Goosenecks State Park is a
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
in the U.S. state of
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
, overlooking a deep
meander
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ban ...
of the
San Juan River. The park is located near the southern border of the state a short distance from
Mexican Hat, Utah
Mexican Hat is a census-designated place (CDP) in Utah in the United States. It is on the San Juan River on the northern edge of the Navajo Nation's borders in south-central San Juan County. The population was 31 in the 2010 census, a sharp de ...
.
Millions of years ago, the
Monument Upwarp forced the river to carve incised meanders over deep as the surrounding landscape slowly rose in elevation. Eroded by water, wind, frost, and gravity, this is a classic location for observing
incised meanders.
Goosenecks State Park is largely undeveloped. Primitive
campsite
A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using te ...
s with picnic tables are scattered back from the edge of the cliff, and vault toilets are available. Campers are advised to bring their own water, food, and other necessary gear.
The park received International Dark Sky Park designation by The International Dark-Sky Association in March, 2021. Night photography and stargazing are popular activities because there is little light pollution due to its remoteness.
There are no developed hiking trails in the park,
but the
Honaker Trail, a few miles to the northwest, provides access to the San Juan River.
References
External links
*
Goosenecks State Park
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Protected areas established in 1962
Protected areas of San Juan County, Utah
State parks of Utah
1962 establishments in Utah