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(If you haven’t taken the Valley of the Gods option, turn right off U.S. To see the impressive Muley Point overlook’s expansive views, turn right on Highway 261 off the Valley of the Gods scenic drive and immediately climb the 1,000-foot graded gravel road up the Moki Dugway. 163, but there are some things to see along Highway 261 so consider taking more side trips. Highway 261 will take you south back to U.S. The loop finishes on Highway 261 (paved) just south of the descent from the Moki Dugway and north of the turnoff for Goosenecks State Park. It is incredibly quiet, and watching the moon rise here is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There are no established campgrounds and no facilities, but there are plenty of places to camp in the wild. Valley of the Gods is also a very good place to camp if you are entirely self-sufficient. Definitely consider driving this beautiful, lonely loop-though not in a large RV and not dragging a trailer. The 17-mile loop drive on (mostly good) dirt road is suitable for all but the most low-slung passenger vehicles in good weather. Its mesas and spires are formed of the same Cedar Mesa sandstone as the somewhat larger formations at Monument Valley. Valley of the Gods is like a miniature version of Monument Valley without people. It’s about 16 miles from Bluff to the eastern entrance, on the right, of Valley of the Gods, a highly recommended side trip. Just past Comb Ridge, you climb out of the ravine and begin to see the outline of the Monument Valley’s dramatic formations way off in the distance. After driving through the gap in this striking formation, it is definitely worth stopping to look back and study the impressive natural barrier more carefully. This eroded monocline begins just south of the Abajo Mountains (west of Blanding) and runs 80 miles south to Kayenta, Arizona. The highway crosses Comb Wash, revealing the dramatic cliffs of Comb Ridge, a huge redrock escarpment running north–south. 191 makes a sharp left turn and heads south to Mexican Water, Arizona. The small, basic (no drinking water) campground here fills up quickly.Ībout 3 miles west of Bluff, U.S. Watch carefully for the Sand Island Road, on the left, just before the major turnoff for Mexican Water. The tour brochure is usually available there.Īt nearby Sand Island Recreation Area, 2 miles past Bluff, an excellent Anasazi petroglyph panel features five representations of Kokopelli, the humpbacked flute-player. Don’t miss the Twin Rocks Cafe, incredibly situated just underneath a couple of rock spires. The Bluff City Historical Preservation Association publishes an excellent tour brochure describing historical houses and other sites in Bluff with a guide to nearby rock art sites. Note especially the Bluff library, a fine old stone building. The town has a nice little historic loop on the right just as you enter town.

Otherwise, no real seasonal distinctions can be made, and driving poses no impediments for any sort of vehicle.īluff is a peaceful place whose biggest attraction is San Juan River excursions. It is hot at the height of summer in this corner of the state. 163 traverses land that is broad, open, and windswept. Rather than narrow canyons and steep, confining barrier reefs, U.S. While the landscapes to the north and east are characterized by dramatic ancient bucklings of the earth and by intricate, mazelike canyons carved by the persistent action of rushing waters, the country encountered on the drive between the town of Bluff and Monument Valley drive is more spacious and more serene in its magnificence. Beauty on a Grand Scale: Scenic Driving Bluff to Monument Valley