Valley of the Gods Travel Guide.

Valley of the Gods is often referred to as a “miniature version of Monument Valley”, this area has a collection of formations, arches & ruin sites

•          Location is 68.1 miles from Monticello; travel 50.7 miles along Hwy 191 until it changes to Hwy 163 west of Bluff, travel for 12.4 miles and make a right onto Valley of the Gods Rd (there will be an indication sign), travel 1.3 miles and turn left to continue.

•          The road through Valley of the Gods is a 17 mile graded gravel & clay road; accessible to any type of passenger vehicle; it is best for car travel only during dry conditions. 

•          Open year round.  Estimated time to visit: 2-4 hours.

•          Admission: Free

•          Camping: several camp sites along route, free, first come/first serve, NO campfires allowed.

•          The Valley of the Gods Bed & Breakfast is located near the Route 261 access/exit.

•          Pets - must be leashed at all times, owners are expected to pick up after their pet(s).

•          Website: https://www.blm.gov/office/monticello-field-office  BLM – Monticello Field Office is located at 365 North Main (Hwy 191), Monticello

•          Phone: (435) 587-1500

Mary Cokenour

Hospitality is Key for a Bed and Breakfast.

Valley of the Gods Bed and Breakfast

PO Box 310307

Mexican Hat, Utah, 84531

Phone: (970) 749-1164

Website: http://www.valleyofthegodsbandb.com

 

 

 

 

Hospitality to travelers, strangers really, goes back to the beginning of recorded history; an extension of religious beliefs and culture.  A perfect example is Xenia, the concept of Greek hospitality where generosity and courtesy were reciprocated between host and guest.  A traveler could knock upon the door of any home, be greeted warmly, given food and a bed to rest upon.  Zeus, leader of the Grecian Pantheon, was also called Zeus Xenios, the protector of travelers; often disguising himself as a weary traveler he was able to see if humble hospitality was practiced or not. Rewards were bestowed to those who were pious to the concept (Theoxeny), punishments to those who refused to help a stranger, or even try to take advantage.

As humankind developed, travel went from walking, horse/oxen drawn carts, waterways, stagecoach, railway, automobile, airplane.  Inns with many rooms, stables for the horse and oxen, developed into hotels with the advent of indoor plumbing.  As families traveled on vacation and needed cheaper lodging, motels burst forth along highways.  Hotels provided meals through a restaurant of their own, or kitchen providing room service.  Diners became the roadside partners to the motels, and then the fast food industry came onto the scene. 

Having traveled through Europe, Russia, Canada and the United States, the concept of hospitality differs, not from country to country, or town to town.  Nowadays, what you get might just be dependent upon what you give, and that means money….or does it?

The Bed and Breakfast, or B & B for short, has never left, but is becoming a much desired staying place for people on vacation or traveling for business.   The owners of a B & B often live within the residence, or within a smaller building on the premises.  Cozy sized bedrooms with ultra-comfy beds, a small private bathroom; homemade breakfast is typically the only meal served.  Guests are treated more like family; rocking chairs on porches, taking in the night air and sky; sharing stories of the day’s sightseeing.

 

 

…and let me introduce you to the Valley of the Gods Bed and Breakfast.   The Route 261 entrance to Valley of the Gods is 6.5 miles once you have made the turn off Highway 163; on the way is the road to Goosenecks State Park.  Or, like we did, travel down the 3 miles of switchbacks known as the Moki Dugway, ready to explore the 17 mile trail of the Valley and its amazing formations.  About a half mile in is the B & B, stopping only to take some exterior shots, owner Claire Dorgan came out to ask us if we were reserved guests.  Explaining the travel blog, and wanting to do a write up of her business, she cheerfully exclaimed, “Well, come on in!”  We weren’t staying there, but already felt wanted and welcomed.

 

The porch is referred to as the outdoor living room, dining room and kitchen; a place to take in the beauty of the landscape, the night show of the stars, breathe deep and relax.  Inside, this home is amazing wood and stone; antiques galore; handmade quilts adorn the sink-into-glorious-sleep beds; rustic country/southwestern charm.  Breakfast is freshly prepared by Claire, unique creations keep the guests surprised and satisfied.  Her husband, Gary, proudly talks about the energy efficiency of the B & B; powered by wind and solar systems.  Looking for a little privacy, the old root cellar building has been converted into a quaint little hideaway of its own.

  
 

Lady in the Bathtub.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 

Valley of the Gods Bed and Breakfast is a haven in the desert; its warm arms surrounding visitors at night while the coyote howls and a tumbleweed rolls into the dark.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

Mexican Hat, Monument Valley and in Between.

The most southern region of San Juan County has a few tricks up its sleeve weather wise.  After you've driven through Bluff and awed at the snow outlining the Comb Ridge; Mexican Hat is a whole other story.  Snow?  What's that, the formation is asking.  It might be cloudy, sunny or bit of both; but snow, or any trace of it, will be hard put to find.

Design in the walls, and on Navajo weavings, is called "The Great Serpent".  Legend says that he lives within the walls and protects the land of this area. 

