contrast to the strenuous terrain we had navigated in Arches and Canyonlands, these were six of the easiest miles we traversed the entire trip: flat, well-groomed trails, with hardly any change in elevation, and with amazing views to boot.

Dead Horse Point boasts one of the Southwest’s most iconic vistas and has been featured in dozens of Hollywood movies. Thelma & Louise is perhaps the most well-known. If you’ve watched the movie all the way to the end, then you’ve caught a glimpse of its beauty. The final scene is shot at the park’s iconic lookout over the Colorado River, with the cliffs of the Island in the Sky providing the spectacular background the protagonists mistake for the Grand Canyon.

The park owes its peculiar name to the Wild West days, which left many an indelible mark on the Southwest. Legend has it that the region’s cowboys used to corral wild mustangs up at the point. Somehow or other, a bunch of horses were left in the corral without water and by the time someone had come to release them, they were all dead, having perished of thirst within view of the beautiful Colorado River below.

We hiked the rim trail, which has half a dozen short spur trails to various overlooks offering a range of canyon vistas. The only downside to what is otherwise a very scenic park is that it is possible to drive right up to the Dead Horse Point overlook. Not only does the pavement go right through the heart of the park, but also the trail frequently runs very close to the road, which means it can be difficult to find the solitude we had enjoyed in the bigger national parks.

After completing our hike, we had a quick lunch on the deck of the visitor center, took in one last canyon view, and then drove to Goblin Valley State Park. The “goblins” that give this park its name are lumpy sandstone and siltstone formations that were left when the water that had occupied the valley several millennia ago receded. There wasn’t much to do in Goblin Valley, but it offered a nice midway point to break up the otherwise lengthy drive from Moab to Torrey, where we spent the night.

Most of the toadstool formations were rather indistinct, but some of them did appear to have strange visages, and we had a fun time trying to imagine likenesses for them as we ambled around. We saw lots of kids in Goblin Valley, and could easily imagine how the little game we played would occupy a youngster for hours on end. Having made this trip without Munchkin, however, we only stayed long enough to stretch our legs before returning to the car.

We lucked out with the weather in Goblin Valley, but the rains that we had dodged for two days finally caught up to us as we approached Capitol Reef National Park. Route 24, which runs through Capitol Reef, is beautiful, but even when the rain let up it was too overcast and gloomy for us to enjoy this “scenic byway.” We only made one stop — to check out a wall of ancient petroglyphs — before continuing to the kitschy Austin’s Chuckwagon, where we spent the night.