Valley of the Gods is a scenic sandstone valley that although only a quarter of the size of its big brother, Monument Valley, offers many similar stunning views along the route. The road through the valley is smooth for the most part, offering many places to pull off to take in the amazing sights. Many of the imposing rock formations are named, so use your imagination as you tour the area and see if you can spot formations such as "Lady In The Bathtub" or "Rooster Butte."
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From Mexican Hat, UT: Head east on US 163 N for 8.0 miles. The trailhead will be well marked on the left.
A large part of southeastern Utah has been newly designated as the 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument is a newly protected landscape in southeast Utah. History was made when the monument was designated by President Obama because it honored five Native American tribes - Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute and the Uintah-Ouray Ute Tribe - who sought to have their traditional lands set aside for preservation and continued traditional, recreational and scientific use.
Vehicle access in this area has not been affected by this, however large portions of this have been made a Wilderness/Scientific Study area. Please protect this area and stick to designated vehicle routes.
Always a fun loop. Did it counterclockwise and had a blast. A few sand spots and some chunky areas, but good fun. Lots of campers in the dispersed areas.
Highly recommended. Very scenic, beautiful views of red rock formations. The road was quite easy but the last 2 miles were pretty rugged washboard so it was worth airing down even though it was only a short distance. It was surprisingly crowded for such an out of the way spot. We unwittingly camped below a knoll where everybody stopped to take pictures of the magnificent red rock formation just behind our campsite. Our campsite may have inadvertently become the most photographed campsite ever.
Finally got to check this one off my list; it was a very easy and scenic drive through some very impressive formations with some great areas to camp. There was also a storm that rolled through that made for some cool pictures.
As long as this trail is dry, anything can drive through this trail. We took ascended up the Moki Dugway where you'll have an impressive view of the Valley of the Gods, so make sure to stop to admire the beauty.
You can take little dirt roads with cliff overlooks. Afterwards, we continued our adventures Eastwards to Snow flats road.
Very nice leisurely drive with some very nice views. There was some vehicle and bicycle traffic on the trail, but the road is wide enough for safe passing.
Weather: Sunny, clear, with a few clouds.
Temperature: 40s
Time of day: Mid-day
The road was nice and dry, with the only wet spot being right at the trail start. A few other vehicles on the road. Lots of BLM camping areas, some right off the road others a bit more secluded. The views are fantastic, a great compliment to Monument Valley without the entrance fee. All in all this was a fun trip to take as we headed to Moki Dugway.
Definitely put this on your list of trails to hit in the area because these views you won't want to miss. The road is easy and well maintained, but like Andrew mentioned be sure to watch out for inexperienced drivers who might come around a turn faster than they should. Pull-off spots for camping are plentiful, there were definitely other people out there on this Sunday evening/Monday but had no issues finding my own spot. Definitely keeping this area in my favorites!
Fantastic views galore on this drive. I think we enjoyed it more than the drive through Monument Valley. The road is in good shape, not too much washboard and only a few spots that require high clearance. Keep an eye out for inexperienced drivers on the many blind rollovers.
Loved this easy trail. Stumbled upon it since Navajo Nation was closed. Will visit again as you can visit the monument mountains up close and the trail is rather private and unused.
Visited Valley of the Gods during a 4 day overland trip to the area. The trail is in great shape and had very little traffic. Weather was perfect, it was all you could ask for for such a beautiful area!
I have to say, I was much more impressed with Valley of the Gods than Monument Valley. The road is in great shape and the views are spectacular in all directions! The trail is easy, but the rock formations are just amazing. As an added bonus, doing the Moki Dugway will give you spectacular views all the way up and a bit of a pucker factor for your passengers😳. Highly recommend this if you are in the area.
On the way to Wyoming to see the 2017 Great American Eclipse, we traveled through Valley of the Gods. The road was surprisingly smooth and easy to navigate. The rock formations were nearly as breathtaking as Monument Valley. The difference was, there was no one out there. It seemed pristine, unspoiled and wild. Mexican hat, though not in the valley itself, is certainly a noteworthy thing to stop and see between the town of Mexican Hat and the entrance to Valley of the Gods. 37°10'38.4"N 109°51'12.0"W
There were a variety of named formations that made the visit even more interesting
Setting Hen Butte,
Rooster Butte ,
Battleship Rock and nearby Battleship camp
Lat: 37.29239
Lon: -109.81730
Elevation: 4734 ft
West Lime Creek with
Creek camp
Lat: 37.30002
Lon: -109.83535
Elevation: 4757 ft
Castle Butte
De Gaulle and his Soldiers
Rudolf and Santa Claus
We dumped out of the dirt road onto the Moki Dugway, which is a series of switchbacks and tunnels leading up to the plateau. We were out of time and didn't drive up the Dugway because after all, in two days, we needed to be in position for the eclipse.
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Greg Stokes Is a Colorado native, born and raised in Colorado Springs. He has been off-roading since childhood, his parents say his first trip was a Jeep run over Medano Pass when he was only 14 Months old. Greg has been at the wheel of everything from dirtbikes, ATV's, early Jeep CJ5's that he has restored, Wranglers, and presently explores in a 1997 80 Series Toyota Land Cruiser and a 2015 BMW R1200GS Adventure motorcycle. Greg is a proud Husband and Father of 3. His passion in the off road world is the vehicle-reliant world of Overlanding. He hopes to one day make it to Canada to Explore the Yukon and Northwest territories.
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