Information
Landmark: The MittensCity: Mexican Hat
Country: USA Utah
Continent: North America
The Mittens, Mexican Hat, USA Utah, North America
Overview
In Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, the East and West Mittens rise like giant red hands, among the park’s most famous sandstone formations.Towering buttes thrust up from the valley floor, their red rock silhouettes shaped like giant mittens with thumbs pointing skyward, and they stand as enduring symbols of the American Southwest.The Mittens rise from layers of warm, rust-colored Navajo Sandstone, shaped over millions of years as wind whipped grit across their faces and rain carved smooth edges.Each butte rises hundreds of feet above the desert floor, its red and orange faces streaked with sharp vertical lines that trace the story of ancient layers of stone.Set apart on the flat valley floor, they rise like monuments, their size thrown into sharp relief by the wide, sun-bleached sweep of desert all around.Visitors can take in the Mittens from several spots along the 17-mile Valley Drive, or head to John Ford’s Point for that famous, wide-screen view framed by red sandstone and open sky.Navajo guides lead tours that bring you right up to the formations, often with a quick hike or a pause to snap photos of the sunlit rock.At sunrise and again at sunset, the light turns bold, stretching shadows across the ground and deepening the sandstone’s reds and fiery oranges.The Mittens rise from the desert, their red cliffs stark against the sky, wrapping the scene in quiet solitude and rugged grandeur.In the still desert, where only the wind or a far-off bird cry breaks the silence, the vast emptiness feels even more immense and alone.The valley floor spreads wide around the buttes, dotted with spiky desert shrubs and soft swaths of sand, while far-off mesas break the view before the cliffs rise straight into the sky.Look closely and you’ll see the sandstone walls marked by rough, weathered textures, pale mineral streaks, and the winding lines left by years of erosion.Look closely and you’ll spot small alcoves, faint ripple marks left by ancient dunes, and tiny desert plants wedged into narrow cracks.As the day moves on, sunlight shifts and the colors deepen or fade, while shadows creep into new shapes, changing how the formations strike the eye.The Mittens rise from Monument Valley like giant sandstone sentinels, their rust-red cliffs catching the sun and giving you both a breathtaking view and a real feel for the vast, ageless sweep of Utah’s desert.With their bold colors and unmistakable shapes, they draw hikers, photographers, and anyone who stops to admire the region’s raw beauty-like a ridge glowing orange in the late afternoon sun.
