Valley of the Gods
UT-261, Mexican Hat, UT
Mexican Hat, UT
A hushed backcountry valley of towering red buttes and spires, a free, uncrowded cousin of Monument Valley reached by a lonely dirt loop.
Valley of the Gods is a quiet, spectacular valley of red sandstone monoliths in the remote canyon country of southeast Utah. Often called a smaller, free, and far less crowded cousin of Monument Valley just to the south, it offers towering buttes, spires, and pinnacles rising from the desert floor along a lonely scenic dirt road.
A loop of unpaved road threads through the valley, letting visitors drive slowly among the formations, each of which carries an evocative name. With no entrance fee, no crowds, and no services, it rewards those seeking solitude and raw desert beauty, and its dark skies make it a magnificent place to camp beneath the stars.
What Guests Love
- Towering red sandstone buttes, pinnacles, and spires in a quiet valley
- A free, uncrowded alternative to nearby Monument Valley
- A scenic backcountry dirt loop you can drive at your own pace
- Wide desert solitude, big skies, and brilliant night stars
Worth Knowing
- The loop is a dirt road, usually fine for careful drivers but impassable when wet, so avoid it in rain
- There are no services, water, or facilities, so come fully self-sufficient
- Dispersed camping is allowed under BLM rules, so pack out everything you bring
- Respect that this is culturally significant land within the Bears Ears region
Details
Mexican Hat, UT
Learn about Valley of the Gods
A valley of red rock giants
The valley is filled with dramatic formations of red sandstone, isolated buttes, slender spires, and tilted pinnacles standing hundreds of feet above the desert. Erosion has carved them from the same ancient rock layers that build much of the Colorado Plateau, leaving behind these sculpted monuments.
Each formation has been given a fanciful name, and the shifting desert light plays across them through the day, deepening to a fiery glow at sunrise and sunset. The scale and stillness of the place give it a sense of grandeur out of all proportion to its modest fame.
The scenic loop
A dirt road loops through Valley of the Gods, connecting the paved highways on either side and winding among the formations. High-clearance vehicles handle it best, and careful drivers in ordinary cars often manage it in dry conditions, but the road turns to impassable mud when wet.
Driving the loop slowly is the heart of a visit, stopping to walk among the buttes, take photographs, and soak in the silence. With no fees or gates, it is an experience of pure, unstructured desert exploration that has grown rare.
Solitude, camping, and dark skies
Part of the valley's magic is its emptiness. Where Monument Valley draws crowds and tour buses, Valley of the Gods is often nearly deserted, offering a profound quiet. Dispersed camping is permitted along the road under land-management rules, so visitors can spend the night among the formations.
Far from any city lights, the night sky here is extraordinary, thick with stars and the arch of the Milky Way. Camping in the valley, with the dark shapes of the buttes against a blazing sky, is an experience that stays with people long after they leave.
The Bears Ears country
Valley of the Gods lies within the broader Bears Ears region, a landscape of deep cultural significance to many Native nations, including the Navajo, Ute, Hopi, and Pueblo peoples, whose ancestors lived across this country and whose ties to it remain living and strong. The land holds countless archaeological sites and sacred places.
Visitors are asked to treat the whole region with respect, staying on established roads, leaving all artifacts and sites undisturbed, and packing out everything they bring. Spring and fall offer the most comfortable weather, summer is hot, and winter is cold but clear, with the low sun especially flattering to the red rock.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Mexican Hat
Moki Dugway
About 4 miles west
A dramatic set of gravel switchbacks climbing a cliff to Cedar Mesa, with sweeping views.
Goosenecks State Park
About 10 miles southwest
An overlook of the San Juan River's tightly coiled meanders far below.
Monument Valley
About 25 miles south
The iconic red buttes on the Navajo Nation, straddling the Utah-Arizona line.