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Posey's Trail Overlook

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Looking west from Posey's Trail Overlook. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.

Posey's Trail Overlook sits at 5,600 feet along the Trail of the Ancients, at mile 164 of the route's 600 miles. The terrain drops 731 feet within 600 meters of the overlook, and the view faces 270 degrees, directly toward the setting sun. Arch Canyon Overlook is visible to the north-northwest, 2.6 miles away at 5,291 feet. Farther northwest, at roughly 5 miles, three features cluster together: Hotel Rock Ruin at 6,236 feet, Hotel Rock itself at 6,213 feet, and Hotel Rock Overlook at 6,249 feet. Because the overlook faces due west, sunset light falls directly into the view; sunset times range from 17:05 at the December solstice to 20:44 at the June solstice. Blanding lies 11.9 miles to the northeast, with Monticello another 30 miles beyond it in the same direction. Oljeto, also called Moonlight Water, is 49.5 miles to the southwest. The next stop along the byway is Comb Ridge.

Position
Mile ~164 of 600
Access
0.4 mi detour
Elevation
5,600 ft
View
West · 270°
Light
Best at sunset
Relief
731 ft drop
In view
4 named features
Comb Ridge is a linear north to south-trending monocline nearly 80 miles long in southeast Utah and northeast Arizona. Its northern end merges with the Abajo Mountains some eleven miles west of Blanding. It extends essentially due south for 45 km (28 mi) to the San Juan River. South of the San Juan
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Comb Ridge is a linear north to south-trending monocline nearly 80 miles long in southeast Utah and northeast Arizona. Its northern end merges with the Abajo Mountains some eleven miles west of Blanding. It extends essentially due south for 45 km (28 mi) to the San Juan River. South of the San Juan
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
A photo of the Butler Wash Ruins located west of Blanding, Utah. The photograph point of view is from a cliff-top viewing area to the southeast. Photograph taken on 2019-02-03T23:32:39Z.
Steven Baltakatei Sandoval · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Above the Butler Wash cultural site, one can view steps created by water runoff over thousands of years. Photo by Cindy Gallo, BLM Utah Public Affairs Specialist
BLMUtah · Public domain · source
Butler Wash Cliff Dwellings
runt35 · CC BY 3.0 · source
Butler Wash Cliff Dwelling
runt35 · CC BY 3.0 · source

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

  • Arch Canyon Overlook5,291 ftnorth-northwest · 2.6 mi
  • Hotel Rock Ruin6,236 ftnorthwest · 5.0 mi
  • Hotel Rock6,213 ftnorthwest · 5.0 mi
  • Hotel Rock Overlook6,249 ftnorthwest · 5.1 mi

Light

This overlook faces sunset 0° off square to it.

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:2319:3118:56
June solstice05:5820:4420:05
September equinox07:0719:1718:43
December solstice07:3017:0516:24

Local time (America/Denver). Computed for this exact position.

Where it is

Mile 164 of 600 along Trail of the Ancients.

  • Blanding11.9 mi northeast
  • Monticello30.0 mi northeast
  • Oljeto (Moonlight Water)49.5 mi southwest
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How high is Posey's Trail Overlook?

Posey's Trail Overlook sits at about 5,600 feet (1,707 m).

What can you see from Posey's Trail Overlook?

From Posey's Trail Overlook: Arch Canyon Overlook (NNW, 2.6 mi); Hotel Rock Ruin (NW, 5.0 mi); Hotel Rock (NW, 5.0 mi); Hotel Rock Overlook (NW, 5.1 mi).

Is Posey's Trail Overlook better at sunrise or sunset?

Sunset. The land falls away from Posey's Trail Overlook toward the sunset, so at sunrise the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.

What is the nearest town to Posey's Trail Overlook?

Blanding, 12 miles NE of Posey's Trail Overlook.

What is the next lookout after Posey's Trail Overlook?

Comb Ridge is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Posey's Trail Overlook.

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Locals make it Verified.

Posey's Trail Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

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