Exploring Valley of the Gods in southern Utah on a Kawasaki KLR 650 and Royal Enfield Himalayan
“What was that?” I asked myself while dropping the kickstand and pulling off my gloves. “Surely that silhouette in the distance wasn’t what I thought it was, was it?”
As we traveled along the loose scree on the Moki Dugway, my mind wandered between the physical and the surreal. The purr of my KLR 650’s exhaust, coupled with visions of Permian-era creatures and Navajo exploring the valley below, piqued my curiosity about this mysterious land and gave my imagination free rein.
The American Southwest pulsates with an allure that’s nearly indescribable. Towering monoliths carved from Cedar Mesa sandstone over hundreds of millenia exemplify its natural beauty. Ask most anyone how they envision the remoteness of America, and they’ll likely describe the landscape of Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods.
Two billion years ago, the Colorado Plateau was part of an ancient sea whose basement was a maze of rock formations. This sea teemed with life, almost all of which is gone but whose remnants reside within the layers of sediment and sandstone. These sediments now comprise Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods, creating an abundance of monoliths, strange and entrancing, and you can’t help but contemplate how time and pressure are the main ingredients for such geological wonders. That’s exactly what I did while touring the region on my adventure motorcycle.
Two years earlier, I had expanded my modes of exploration by purchasing a very gently used Kawasaki KLR 650. The bike became a canvas for me to modify based on my needs, much like my 100 Series Land Cruiser. After honing the skills I had learned from my colleague and good friend, Bill Dragoo, via his Oklahoma-based Dragoo Adventure Rider Training school, I planned a journey with Scott Brown, one of our senior photographers. We would ride from Flagstaff, Arizona to Ouray, Colorado, testing the then-new Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle and stopping along the way to explore southern Utah. The review of the Himalayan was featured in Issue 28 of OutdoorX4.
We set off after wrapping up an enjoyable weekend at Overland Expo West, North America’s largest overland-specific event. Carrying the bikes on a home-built trailer behind a stoutly built Lexus GX460, we knew our route would include areas for exploration on four wheels as well as two. Our first destination was Mexican Hat, a small town in southern Utah located along the San Juan River. Its name derives from a rock formation with a sombrero-like top.
En route to Mexican Hat, we stopped at the Four Corners Monument, which marks the point where the borders of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah come together. For years, there was controversy among the four states as to the location of their borders and finally, in 1912, the lines were finalized and the monument erected. Over the years, it has become a worthwhile attraction, particularly since it is the only spot in the United States where four states intersect.
We continued to Mexican Hat, which has several small, locally owned hotels, but because of our late arrival were unable to find a room. Our only option was to sleep in the GX460 in a parking lot, and that’s what we did. Sometimes simplicity and, more importantly, fatigue, are all you need to get a good night’s sleep.
The approach to Monument Valley from U.S. 163 is where the experience became surreal. Long before it was settled by way of westward expansion, it was home to Ice-Age Paleo Indian hunters dating to around 12,000 B.C. Over time, other nomadic peoples descended upon the region until the Navajo made it their home, believed to be around 1,300 A.D., before their forced removal in 1864. Today, the land belongs to the Navajo Nation and the only way to experience the interior of Monument Valley is by permit from the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation. Opportunities abound for guided exploration as well as backcountry hiking and camping. Our goal was to see the region by motorcycle so we parked the GX460 not far from the entry to the Oljato – Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park entrance, unloaded our bikes, packed our gear, and began our excursion on two wheels. Unfortunately, touring by motorcycle within Monument Valley’s Navajo land is not allowed. Instead, we toured the museum at the Tribal Park, sat on a terrace behind the Visitor Center, and relaxed with awe as we viewed the expansive Navajo nation and this small portion of the 25,000 square miles it encompasses.
Valley of the Gods is like a miniature version of Monument Valley, and about 35 miles north of its more famous counterpart. You’ll enter the area by way of Valley of the Gods Road, a 16-mile loop that’s completely unpaved but non-technical. From the valley the road ascends via the Moki Dugway to the top of Cedar Mesa. It’s an unpaved, switchbacked, breathtaking ride, and for me it culminated at Muley Point. It was on the Moki Dugway that my curiosity for this area, both physical and surreal, peaked, as I imagined the ghosts of an allosaur on a hunt or a young Navajo scouting the valley from atop a jagged cliff, all while navigating my KLR through what may have been a rest stop for a nomadic tribe searching for food. It’s amazing how the mind can wander, releasing the worries of daily life, while exploring a place like this, particularly on two wheels.
Muley Point is the pinnacle of traveling through Valley of the Gods and to the top of Cedar Mesa. The rocky cliffs provide a stunning panorama of the entire valley and, on a clear day, the splendor of Monument Valley is visible in the distance. Here a person can become completely immersed in the surrounding beauty and wax philosophical on a history over two billion years old.
Returning along Valley of the Gods Road, we wound through an entrancing backdrop of jagged and oddly shaped monoliths. Eventually we reached the end of the road at Highway 261, turned south and reconnected with U.S. 163, traveling back toward Monument Valley, and approaching the area much in the same way we had earlier that day: in awe of how grand Mother Nature truly is and realizing the vision I saw at the beginning of this story was exactly what I had hoped for. A memorable encounter between past and present, on two wheels, with a far greater appreciation of the land’s significance and greater respect for the people who, over 14,000 years, have called this area home.
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