The Bentonite Hills in Utah

The Bentonite Hills in Utah is the absolute best view you’ll ever see in maybe even the whole of the USA. You have the most amazing rainbow mountains in Utah.

The landscape in Utah around Capitol reef National Park is incredible and you will find plenty of bentonite Hills as you drive down the road.

The landscape is so outlandishly different it literally resembles life on Mars, which is why the Mars research station is located in this region.

If you’re planning on going to the Bentonite Hills make sure you read this article properly because there are lots of different sites for the Bentonite Hills, some areas you are going to require a four wheeled drive off routing car and there are also some dangers and risks by going off roading.

In many areas, there is extremely limited cell signal and you are literally in the middle of nowhere.

It is one of the most incredible sites you’ll ever see so make sure you understand your trip before you go!

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made a few times in Utah is just rocking up to a location and hoping or assuming it’s quite easy to get to.

But actually many of the roads on Google are extremely inaccurate, they don’t really take you to the right place or some of the roads just simply don’t exist and

Mike and I found ourselves driving along roads that disappeared into the middle of the desert. It can potentially be a little bit dangerous.

This being said fairly straightforward and easy to as long as you know you’re going.

Bentonite Hills in Utah – Near Factory Butte

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Adriana! I’m constantly searching for the best places to travel to so you don’t have to! Think hidden gems but all over the world.
That means I’m constantly on the road and exploring new places to visit and I have a love for photography, so it made sense to write travel guides on all the places I visit. I was born in Australia and spent my childhood in New Zealand, Poland, Dubai and England growing up and I decided to take my love of travel to the next level! Read more about me here and see my articles here.

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Table of Contents

The Bentonite Hills are incredible and is literally a photographer’s dream but it’s definitely off the beaten path so if you’re up for a little bit of an adventure, then this is definitely your best bet

The colours of the Bentonite Hills are simply outstanding. They’re pretty other worldly and due to the unique formation of the land in this area.

The soil has created these incredible bands of colour so you’re likely to see deep reds light blue light green even some past purple purple and some orange brown as well.

This makes it possibly one of the most colourful places in all of Utah and should definitely be on your bucket list.

The hills were actually on my bucket list for about five years and I was so happy to visit. You know me, I love colour!

Why is it so colourful?

The Bentonite Hills are so colourful because they are composed of layers of Bentonite clay, which formed around 140 million years old and is a mixture of mud, sand, and volcanic ash.

The varying mineral content within these layers produces a stunning array of colors, ranging from reds and pinks to greens, blues and purples. The oxidation of iron within the clay leads to red and yellow hues, while the presence of manganese can result in shades of purple and blue.

This whole area, with its vibrant, banded appearance, is so beautiful and it formed over millions of years to look this way!

Things to know BEFORE you go – stay safe

Before you go you need to make sure it’s safe. You should be absolutely fine, but just be aware! Namely;

Driving off road to the bentonite hills
If it’s been raining
No cell service / mobile data
Water / food
It can be crazy windy
It can get very hot in Utah – take water and some food just in case!

Read below to make sure you know what you’re doing and so you can stay safe!

Driving to the bentonite hills

First of all we found the drive to be absolutely fine. It wasn’t raining and we drove onto two wheel drive and there were no issues whatsoever but read more about safety when it comes to driving in this remote region of Utah below.

It can feel a little bit unnerving to go offloading the desert on your own and you should definitely let people know where you are going before you go in case you get stuck and let them know how many hours approximately you’re going to be gone for to be honest, you probably won’t need more than an hour or an hour and a half at the bentonite Hills.

What type of car do I need?

We think it’s probably fine on a 2WD (i.e. a normal car).

We read that you definitely need a four-wheel-drive offloading vehicle, but I’m not entirely sure this is the case.

You’re basically on a dirt track. It’s not particularly hilly, mountainous or difficult to drive, it’s pretty much flat.

We’ve spoken to a lot of people who did it on a 2WD. We drove it ourselves and we only drove on two wheel drive (even though we have a 4WD) and we spoke to other photographers who have driven on a two wheel drive.

You should be fine unless it’s been raining.

If it’s been raining

Never ever attempt to visit if it’s been raining very recently.

Even with a four-wheel-drive do not attempt to drive here when it’s been recently raining because the road and the surrounding area sort of turns to boggy marshland and mud and I’ve read lots of people have got bogged down and stuck and the problem is is that there is no cell signal or mobile phone service so you’re looking at a 3 mile walk back to the main road. And you still might not have any signal there either as cell range is extremely limited in this area.

Apparently people have to pay a lot of money for car extraction companies to tow their car out out the mud and it can take days. Just don’t do it.

From our experience we drove and it was absolutely fine. Just double check the weather before you go and make sure there is no imminent rain that’s about to happen.

There’s no signal

There’s no signal, or very limited signal in some areas of Utah. If you’re going off road, download offline google maps or get a GPS device independent of your phone’s tracking signals.

Also, make notes of where you’re driving just in case – it’s not a long drive off the main road, maybe 15-20 minutes but you’re in the middle of nowhere.

It can get windy / If you’re flying a drone

We also found it to be extremely windy in the area and if you are flying with a drone just be aware of this because at one point our drone shut off and the signal was jammed and it blew away into one of the mountains and it was a real panic for us because we did not know if we would be able to retrieve our drone however thankfully after much running around Mike was able to locate it!

Be very careful with your drone if you have one!

Take water and snacks just in case!

You are probably only 3-4 miles away from the main road, but the main road is still in a remote area.

