The Valley of the Gods is like a miniature version of Monument Valley, east of Mexican Hat, Utah. There’s a 17 mile dirt road that winds along its monolithic buttes and mesas – I drove through it on the afternoon of March 2nd, 2009.

The difference between Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley (Besides the greater scale and grandeur of Monument Valley) is that here there are no tourists, no entry fee, no visitor center – nothing. Also free backcountry camping is allowed anywhere, as this is Bureau of Land Management property.

This is called Sitting Hen Butte (I think). The other prominent features in the Valley of the Gods are called Seven Sailors, Rooster Butte, Battleship Rock, Castle Butte, and Balanced Rock / Lady in a Tub. I have not labelled them in these photos, because I don’t know for sure which one is which.

Native legend says that these formations were once Great Warriors, frozen in time.

This lone tree and butte caught my attention, back out on the state highway. While taking these couple of photos I nearly stepped on a rusted old can along the road, typical of the miners’ trash found in Grand Canyon.

The “Mexican Hat,” namesake of Mexican Hat, Utah.

My favorite little roadside Navajo stand, at one of my favorite viewpoints in the world.

This road trip was over the next day, when I checked back into work at the Grand Canyon South Rim.

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