“Amazing red sandstone rock formations”
Valley of the Gods is a scenic sandstone valley near Mexican Hat in San Juan County, southeastern Utah. It is north of Monument Valley across the San Juan River, and has similar rock formations. It is similar to Monument Valley, albeit on a smaller scale, with tall, red, isolated mesas and cliffs standing above the level valley floor, remnants of an ancient landscape. The Valley of the Gods area may be toured via a 17 mile dirt road (FR 242) that winds amongst the eerie formations; this is rather steep and bumpy in parts but should be passable by normal vehicles in good weather. The western end joins UT 261 shortly before its 1,200 foot ascent up Cedar Mesa at Moki Dugway, while the eastern end starts 9 miles from the town of Mexican Hat along US 163 and heads north, initially crossing flat, open land and following the course of Lime Creek, a seasonal wash, before turning west towards the buttes and pinnacles.
One of the coolest places I have ever been too! So secluded and peaceful and truly represents the deserts of Utah in all its glory! Also, my family and I decided to camp here in a tent, instead of driving away from this beautiful location to our reserved campsite an hour away. Probably one of our best decisions we have ever made. You never knew how beautiful and lit up the night sky could be with the millions of stars and galaxies until you have spent a night in the Valley of the Gods.
This is a really great excursion if you're driving around the area. It's free and appears to be just as cool looking (if not better) than Monument Valley where you have to pay $20 to get in. We were there in November and saw only 2 other vehicles the whole time. There are lots of places to camp inside there too! The road is really good too, unless it rains, then I'm not sure. It's level with very few holes. It would be fun to park and ride your bike around the 17 mile loop. You get a lot of bang for your buck exploring this 17 mile road.
I only went about five miles into the 17 before turning around but it was absolutely gorgeous, I got some great pictures there are plenty of pull offs to stop and get some good shots. The only thing is the dirt road is a little bit rough, I was in an '05 Pt. Cruiser and he was having a hard time with some of the hills so it might not be the best for smaller cars.
You could spend hours here if you wanted. Simply beautiful.
There are some tricky parts of the road, so if you're in a little car, you might want to seriously check out the hills/curves.
A good place to get lost for a while and really look out over the earth.
You won't see too many cars, so you'll really feel alone at times- but that's the point of traveling, no?
Not very big sign to enter a Dirt road loop. SUV is recommended for uneven dirt road. Amazing view. Very few car when we visited before the new year. Amazing, peaceful and spiritual. You can see monument valley from distance
Nothing in the world quite like it. Like being in another universe. Breathtaking.
Was passing through the area from Moab to Monument Valley and just happened to notice the little sign for it as I went through. Turned around and took the turn down the dirt road and we went maybe 4-5 miles back and was such amazing formations and views.
Wow was this cool!! So if you’re coming from the north driving an RV just be very aware that there is a section with 10 inch grades and razor sharp 90 degree turns and the entire drive is extremely tight with very little visibility. Would not recommend novice RV drivers or anything over 30 feet long. Was quite the nail biter but dang the views were incredible.
I hesitate to leave a review because this place is so wonderful - and empty! - that I don't want others to come!. More stunning scenery, in my opinion, than Monument Valley. you can also camp here for free (which we did). Wonderful place.
This is definitely one of the hidden gems of Utah. In all my years living in this gorgeous state, I have never been more enraptured by the beauty of our land than in my time here. It’s at risk of being used to drill for oil now so I recommend getting there while you still can. Spend some time driving the long road through the valley. It’s worth it, trust me.
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Valley Of The Gods, Utah
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- Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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