Events

December

Star Party: Stars of Wonder
Wednesday, December 24th at 5:30pm

Join us for a special Star Party this Christmas Eve, at the Dead Horse Point State Park Visitor Center! Hot chocolate will be available for purchase from 5:00pm to 5:30pm. We’ll be using our telescope to explore some of the most magnificent stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, from binary stars to giant stars to star clusters and star remnants. This star party will be held in the Visitor Center parking lot, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm!

Star Party: Seasons in the Sky
Saturday, December 27th at 5:30pm

Throughout human history, the stars have served as our collective calendar, chronicling the passage of time. The stories their constellations tell are among the oldest seasonal tales. Learn these stories as we explore the winter sky and begin to ring in the new year! Join us for Star Party Saturdays throughout the winter, with a unique theme every week! The theme of December 27th will be “Seasons in the Sky!” Meet at the Mountain Bike Lot at 5:30pm!

January

First Day Hike: Bighorn Trail
Thursday, January 1st at 9:00am

Do your New Year Resolutions include staying in shape, spending more time in nature, exploring new places, or making new friends? Join a Park Ranger at Dead Horse Point State Park for a First Day Hike out to one of our favorite overlooks in the park at the end of the Bighorn Trail! We’ll meet at the Visitor Center at 9:00am! As park operations will be limited on this holiday, the leading ranger will check receipts for proper admission fee self-payments, or facilitate alternative payment methods at the Visitor Center from 8:30am to the program start time. This hike will be approximately 3 miles in total, crossing rough, uneven, and potentially slick terrain. Please dress appropriately!

Wolf Moon Walk
Saturday, January 3rd at 5:30pm

Step into the first full moon of 2026 on a guided hike across the high desert. Under the light of the Wolf Moon, we’ll explore the history of wolves in Utah, the cultural traditions tied to this midwinter moon, and the myths and misconceptions that have followed nocturnal animals for centuries. Along the way, we’ll also take a closer look at lunar geology and how the Moon’s surface tells its own stories. Our Wolf Moon Hike will be held Saturday, January 3rd, at 5:30pm, meeting at the steps of the Visitor Center! Dress for cold weather and bring a red light!

Sketch by Sunset
Saturday, January 10th at 4:30pm

The New Year is a great time to begin building your own Naturalist Notebook, and there’s no better place to start than at Dead Horse Point Overlook during the Golden Hour! We’ll provide the sketchpad and discuss the utility of nature journaling, then send you out across the Point to encounter desert life, sketch unique rock formations, and color the changing canyon walls under a setting sun. Each attendee will receive a unique challenge to sketch a feature of Dead Horse Point, and, before sunset, we’ll reconvene to share our work! Sketch by Sunset begins at 4:30pm on Saturday, January 10th, meeting at the Dead Horse Point Overlook Shade Shelter.

Constellation Quest
Saturday, January 17th at 6:00pm

Come explore the night skies above an International Dark Sky Park! Learn how to identify major winter asterisms and discover the stories of their associated constellations with the aid of lasers, binoculars, and a telescope. In this month’s Constellation Quest, we’ll discuss Orion the Hunter, known for his prominent belt, joined by his companions Canis Major and Canis Minor on the hunt for their prey, Lepus. The exciting tale of the fate of Orion is written on the stars, and with the help of a Ranger, you can read it too! Our Constellation Quest will be held at the Mountain Bike Lot on Saturday, January 17th, at 6:00pm.

Basin Bound! Nature Hike
Saturday, January 24th at 3:30pm

Join a Park Ranger on a guided afternoon hike out to the Basin Overlook along the East Rim Trail of Dead Horse Point State Park, and experience unforgettable views of the Colorado River Basin, through which millions of tons of sediment pass each year! This hike will be approximately 2 miles in total. Along the way, we’ll discuss the wildlife, ecology, and natural history of the Dead Horse Mesa, and explore the ways the Colorado River, 2000 feet beneath our feet, continues to shape the landscape! Bring hiking shoes, water, and warm, active clothing!

