This is a ride to the best roads in Utah, to experience the haunting beauty of the Moki Dugway switchbacks and the majestic Valley of the Gods. This is where red-rock formations tower hundreds of feet in the air. This is where a road has literally been carved from the face of a cliff. For our visit of Valley of the Gods we stayed in a motel in Mexican Hat - but having traveled Utah before and after our nice evening in Boulder, we were a bit disappointed by the infrastructure. The only open restaurant was at the San Juan Motel right at the Colorado river. We started our day and wanted to visit the Valley of the Gods - but due to me having been tired the day before I first forced my little three people travel group to ride one of the roads that we had already traveled to enjoy it again but this time full go energy: the Moki Dugway Switchbacks. The switchbacks of Moki Dugway are located only a few hundred meters from one of the entry points of Valley of the Gods - and definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. Moki Dugway was constructed in 1958 as a route for transporting mined materials and has literally been carved from the face of the cliff. "Moki" is a local term for the ancient Puebloan people who inhabited the Colorado Plateau hundreds of years ago. "Dugway" is a term used to describe a roadway carved from a hillside. The drastic switchbacks offer stunning views of the Valley of the Gods, the San Juan River Canyon, and on the horizon, you can even see Monument Valley. Afterwards we finally visited the Valley of the Gods. The road through Valley of the Gods runs between Highways 163 and 261. It is a hidden gem and offers isolated buttes, towering pinnacles and wide open spaces as far as the horizon. The rocks are shaded orange and red from the oxidized iron w in, their sandstone dating back over 250 million years. A 27 kilometer dirt and gravel road winds through the valley. A great place to get away from civilization - to enjoy nature as it has been thousands an thousands of years. Like Moki Dugway the road through the Valley of the Gods is definitly one of the Must-Visits when traveling through Utah with a motorcycle. Our next stop was the town Bluff. If you are looking for a place to stay in the area make sure you choose Bluff over Mexican Hat. There is a range of options from rustic cabins, to a big RV park - and as well a good choice of restaurants. In our case we were of course looking for a delicious big breakfast - and found it at Twin Rocks Cafe.
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Video Summary
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A journey through the rugged landscapes of Utah, featuring the dramatic switchbacks of Moki Dugway and the serene, red-rock vistas of the Valley of the Gods. The trip contrasts the run-down atmosphere of Mexican Hat with the welcoming charm of Bluff, eventually leading to the outdoor adventure hub of Moab.
This is where red rock formations tower hundreds of feet in the air.
This is where a road has literally been carved from the face of a cliff.
This is a ride to experience the haunting beauty
of the Moki Dugway switchbacks and the majestic Valley of the Gods.
This has been a very long day already,
even though it's only early in the afternoon
and we have not really decided yet where to go now after the bird trail.
And on my world trip, I drove through a place called Valley of the Gods
and I actually wouldn't mind going back there again because I quite liked it.
Here we go right to the town Mexican Head
because it's the only place around here and I am super tired meanwhile.
I really feel like I'm falling asleep on the bike and can hardly keep my eyes open.
And here you see why Mexican Head is called Mexican Head.
There is the stone formation.
Mexican Head is one of Utah's strangest rock formations.
It balances a flattened pancake disc that looks like a sombrero
atop of a 90 meters high cone.
We found a motel in Mexican Head, but having traveled Utah before
and after our nice evening in Boulder,
we were a bit disappointed by the infrastructure.
The only open restaurant was at the San Juan Motel right at the Colorado River,
but it looked much more charming than it actually was.
I'm Mexican Head.
On my world trip, I stayed in a town called Bluff
that we will go through later today and that was super nice,
but Mexican Head couldn't keep up with that unfortunately.
The places we visited felt somehow a bit awkward and a bit run down
and somehow just not really welcoming.
So you see this mountain wall in front of me.
There is a very cool gravel road called Moki Dugway
that winds up this mountain in super steep serpentines
and the views are just spectacular.
