Dead Horse Point State Park
Utah · State Park · Southwest Region
Dead Horse Point is a 2,000 foot peninsula of sandstone jutting out over a horseshoe bend in the Colorado River, with the Canyonlands basin spreading to every horizon. The view is vertigo inducing in the best way: layer upon layer of canyon, mesa, and red rock with the green ribbon of the river far below. It is one of the finest viewpoints in the American Southwest, and it sits 30 minutes from Moab with almost none of the crowds that Arches and Canyonlands attract.
- Best season
- March through May, September through November
- Permit required
- Yes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Max group size
- 100 people
- Permit info verified
- April 2026
Permit Information
Utah State Parks Special Use Permit required for weddings and ceremonies. $10 application fee plus $50 permit fee ($60 total). Apply at least 90 days in advance. Ceremonies typically held at the main overlook or along the canyon rim trails. No decorations staked into the ground.
Seasonal Planning
March through May and September through November are ideal. Summer is dangerously hot (100°F+). Winter can be cold and icy at 5,900 feet but snow on the red rock is a rare photograph.
Planning Your Day at Dead Horse Point State Park
One-Spot Day
The Point Overlook is the headline view and can hold the full day. Ceremony at golden hour on the peninsula tip, then portraits along the paved rim and out to the junipers near the parking loop. Every direction gives you a different slice of canyon, so one spot plays like three.
Ceremony + Portraits Split
Keep the ceremony at The Point Overlook for the horseshoe bend view, then walk guests back to their cars and shuttle a few minutes down the park road to the East Rim Trail for portraits with La Sal Mountain backdrops. Two very different moods in one evening.
A Note on Light
Sunset is the signature here. The west facing canyon walls catch amber first, then flare into deep rust and violet during the final 20 minutes before the sun drops. Sunrise is quieter and lights the east rim in clean gold. Midday is flat and hot in summer.
Ceremony Spots at Dead Horse Point State Park
- The Point Overlook — Sunset ceremony on a sandstone peninsula 2,000 feet above the Colorado River's horseshoe meander
- East Rim Trail — Quieter rim edge ceremony with morning light on the canyon walls and La Sal Mountain views