Round Trip Distance: 0.1 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 6264 - 6283 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Muley Point
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic overlook, petroglyphs
Muley Point is located on the southern end of Cedar Mesa near the famous Moki Dugway and the Valley of the Gods. An overlook provides a breathtaking view of the goosenecks of the San Juan River below the point as well as distant views of Monument Valley and Navajo Mountain. A few petroglyphs can be found on a small bench on the edge of the cliffs just below the overlook.
The turnoff to Muley Point is on Utah Highway 163 right at the top of the Moki Dugway. The Moki Dugway is a steep winding narrow gravel section of the highway that was blasted into the precipitous cliffs of Cedar Mesa and has hairpin curves that are too sharp for vehicles that are pulling trailers. We have seen people make it with small ATV trailers. We have also seen motorhomes pulling cars but we can't recollect for sure if any of them were the 40 foot long variety. Driving either up or down the Moki Dugway can be an exhilarating experience no matter what type of vehicle you are in. If coming from the north and headed to Muley Point trailers are not an issue if you aren't planning on continuing down the dugway.
Muley Point is another 5 miles after turning off of UT-261. The road is generally passable by 2wd passenger vehicles with little or no trouble. There are a couple of pullouts before reaching Muley Point that might have even better views but vehicles without much clearance should not try to drive very far from the main road due to outcrops of ledgy sandstone.
The San Juan River is winding its way through the deep gorges 1,400 feet below Muley Point where it has cut its way through layer after layer of earth leaving behind dramatic looking terraced cliffs. From a couple of the overlooks before Muley Point you can actually see the river.
The spires and buttes of Monument Valley can be spied way off in the distance about 12 miles away as the crow flies. A keen eye can spot the occasional vehicle driving through the valley on UT-163. To the west of Monument Valley the hulking mass of Navajo Mountain dominates the horizon.
To see some petroglyphs you will need to hike a few hundred feet across the slickrock on the west side of the parking area.
There is a narrow joint that provides access to the bench below. Be warned that the drop off at the edge of the cliff is an abrupt 800 foot life ender. There was one spot that was a little too narrow for me to fit through but we were able to spot some of the petroglyphs from above.
The petroglyphs that are visible from above are on the large flat rock in the middle.
Zooming in on the images reveals various lines that may have represented a map. On the nearest part of the rock are some concentric circles and another circle with a star like image at its center that we have seen elsewhere in the area. We have also seen photos of other petroglyphs on the bench just below Muley Point that we weren't able to spot from above.
