A Drive Through Valley of the Gods: Bluff, Utah

2 years ago
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valley of the gods bluff utah scenic travel drive dirt road red rocks

County Road B242 winds 17 miles through Valley of the Gods, skirting many of the sandstone formations with fanciful names such as Pyramid Peak, Rooster Butte, and the Seven Sailors. The road surface is graded gavel and clay, which is typically suitable for most passenger vehicles. I would not recommend vehicles with low clearance or that have low hanging ground effects. The road can be difficult or even impassable when wet. The drive through the loop usually takes about 2 hours.

There's no cellphone signal, no water, no restrooms,...nothing. Bluff, Utah is the nearest town and is 15 miles east of the entrance off US 163. There are primitive camping sites along the road, but you must take in (and hopefully take out) what you will need. The valley is considered a "dark area" and offers a spectacular view of the nighttime sky.

At the end of the loop take a right and drive up the Moki Dugway, a winding graded gravel road that has an 11% grade, is 3 miles long, and rises 1,200 feet above the valley floor. Turn left and go to Goosenecks State Park and from 1,000 feet up see the meandering canyon carved by the San Juan River.

We went very early in the morning during a heat wave. On the drive back our car thermometer registered 106 degrees. It was already 97 degrees when we started our drive. Nancy had hurt her back the previous day and every bump on the road caused her pain. There are good sections to the road, smooth for gravel, but there are also some very rough areas and blind drops.

Equipment:
iPhone 10
A 15 year old Olympus VG-140
Akaso 4K Ultra HD Action Camera
Bcway Phone All-in-One Travel Tripod with Remote
Trekking Pole and Backpack are Ozark Trail from Walmart
Hiking hat is a Tilley

Music:
Sonora by Quincas Moreira
Western Spaghetti by Chris Haugen

We travel in a 2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE front-wheel drive with over 90,000 miles. We are still praying for a small Scamp or an Aliner to tow behind it.

Recorded on location July 10, 2021 at Valley of the Gods Utah.

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