Campsite Review: Valley of the Mortally Inspired - Mexican Hat, UT
Stayed here 11/6/20. I was motivated to stay here after a night on Muley Point a few months earlier. It was a totally different vibe camping amongst the beautiful mountains and rock formations I had admired from on high. To get to camp you have to drive through the Valley of the Gods, and you quickly understand how this place got its name. How else would someone who never studied geology explain all of this? I took a class in university on geology and I can only explain maybe a tenth of what’s going on. For those before us that simply existed on this land, a divine act would seem the most likely explanation. Like everything in life, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Today, even with all the knowledge available, it’s impossible not to feel a deeper connection to something greater than us when you visit.
Camp sat on a ridge right above the San Juan River and is high enough up to give you a view of the Valley of the Gods and the famous Mexican Hat formation. The immediate area has so much to explore I’m sure you would have no problem filling 2 or 3 days with hikes. If you’re brave enough to drive this road more than once, there are months worth of sights to see within an hour. Theo and I only passed through for one day and night, but I’d recommend setting up somewhere else if you’re primarily driving to do your exploring.
The road in has a couple of sections where if you aren’t careful, you’ll likely hear something break. Rolling those dice multiple times a day would end up biting anyone without an OHV. The beautiful red sand surrounding you is pretty to look at, not so much when it coats your tent. If you bring your dog there’s no hope, everything will be covered in red pawprints.
I’ve been curious about something since my visit, and my quick internet research hasn’t yielded much. Who got to name the famous rock formation Mexican Hat? The name is a fair one, it’s the first thing that comes to mind when you look at it. Why did they go Mexican Hat? Did they think Americans would struggle with the word sombrero? How it got its name aside, the local legend of how it got the name is delightful. The legend states a vaquero rides through town and falls for the wife of an evil medicine man. After learning of the affair, the medicine man turned the vaquero to the stone formation underneath the hat. The famous Mexican Hat formation on top serves as the only visual reminder of his life.
Access: 3.5/5
The road into the best sites demands high clearance. 4x4 recommended as well.
Campsite Quality: 4/5
Plenty of fire rings and flat area looking into the valley and on the river proper.
Location: 5/5
Incredible, you can look out your tent at famous Utah rock formations and the San Juan River.
Solitude: 5/5
I was the only one down this road camping. Only noises were the occasional semi.
Directions
37.197993, -109.846705
(From Mexican Hat, UT) Drive US-163 until you pass the intersection with UT-261.
Once you pass the UT-261 intersection (on your left), there will be an unsigned wire gate (on your right) less than a half mile from the intersection. The unsigned gate will be the first turn following the intersection. It also is the first right turn that makes sense to get to the posted coordinates.
You will have to get out, take the gate out of the wires holding it taut, drive your car through and then close the gate.
Follow the high clearance road in to the campsites.
NOTE: To get to the best campsite in the area, follow the high clearance road as it forks right once or twice. The campsite is defined by the large hill close by, and is where this section of the road ends.