Snow Moon Shuffle
Saturday, January 31st at 6:00pm

Join us for a walk under the coolest moon of the year and learn all about how winter affects desert ecology! On this full moon journey, we’ll explore the survival strategies plants and wildlife in the park have adapted to survive the bitter cold winter at Dead Horse Point during a short, quarter-mile shuffle around the paved overlook in front of the Visitor Center. We’ll also discuss the effect the moon has on life in the park, and share fun information about the big snowball in the sky! Wear warm clothing and shoes with good traction, and bring a red light if you have one! We’ll meet at 6:00pm at the steps of the Visitor Center on Saturday, January 31st.

February

Telescopic Geo-Tour
Saturday, February 7th at 4:00pm

Rock formations visible from Dead Horse Point State Park tell the story of millions of years of local geological history, revealing the past lives of our high desert landscape. Previous deep ocean floors, rolling desert ergs, and raptor-ravaged ravines now stand before us as thousands of feet of stone. With the aid of a telescope, we’ll get up close with the mountains, canyons, laccoliths, fins, arches, buttes, and mesmerizing landscapes surrounding the park. Our Telescopic Geo-Tour will be held Saturday, February 7th, at 4:00pm, meeting at the Dead Horse Point Overlook Shade Shelter.

Cupid’s Constellations
Saturday, February 14th at 6:30pm

Love is in the air (or, more properly, in space!) in this special Valentine’s Day Constellation Quest! Bring someone you love and learn all about the stories of romance written in the stars, from the swoon-worthy story of Perseus and Andromeda to the heart-wrenching tragedy of Orion and Artemis. In our Constellation Quest, we’ll use a telescope and binoculars to explore inseparable binary stars, the swelling hearts of star clusters, and the glistening rings of nebulae and distant galaxies. This event will begin at 6:30pm on Saturday, February 14th, at 6:30pm at the Mountain Bike Lot!

Pedal to the Past
Saturday, February 21st at 4:00pm

Pedal out to the historic haul line with a Park Ranger in this Mountain Biking Adventure! While cycling, we’ll take a few rest breaks to discuss the history of the area, from prehistory to early settlement to the Uranium Boom of the 1950s, visiting several interesting and unique historical sites! We will be pedaling approximately 6 miles in total, across easy to moderate terrain along the Great Pyramid and Cable Line Trails. Bring your own mountain bike, helmet, and water! There will be no mountain bike rentals available to rent from within the park on this date.

Meander by Moonlight
Saturday, February 28th at 6:30pm

Meander Overlook is among the most photographed points in the park, and for good reason! This scenic spot offers a look at the gooseneck of the mighty Colorado River! But have you seen this classic view by the light of the moon and stars? Take a hike under the waxing moon with a Park Ranger out to Meander Overlook in a certified Dark Sky Park at Dead Horse Point! On this hike, we’ll discuss the history, geology, and ecology of Dead Horse Point and the surrounding Colorado Plateau, hiking approximately 3 miles in total across uneven desert terrain. Come dressed for a cold adventure! Trail conditions may be icy and hazardous. A headlamp and hiking shoes are strongly encouraged! Meet at the Point Shade Shelter at 6:30pm on Saturday, February 28th!

March

Blood Moon Bonanza
Tuesday, March 3rd at 6:30pm

March 3rd, 2026 brings a rare Total Lunar Eclipse to the dark skies above Dead Horse Point! Also known as a Blood Moon, the Total Lunar Eclipse only occurs when the Moon passes completely under the Earth’s shadow. During this time, the moon will appear to glow a reddish color! In our Blood Moon Bonanza, we’ll have telescopes trained on this awesome celestial event for you to get up close with the eclipse! Featuring a Ranger talk, glow-in-the-dark painting stations, constellation horseshoes and other family-fun activities, this program will be held at the Mountain Bike Lot at Dead Horse Point State Park on Tuesday, March 3rd, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm!