POST 12: Valley of the Gods, Bluff, Utah,

Valley of The Gods

June 6th, 2017

We drove straight from Durango to The Valley of the Gods with the intention of staying there 2 nights. But, once we got out of the air-conditioned truck and were hit with the 43 c (109 f) temperatures. We realized staying 2 nights  probably wouldn’t be a good idea.

Even the wind was hot. The wind was so strong, we couldn’t put our awning out and that was with trying to use strong tie downs.

Joy quickly walked the dogs watching out for uninvited guests on the ground while Bill unhitched and set up the trailer. Then, we  jumped back into the truck for an AIR CONDITIONED tour of the Valley.

The tour is a 17 mile winding unpaved loop around the most unusual and beautiful rock formations made of Cedar Mesa sandstone formed over 250 million years ago.

The sculptures have been given names by the locals such as  Rooster Butte, Setting Hen Butte, and Balanced Rock/Lady in a Tub. Joy thinks her favorite was the Seven Sailors.

Map of the valley

The East entrance is located just off US-163 approximately 15 miles west of Bluff.  The West entrance is located off US-261.

Some of the road is rough if you are pulling a long trailer like ours, but doable if you go slowly. If there has been a lot of rain, you will not get past the West entrance due to the gulley that will fill up with rain and debris.

We used the East entrance from the Bluff side and only went a few miles in. We found the perfect spot that allowed us a magnificent view of at least  5 or 6 of the sculptures.

For more information on the rock formations (known as Hoodoos) check out Hoodoo (geology) on Wikipedia.org

Once the sun set which was incredible, we were able to sit outside for a bit before bedtime. It cooled down enough that sleeping was perfect with just the windows open.

We were really glad we had made the effort to see the Valley of the Gods, but if we went again, it would not be in June lol.

Pictures just DO NOT DO it justice!