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Mexican Hat
- Weather: Mostly Clear, 60F
This curiously named town draws its moniker from a rock formation that, from some angles, resembles a sombrero, or a "Mexican Hat." The formation is about two and a half miles northeast of town. Mexican Hat is on Hwy 163, 20 miles southwest of Bluff where a bridge passes over the San Juan River.
The settlement was founded by E.L. Goodridge who established an unproductive oil claim there in 1908. These days what is on the surface is of more interest than what might lie below. Mexican Hat is the take-out point for daily San Juan River trips. Friday and Saturday evenings in the summer, musicians often play at the Mexican Hat Lodge.
Find more detailed information on attractions, accommodations and dining, visit Utah's Canyon Country.

Expert Journal: Climbing the Mexican Hat
Mexican Hat, one of Utah’s strangest rock formations, balances a flattened pancake disk atop a 300-foot-high talus cone. It’s really not a hat at all, but a sombrero with a wide brim jutting above a narrow head.
What's Nearby
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Bluff
Bluff, UT
Rich in human and natural history, Bluff is a central point along the Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway. It is a gateway to Monument Valley, Bears Ears National Monument, Valley of the Gods and Hovenweep National Monument.
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Canyonlands National Park
Moab, UT
Canyonlands is home to many different types of travel experiences, from sublime solitude in the more remote stretches of the park to moderate hikes through the Needles district to the opportunity to create your own version of one of the West's most photographed landforms, Mesa Arch.
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Glen Canyon and Lake Powell
Lake Powell, UT
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area offers more than 1.2 million acres of unparalleled opportunities for land- and water-based recreation.
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Goosenecks State Park
Mexican Hat, UT
Located north of Mexican Hat, Goosenecks State Park is an easy-to-get-to area with a million-dollar view. The San Juan River begins in the mountains of Colorado and travels to its junction with the Colorado River at Lake Powell.
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Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument
Escalante, UT
Grand Staircase-Escalante is a vast and rugged, yet easily accessible national monument.
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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Oljato-Monument Valley, UT
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park features towering sandstone rock formations, sculpted over 300 million years, that soar 400 to 1,000 feet above the valley floor.
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Mexican Hat
Photo: Rosie Serago
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