Dead Horse Point State Park » Since it took millions of years of geologic activity to create what visitors see from the overlook at this Moab-area state park, the human history at the place seems almost insignificant.

But the history of one of Utah's oldest parks, which is celebrating its 50th year, is fascinating.

First, there's that intriguing name.

According to park historians, one legend has it that cowboys used Dead Horse Point to catch wild horses because, with cliffs on all sides and being only 30 yards wide at one point, it made a perfect horse trap. As the story goes, a band of horses was left trapped on the point for unknown reasons and, though they could see water 2,000 feet below where the Colorado River flows, the animals died of thirst.

"That name 'Dead Horse Point' brings in the European visitors," said Tim Smith, supervisor of the Division of Parks and Recreation's southeastern region. "They say with a name like Dead Horse Point, they have to see it. It's one of the greatest views of the desert Southwest."

According to State Parks records, San Juan County officials who realized the scenic value of Dead Horse Point purchased 628 acres of the point from the Bureau of Land Management and donated it to the fledgling Utah State Parks and Recreation Commission in July, 1959. The park has slowly added land to total the current 5,362 acres.

Salt Lake attorney Harold Fabian, the first head of what was then the Utah State Parks commission and who helped John D. Rockefeller purchase land for what would become an expanded Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, played a key role in the park creation.

Some local officials, including Moab Times Independent publisher Sam Taylor, lobbied to make the point a part of the much larger Canyonlands National Park when it was designated in 1964. But the state ultimately kept control of the point, which at its narrowest is only about 30 yards wide.

The first ranger was hired to manage the park in 1962 after tables, grills and a water system were installed in 1961. A shelter at the point, in addition to the original visitor center, rock wall and ranger residences, was built in the 1960s. Electric power didn't come until 1970.

The one constant is the incredible views that bring folks from all over the world.

"Seeing this is almost as good as the Grand Canyon and in some ways better," said Todd Brown of Seattle as he stood on the edge of the point and looked 2,000 feet down to the Colorado River where he had enjoyed a jet boat trip a few days earlier.

Eric Jones of Phoenix offered a similar assessment of the popular park, which hosts almost 185,000 visitors a year, mostly from out of state and nearly a third from outside of the United States.

"I've been touring quite a few of the national parks and monuments and this is one of the more impressive views," he said.

According to park manager Megan Blackwater, the viewpoints along the four-mile mostly paved trail here are the big draw, though the new nine-mile Intrepid Mountain Biking Trail, one of the few beginner routes in the Moab area, is beginning to draw interest as well. It is named after the potash company whose blue ponds can be seen from the point and which donated money to build the trail.

"Most people are here for the view and that's the main purpose of their visit," she said. "They spend some time at the point and turn around. ... I have noticed how people enjoy visiting the point and gazing off into the landscape. Many visitors say 'I just feel so small' and are in shock and awe of the landscape. We never have people complain they didn't enjoy the view."

The the 21-unit campground, which offers full electrical hookups, ranks among the most popular in the Moab area along with Arches National Park's Devils Garden facility. In fact, Blackwater said the facility fills almost every night in the spring and fall, when reservations through the state park system are strongly recommended.

Many campers use the facility as a base for four-wheeling or mountain biking trips on nearby Bureau of Land Management trails or to explore or hike nearby Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.

Because water must be trucked into the remote park four days a week from Moab, there are no showers. But restrooms have running water and drinking water is also available for campers and day-use visitors.

"Since we added RV electrical hookups, there is no question the campground is popular," said Smith, the regional parks supervisor. "That ended the conflict with generators and gave peace and quiet for tenters."

Smith said the addition of the mountain bike trail, dedicated earlier this year and built with the help of a Moab volunteer group called Trail Mix, has proved a big draw. The entire loop goes nine miles but bikers can also enjoy a one mile loop or a 4.2-mile loop.

"The weakest link in mountain biking in the greater Moab area was that there were no easy trails and that's what makes this so popular," said Smith. "I talked to a biker who was 14 years old and he said this was the first time he had fun. This trail is the place to take beginners."

Park managers have also put an emphasis on interpretive programs at the park, which has no law enforcement rangers. According to park employee Crystal Carpenter, the staff conducts programs on such topics as geology and wildlife. A telescope that was recently purchased by the park will be used for star parties.

Carpenter said about 91 percent of park visitors come from out of state and, of that number, 36 percent are from out of the country. About 70 percent of visitors are seeing Dead Horse Point for the first time.

wharton@sltrib.com