Mexican Hat is the first town on the Utah side of Monument Valley. It’s a beautiful area to stay in, especially if you plan on dispersed camping while visiting Monument Valley and the Mexican Hat Utah area.
It’s right over the Navajo Nation line, full of BLM land with amazing scenery, epic free camping, and rock formations similar to Monument Valley without the big crowds and hefty fees.
In this guide to Mexican Hat Utah, we’re sharing places to stay in the area, things to do, and tips on when to photograph and visit different famous rock formations for the best photography!
Let’s dive in!
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Mexican Hat, Utah Free Camping
First things first, let’s sort out your accommodation. With hotels filling up quickly and prices being rather high for what you get, we recommend camping in Mexican Hat. There are plenty of free places to camp on BLM land, and in fact, as I’m writing this I’m camping on free BLM land literally right under Mexican Hat Rock.
While visiting Monument Valley and Mexican Hat, we recommend camping right under Mexican Hat Rock. There’s a sign at the beginning of this BLM area that you need to pay for camping and then two parking areas to the right on the road leading to Mexican Hat for paid for sites.
These need to be avoided and are a joke! Continue past these spots and stick to the left of the split when driving towards Mexican Hat Rock and enjoy some beautiful BLM land free camping!
Free BLM Camping Coordinates For Any Car | 37.176192, -109.849353
Past this point, the road is a bit steep and is only recommend for those with all-wheel drive. If you have an all-wheel drive, you can head down and camp in the canyon and closer to the river.
There are no services here, so it’s best to bring your own water in something like this, and to have a car/van toilet with you.
Don’t forget to pack out all the trash you brought in with you!
This is the best place to camp if you want to see the famous Forrest Gump Point and Monument Valley, as it’s the last place before entering the Navajo Nation, where wild camping is prohibited.
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Hotels + Non-Camping Accommodation For Mexican Hat
There are a couple of motel-style stays and inns in Mexican Hat. The Hat Rock Inn looks great with a pool and pretty good reviews. For other accommodation options, check in the bigger towns of Kayenta and Blanding.
Recommended Stays
- Mexican Hat Recommended Stay | Hat Rock Inn | pool + great views
- Kayenta Recommended Stay | Rooms about 40 minutes away from Mexican Hat, but actually in a bigger “town”
- Blanding Recommended Stay | Cabin with a hot tub, and cheaper stays than above mentioned places
Things To Do In And Around Mexican Hat, Utah
- Hike Mexican Hat Rock
- Photograph Monument Valley From Forrest Gump Viewpoint
- Raft the San Juan River
- Take The Scenic Drive Through Valley of The Gods
- Stand in Wonder at Gooseneck State Park
1. Hike Mexican Hat Rock
- Start of the Hike | 37.175708, -109.853357
Mexican Hat Rock is a rock formation in Mexican Hat Utah that looks like a sombrero or Mexican Hat. I think this might just be where the town of Mexican Hat, Utah gets it’s name.
The hike up to Mexican Hat Rock starts at the base of the rock, at the following coordinates, 37.17.5708, -109.853357, and then climbs up the spine of the rock before circumnavigating the base of Mexican Hat Rock.
Some people climb up to right under the base, but we didn’t find a spot that we felt comfortable doing so without proper climbing gear, so we don’t recommend it.
READ MORE | Check out our complete guide to the Mexican Hat Rock hike here.
2. Photograph Monument Valley From The Famous Forrest Gump Viewpoint
- Photo Location | 37.101452, -109.99082
Easily the most popular photo spot in the southwest, the Forrest Gump Viewpoint is a photo from the movie Forrest Gump.
This photo is of the dramatic Monument Valley, with the highway leading seemingly right up to the base of the rocks. While the actual photo is taken from the center of the highway, it is a highway after all and should be done only with extreme caution.
I’ll say that again — people have literally been hit by cars and have died when trying to take the famous Forrest Gump photo, so do so with extreme caution, and if you don’t have someone spotting you for cars, just take the photo from the side.
READ MORE | Our complete guide to the Forrest Gump Monument Valley photo, including best times to photograph and how to get nobody in your photos. (coming soon)
3. Raft The San Juan River
- Book Your Rafting Tour | Find The Best Rafting Tour For You Here
We didn’t raft the river, but while we were camping at Mexican Hat for a few days, we saw multiple different rafting tours float on by. These included people in kayaks and larger rafts, and it looked like a beautiful float.
Check current prices and availability on rafting trips on the San Juan River here.
4. Take The Scenic Drive Through Valley Of The Gods
- Start Of Scenic Drive Here | 37.235005, -109.814405
Valley of The Gods is a 16-mile scenic drive just north of Mexican Hat, taking you through epic rock formations, some similar to Monument Valley.
The drive through Valley of the Gods is on a dirt road, and while it’s doable for 2WD vehicles, there were a couple of spots where we were pooping our pants that we were going to get stuck or high center.
Entering Valley of the Gods off of Highway 163, we recommend those with low clearance, people pulling rigs, or those with longer vehicles to only drive to Castle Butte at the following coordinates and then turn around, 37.316173, -109.854683.
After that point, there are some super steep sections and areas where we scraped the center bottom of our minivan while going up and over a bump then down a super steep grade.
READ MORE | Our complete guide to Valley of the Gods Scenic Drive, including the exact coordinates for the photo below and more camping spots in the area. (coming soon)
5. Stand in Wonder at Goosenecks State Park
- Goosenecks State Park | 37.174351, -109.926786
The San Juan River has carved a super interesting path through the surrounding canyon. The river literally takes on hairpin turns and is basically a squiggly line all through the Goosenecks State Park and surrounding area.
There is a five dollar entrance fee to Goosenecks State Park, but once there, you can enjoy a picnic in the covered picnic areas, get a close-up view of the carved-out canyon below, and use the pit toilets on site.
Gooseneck State Park is perfect for a quick visit just to check out the way the river has carved the surrounding canyon.
More Near Mexican Hat Utah
We camped at Mexican Hat Rock on the BLM land right around it for three nights. In that time, we visited the areas and things listed above.
When leaving Mexican Hat, Utah, we drove north up through Valley Of The Gods, and then continued up an epic road, switchbacking up a cliff, until you’re up on the next mesa above the valley.
From there, we camped overlooking Monument Valley from above with just incredible view for a few days before continuing on our Southeast Utah road trip.
To see more camping spots we recommend in the area, and more things to do in the general area, check out the posts below!
Southeast Utah Travel Articles
Best Places to Camp For Free in Southeast Utah | including one of our top five free campsites in the world!
Utah Hot Springs | if you have the time, don’t miss these Utah hot springs
Bryce Canyon Photography Tips | 13 tips from over a decade of photography experience to get the best photos in Bryce Canyon
Driving Bryce Canyon to Zion National Park | places to stop and everything you need to know
Zion National Park Guide | the perfect two day trip to Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park Guide | our first time ever to Bryce Canyon National Park
General Travel Money Saving Tips & More
How To Save Money Road Tripping Through The United States
How We Find Free Campsites All Over The World
Three Days of Easy Camping Meals
Our Ultimate Car Camping Gear Checklist
Van And Travel Apps To Help You On The Road
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