Valley of the Gods is a wondrous place, a miniature version of Monument Valley, and the 17 miles of gravel covered, roller coaster like, road is worth the trip.  Along Route 163 though are two formations which I finally discovered the names of, "Coyote's Misstep" and "The Birthday Cake".   The "cake" is named by locals simply because it does look like a square tiered birthday cake.  However, the smaller of the formations has a legend attached to it.  Coyote one day caught his cousin, Badger, fooling around with his mate.  He chased him, up onto a ridge, but Badger was able to get away.  Coyote became so furious that he kicked at the earth below his feet so hard, he knocked a piece of the ridge miles out to what is now Route 163.

Coyote's Misstep (fore front), Birthday Cake (right corner of photo))

The open space on the ridge and the formation on the roadway looks to align almost perfectly.

 Route 261, the road to Goosenecks State Park is not much further on; once you turn onto the road, go one mile for the road to Goosenecks, then it's another 3.5 miles to the entrance.   A maintenance fee is now being charged to visit the park; $5/passenger vehicle, $2/per person for a bus tour, $10/night for camping.   Hurray for me, I finally figured out how to set the panorama function on my camera that it would get the entire three sections of the Goosenecks.  It came out so nice, I'm going to show it to you twice!  These outstanding formations were carved out by the weather and the San Juan River.

Back onto Route 163, the snow begins showing up again as we headed on down to Monument Valley.  The clouds winding throughout the formations gives the, already, mysterious region further mystery.  Rabbit and Bear chase each other through wisps of white, while the King floats upon his Throne.  Like many a person before us, we stopped at "Forrest Gump Hill"; this is the location in the movie where Forrest finally decides to stop running.  Even this movie character was blown away by the awesomeness of Monument Valley.

No matter the weather, time of day, or season; San Juan County will always keep you on your toes with surprise after surprise.  Make sure to keep all your senses open!

Mary Cokenour

Winter in the Desert.

Surprise!!! Winter does come to the desert regions of the Southwestern United States; sometimes the snow stays for days on end; sometimes it disappears within hours. As I stated in my post, "Welcome to the Desert", she is an unpredictable mistress, and demands respect!

On January 3rd, we took a drive between Monticello and Monument Valley along Routes 191 and 163; not only was there snow, but the clouds had descended and created mystical wintery landscapes.

Traveling south on Route 191, the Abajo Mountains were a maze of sunbeams and shadows.  Normally, sitting under the watchful eyes of the mountains, Monticello gets hit with more snow than the areas to the south.  Not this time though, and from Blanding to Bluff, we traveled through dense cloud cover.

As we drove closer to Comb Ridge (this is where Route 191 veers off and Route 163 takes over), the cloud cover eased a bit, but the snow certainly didn't.

Surprisingly, when we reached the Mexican Hat area, there was not as much snow evident and the cloud cover has dissipated.  The San Juan River was not fully iced over, but you could see small pieces of ice flowing along.

Valley of the Gods was magical; the formations seeming to float amongst the clouds.  Usually Monument Valley can be seen as soon as you cross over the San Juan River bridge, but not today; familiar landmarks had simply disappeared!




"The Birthday Cake"...with frosting.



Rooster Butte, Setting Hen Butte



Rooster Butte

Seven Sailors

Monument Valley, where had it gone? Formations slipped in and out of view; Sleeping Bear being watched over by Setting Hen; suddenly it was swallowed up by clouds. We spent several hours at a friend's home and watched the sun make short appearances, each time the clouds allowing the grand formations to show more and more of themselves. By three in the afternoon, the classic forms of the two Mittens and Merrick Butte were once again standing proud.



Bear and Rabbit; there is an arch inside Bear.

Since it gets dark by 5:30pm now, we left Monument Valley at 3; however, the Moki Dugway called to us and we took the trip upwards.  The more shadier areas had some snow and ice, but nothing to worry over as we drove very slowly.  Now I have to tell you that going down is still more fun and exciting, to us, than going upwards.  The passenger gets a great view of sandstone walls, but cannot see pass the driver's head and body.  The driver is so busy paying attention to the winding road, who has time to look at the landscape!?!  We did pull into the parking area that allows you to photograph almost the entire Moki Dugway, Cedar Mesa and the valley below.  Now while the Moki Dugway is still firmly packed down dirt and the road to Muley Point is gravel; Route 261 is now fully paved (used to be only partially paved).



Route 261 goes through the Grand Gluch/Cedar Mesa area and connects with Route 95 where you can go to Natural Bridges National Monument, or to Blanding (Route 191).  We were headed home, so we headed towards Route 191 and north to Monticello; we had come full circle.  The Bears Ears came into view way before we reached 95; we still could not see the similarity to an actual bear's ears though.  Using A LOT of imagination, I could see the eyes and snout laid out in the landscaping below the formations, but in no way did the formations themselves look like ears.

Driving down 95, our beautiful pink sky mixing with the blue; the moon smiling down on the planet, wishing us all a good night and sleep tight.   How much more serene can it get!?!

Pass through northern section of Comb Ridge



Mule Deer Herd

So, this is our typical winter down here in the southeastern corner of Utah. Might not be your cup of tea, but it is what it is; the desert won't change to accommodate anyone but herself.

Mary Cokenour