What To Know About Mexican Hat Rock And How It Was Formed (& How You Can Visit It)

Mexican Hat is one of the most bewildering and stunning rock formations to see near Monument Valley.

SUMMARY

 Mexican Hat is an iconic rock formation in Utah with a unique flattened sombrero-shaped rock on top, made of different rock formations.

 The rock formations are ancient, dating back over 250 million years to the Permian Period, and fossils of dinosaur ancestors can be found in Mexican Hat.

 Mexican Hat is easily accessible from Highway 163 and is a popular spot for rock climbers and tourists visiting nearby Monument Valley.

There are many stunning natural formations worth seeing in the American West and Utah has its fair share of them. One of the most distinctive landmarks is the Mexican Hat, arguably one of the strangest rock formations in the United States. Fortunately, it is near Highway 163 so is easy for people to visit (plus it is on the way to Monument Valley).

The 'hat' of Mexican Hat is a flattened balancing rock that leaves visitors speechless as to just how it managed to get there. It is a very different type of balanced rock from many other balanced rocks in the country (including the famous teetering giant Balanced Rock of Arches National Park). Another of the great rock formations in Utah worth seeing is Landscape Arch, the longest natural arch in the nation.

Start your outdoor exploration at Mexican Hat Rock; here's everything to know about this unique Utah rock formation.

How Old Is The Mexican Hat In Utah, And How Was It Formed?

Mexican Hat is one of the most recognizable rock formations in the United States. It is crowned with a large flattened pancake disk rock perched on its large cone base. The pedestal and the 'hat' are made out of different rock formations.

The pedestal is Halgaito Formation rock made up of red shale and siltstone and is found in southeastern Utah. The shale was deposited long ago by ancient sluggish streams that meandered through a moist vegetated lowland by the coastline of a prehistoric shallow sea.

The Halgaito Formation was deposited during the Permian Period (245 to 286 million years ago)

Rock Formations:

Halgaito Formation: Pedestal

Cedar Mesa Sandstone: Caprock (Hat)

The pancake rock resembled a sombrero with a wide brim set on a narrow head. The 'sombrero' is a caprock made up of Cedar Mesa sandstone.

Cedar Mesa sandstone also forms the spires and canyons in Canyonlands National Park's Needles and Maze areas as well as the three natural bridges of Natural Bridges National Monument. This layer of sandstone is the remains of ancient coastal sand dunes deposited many millions of years ago.

The different rock layers have weathered and eroded differently leaving the caprock still on the top.

What To Know About Mexican Hat, One Of The Nation's Strangest Rock Formations

There is no time like the present to see Mexican Hat. The forces of erosion have formed the landmark, but it is also the forces of erosion that doom it (baring an earthquake or something). Eventually, Mexican Hat will topple. That could be many years from now, no one knows.

Size: 60 feet (18 meters) by 12 feet (3.7 meters)

The caprock or 'Mexican Hat' at the top measures 60 feet or 18 meters by around 12 feet or 3.7 meters. The whole rock formation is around 300 feet (91 meters) above the surrounding land.

Note that the caprock looks like a Mexican Hat at some angles more than others.

Mexican Hat is one of the many balanced rocks to see in the United States (those who don't mind a strenuous hike should consider visiting Chiricahua National Monument's Pinnacle Balanced Rock in Arizona).

Mexican Hat is located on US Highway 163 and towers over the west bank of the San Juan River in southeastern Utah. It is around 100 miles south of Moab and just to the northern edge of the Navajo Nation (the Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation in the United States).

Mexican Hat is a great attraction for those driving to nearby Monument Valley, one of the Icons of the American Southwest.

Ascent Type: Rock Climbing

Location: US Highway 163 100 Miles South Of Moab

It is popular for people driving along Highway 163 to stop by and climb the rock (the first recorded climb was in 1962, although it is known to have been climbed earlier). It is a quick but unique ascent for expert desert rock climbers. There are two rock climbing routes up to the 'hat'.

While it may require rock climbing skills to get to the top, anyone can stop and hike around the desert icon and get stunning pictures of the 'sombrero' in the Utah desert. Stay into the evening and see how the rock changes color and see what it's like under the night sky.