And we go back there now because I didn't take videos yesterday
and I just have to show you this road.
The switchbacks of Moki Dugway are located only a few hundred meters
from one of the entry points of Valley of the Gods
and they are definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.
So this is the reality of traveling with me.
Yesterday I was so tired
that I didn't want to stop here anymore
so we had to go back here today
so I can get some shots of this switchbacks.
Moki Dugway was constructed in 1958
as a route for transporting mined materials
and has literally been carved from the face of the cliff.
Moki is a local term for the ancient Pablian people
who inhabited the Colorado Plateau hundreds of years ago.
Dugway is a term used to describe a roadway
carved from a hillside.
The drastic switchbacks offer stunning views
of the Valley of the Gods, the San Juan River Canyon
and on the horizon you can even see Monument Valley.
Look at this, what a completely crazy view
on the surrounding land here.
And now, Valley of the Gods.
Welcome to the Valley of the Gods.
I somehow really love this road here.
It's only about 30 kilometers but very, very scenic
and as well super easy to drive
and the rock formations that are about to come
are kind of similar to Monument Valley
only that there are not so many tourists here.
That's why I really love this place.
The road through the Valley of the Gods
runs between Highway 163 and 261.
It is a hidden gem and offers isolated buttes,
towering pinnacles and wide open spaces
as far as the horizon.
The rocks are shaded orange and red
from the oxidized iron within.
They're sandstone dating back over 250 million years.
A 27 kilometer dirt and gravel road
winds through the valley.
A great place to get away from civilization
and a place to enjoy nature
as it has been thousands and thousands of years.
Some people call the Valley of the Gods
the more scenic Monument Valley.
Indeed, it's so scenic
that it appeared in a couple of TV shows.
Airwolf used the Mesa and Valley of the God
as a secret hiding place
and two episodes of the BBC science fiction show,
Doctor Who were filmed in the Valley of the Gods.
The Valley of the Gods is sacred to the Navajo
whose mythology holds that these big rock formations
contain the spirits of Navajo warriors.
So to exactly this rock formation here
I drove as well on my road trip
and it's still stunning and amazing to see.
Good to be back.
And I realized that there were quite some similarities
of me traveling around the world in 2017
and me traveling now.
A few years later, same spot
and still the same solution for my drinks.
So soon the Valley of the Gods ends.
It's only 0.6 miles left
until we hit the paved highway again
and it was for sure worth the detour
and as well for sure worth going here a second time.
So much fun to ride between these super majestic
and beautiful rocks.
One last glimpse of the Valley of the Gods.
Goodbye, see you soon.
Our next stop was the town Bluff.
If you're looking for a place to stay in the area,
make sure you choose Bluff over Mexican Head.
There's a range of options
from rustic cabins to a big RV park
and as well a good choice of restaurants.
In our case, we were of course looking
for a delicious big breakfast
and found it at Twin Rocks Cafe.
And this is the traditional fry bread.
From Bluff, our ride continued north
through the village Blanding on highway 191.
Our next destination for today is the famous city Moab,
which is famous for its nearby trails and off-road riding
because it's right next door to Arches National Park
and Canyonlands National Park.
And yeah, it's a heaven for outdoor enthusiasts.
Hello, Moab.
And this is for sure much bigger
than all the places that we have stayed the last days.
I'm actually surprised how big it is
and you already see all these off-road vehicles
like Jeep Wranglers and UTVs.
So I'm very excited because tomorrow
we probably go on the biggest adventure
of this trip so far.
Thanks for tuning in and joining the ride
to Moki Dugway and the Valley of the Gods.
In the next episode,
we will experience one of the most challenging days
of this trip.
We will drive the whole wide rim trail
with my Yamaha Tenere and the Jeep Wrangler
in one single day.
If you are up for stunning views,
rough roads and a terrible fall,
tune in next Thursday.
And as always,
don't forget to leave me a thumbs up
and comment if you liked this episode.
