Mexican Hat Rock

This geologic oddity gets it name because it looks just like a man wearing a sombrero. It is a giant hoodoo rising next to the San Juan River near the small town of Mexican Hat, named after the rock. You can see it well while driving by on Highway 163, but it's worth a stop for better views of the formation and the river below.

Exit the highway at the signed turnoff just north of town and park along any branch of the dirt roads that encircle the Mexican Hat. You won't see the river until you venture around behind the rock and find a vantage point. Views are pretty spectacular as you gaze north over a bend in the San Juan toward the towers in Valley of the Gods and the impressive cliffs of Cedar Mesa beyond. To the southwest is Monument Valley, and just to the east are the wavy, tri-colored rock layers of Raplee Anticline.

The geology of this entire region is fascinating and beautiful. All the sandstone towers are eroded remnants of seaside deposits from the age of dinosaurs and before. When driving across this stretch of Southern Utah, take time to stop the car, breath the desert air, and admire the ongoing eons traced in the landscape.