Geometric Rock Formations Near Mexican Hat, Utah
Finding Magic Outside the Map Pins
Southern Utah has an endless capacity to surprise you, even when your initial plans completely fall apart. Last winter, while heading south from Moab toward Monument Valley in, JOY, my camper van, I decided to take my time and explore a few dropped pins on my map. Near Mexican Hat, just north of the Arizona border, I tried reaching a specific geological feature I’d saved months earlier, Raplee Ridge. The terrain quickly proved impassable for the van, and a direct hike wasn't looking much safer. But while turning around and scanning the canyon walls, this view stopped me dead in my tracks.
Geology Written in Stone and Light
What immediately drew my eye was the incredible compression of time and texture. The region around Mexican Hat and the San Juan River canyon is a masterclass in geology, featuring rock layers formed during the Pennsylvanian and Permian periods over 250 million years ago. The dramatic, tilted ridges shown here are part of the Raplee Anticline, a massive upwarp in the Earth's crust where erosion has carved out sweeping red-and-gold ribbons of sediment. These warped layers are abundantly clear in my photo of Rapple Ridge, the map pin I had been hunting and finally found.
Composition and the Joy of Detours
From a technical standpoint, framing a chaotic canyon landscape without a distinct single focal point can be tricky. I looked it over awhile and opted to keep my 12-100mm f4.0 Pro lens on my camera and zoom all the way in to 100mm and compress the sweeping sedimentary strata, creating a graphic rhythm out of the natural ridges and deep canyon shadows. Soft ambient light helped pull out the rich iron-oxide reds without blowing out the highlights on the upper canyon walls. It goes to show that in landscape photography, the detours and failed navigation attempts can often lead to other compelling imagery.
Explore More of My Adventures
When a navigation pin failed in Southern Utah, a unexpected turn revealed this stunning compressed view of ancient rock strata near Mexican Hat. Read the story behind the shot!