Somehowlost: Fall Road Trip 2011 - Camping at Muley Point, Utah

Monday, April 9, 2012

Fall Road Trip 2011 - Camping at Muley Point, Utah

Muley Point at Sunrise

Santa Clara, CA - If you happen to be wandering through the desert in the four corners region, maybe you just gassed up in Mexican Hat or maybe you just finished driving a bumpy loop through the Valley of the Gods or Monument Valley or maybe you're just passing through the area looking forward to higher elevations or warmer climates somewhere else... in any case if you're there and you need a place to stay for the night, I highly, highly recommend going a little out of your way and camping out at Muley Point in Southern Utah.

Muley Point is a remote scenic overlook atop Cedar Mesa offering jaw dropping vistas of Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. It's legal to camp up there for free, however, there are no facilities, no water, no picnic tables and no shade. Just quite, majestic views of Monument Valley, the San Juan River, and Cedar Mesa. To get there, just turn west on Muley Point Road (not sign posted) off of Highway 261 right at the top of the Moki Dugway. The point is about 5 miles out on a bumpy, but easily navigated gravel road. You know you have arrived when the ground drops steeply away.

Suwei and I got out there just as the sun was setting. There was one other person there shooting a few photos, but by the time we got Keira out of the car he had already packed up his stuff and headed back down the road. It would have been nice to get there a little earlier to set up the tent and maybe have a beer, but as it was I went straight for the camera and tripod to see what I could capture.

The next morning the sunrise was equally as impressive as the sunset. Even better since I got up nice and early to watch the entire show unfold.

I've done a bit of research to see where the name, "Muley Point" came from, but have failed to come up with anything conclusive. I did learn that muley means, "hornless". It can also be a hornless cow. I'm guessing the point is named after some guy named Muley. Here are some of the Photos: