Valley of the Gods
Encyclopedia
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
near Mexican Hat
Mexican Hat, Utah
Mexican Hat is a census-designated place on the San Juan River in south-central San Juan County, Utah, United States. Each year, on March 8 the town members meet to celebrate their CDP status. Town members wear hats, as the celebration takes place at the Mexican Hat Rock. It is on U.S...
in San Juan County
San Juan County, Utah
As of the current census of 2010, there were 14,746 people and 4,505 households. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 50.4% Native American, 45.8% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% African American and 2.3% reporting two or more races...
, southeastern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It is north of Monument Valley
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching above the valley floor. It is located on the northern border of Arizona with southern Utah , near the Four Corners area...
across the San Juan River (Colorado River), and has similar rock formations. This is a smaller scale version of Monument Valley, with tall, red, isolated mesas and cliffs standing above the level valley floor, remnants of an ancient landscape.
The Valley of the Gods area may be toured via a 17 mile dirt road (FR 242) that winds amongst the eerie formations; this is rather steep and bumpy in parts but should be passable by normal vehicles in good weather. The western end joins UT 261 shortly before its 1,200 foot ascent up Cedar Mesa at Moki Dugway, while the eastern end starts 9 miles from the town of Mexican Hat along US 163 and heads north, initially crossing flat, open land and following the course of Lime Creek, a seasonal wash, before turning west towards the buttes and pinnacles.
In popular culture
- The 1984-1987 CBS TV show AirwolfAirwolfAirwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
used a hollow mesa in The Valley of the Gods as the secret hiding place of the Super-helicopter Airwolf. - Two episodes of the BBC science fiction TV show Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
were filmed in The Valley of the Gods: "The Impossible AstronautThe Impossible Astronaut"The Impossible Astronaut" is the first episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Steven Moffat, and directed by Toby Haynes, the episode was first broadcast on 23 April 2011 in the United Kingdom, as well as the United States...
" and "Day of the MoonDay of the Moon"Day of the Moon" is the second episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Steven Moffat, and directed by Toby Haynes, the episode was first broadcast on 30 April 2011 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on BBC America in the...
", which had an explicit on-screen reference to the filming location.