I’ve seen 1000 signs across Utah that says ‘HEAT KILLS’ and it’s true – don’t get stuck anywhere dehydrated.

Take more water than you think you need!

Where are the Bentonite Hills?

First of all, there are many different sites of bentonite Hills in Utah that are located in and around the Capitol Reef National Park, one of the most beautiful National Parks in Utah!

There are TWO main locations, one is more impressive than the other in my opinion.

1st location: cathedral valley loop

If you type in Bentonite Hills into Google, it will take you to a location that’s close to the entrance of the capital Reef National Park, by Cathedral Valley Loop. In my opinion these are slightly less impressive as you don’t see as much of the blue-y colour, but they are still very very beautiful! You can see a lot of it from the road and from vantage points.

These are definitely really beautiful and is probably the better option if you don’t have a huge offloading vehicle.

This one is on a road that’s semi well maintained and you should be able to find it very easy to visit.

1st location: Near the Mars Desert Research station

This blue-y version of the bentonite hills are probably a 50 minute drive from the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park and it’s incredible! So worth it in my opinon, have a look below for the exact location.

What are the coordinates for the blue bentonite Hills?

Here is the location for the blue & maroon Bentonite hills (not the ones by the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park). They are very close to the The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS).

Turn off Utah State Route 24 (the main road) to S Cow Dung Road. It is an unnamed dirt road. It joins N Cow Dung Road and follow it to the coordinates. You should drive past the Mars Desert Research station.

I’ve put the coordinates on the road where you should park and it’s an easy 2 minute walk up the hills.

38°24’43.5″N 110°47’01.4″W

The exact coordinates for the Blueish hill pictured below is:

38.414135, -110.784772

You should be able to see the mars research station from the hills in the distance around 500 meters away.

Bentonite Hills Map

Here it is! Download google maps offline!

Are the bentonite hills really That colour or are they heavily edited?

Sort of.

The answer really depends on what time of day you go because if you go at midday then the sun is quite harsh and it washes quite a lot of the colours of the landscape out so you might be quite disappointed.

I’ve also seen some photographers who colour grade the bentonite Hills very heavily and make the hills look a deep navy blue colour which is simply an accurate whilst I’ve definitely edited my videos because I always do I’ve tried to simply enhance some of the natural colours.

It’s better to go at golden hour or blue hour.

Also, perspective helps, so when you’re standing on the blue hill it looks a bit bluey-greyish, but on drone photography it picks up the blues a lot more.

What time of day is best to visit for the colours?

Golden hour or blue hour is best.

You should definitely visit either at sunrise or Sunset. I read many forums from other photographers who suggested blue hour was best but I feel like this might start to get a bit dark and your photos might get a bit grainy.

I would recommend going somewhere between sunset and blue because the lighting is a lot gentler and you’ll definitely pick up a lot more of the bluish green Hughes from the hills.

It really is beautiful!

Are the Bentonite Hills free?

Yes, absolutely! Just drive up and witness the most incredible views Utah has to offer. You won’t regret it.

Weather at the bentonite hills

The bentonite hills sit in the region for Capital Reef National park but it’s free!

Sunrise and Sunset times at the bentonite hills

If you want to get there for sunrise, make sure you arrive. a full 30 minutes early. I’m not a morning person, so I prefer going at sunset – just as beautiful!

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in January

Average temperature: -2°C (28°F)
Average rainy days: 5
Average daylight hours: 10
Average sunrise time: 7:45 AM
Average sunset time: 5:30 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in February

Average temperature: 2°C (36°F)
Average rainy days: 5
Average daylight hours: 11
Average sunrise time: 7:15 AM
Average sunset time: 6:00 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in March

Average temperature: 7°C (45°F)
Average rainy days: 6
Average daylight hours: 12
Average sunrise time: 7:00 AM
Average sunset time: 7:30 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in April

Average temperature: 13°C (55°F)
Average rainy days: 6
Average daylight hours: 13
Average sunrise time: 6:30 AM
Average sunset time: 8:00 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in May

Average temperature: 18°C (64°F)
Average rainy days: 5
Average daylight hours: 14
Average sunrise time: 6:00 AM
Average sunset time: 8:30 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in June

Average temperature: 24°C (75°F)
Average rainy days: 3
Average daylight hours: 15
Average sunrise time: 5:45 AM
Average sunset time: 9:00 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in July

Average temperature: 27°C (80°F)
Average rainy days: 5
Average daylight hours: 14
Average sunrise time: 6:00 AM
Average sunset time: 8:45 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in August

Average temperature: 26°C (79°F)
Average rainy days: 6
Average daylight hours: 13
Average sunrise time: 6:15 AM
Average sunset time: 8:15 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in September

Average temperature: 21°C (69°F)
Average rainy days: 5
Average daylight hours: 12
Average sunrise time: 6:30 AM
Average sunset time: 7:30 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in October

Average temperature: 13°C (55°F)
Average rainy days: 5
Average daylight hours: 11
Average sunrise time: 7:00 AM
Average sunset time: 6:30 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in November

Average temperature: 6°C (43°F)
Average rainy days: 4
Average daylight hours: 10
Average sunrise time: 7:30 AM
Average sunset time: 5:00 PM

Capitol Reef National Park Weather in December

Average temperature: -1°C (30°F)
Average rainy days: 5
Average daylight hours: 9
Average sunrise time: 7:45 AM
Average sunset time: 5:00 PM

That’s it! I hope you enjoy it and have an epic time.

Certainly a bucket list moment. Have a look at my other USA articles that you might find interesting:

Things to do in Phoenix

Best Wineries with lodging in the USA

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