Monitor and Merrimac - Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway
Posted by: 
linkys
N 38° 38.775 W 109° 44.161
12S E 609995 N 4278279
Quick Description: Scenic overlook with view of two massive buttes that look like the Civil War ironclads, Monitor and Merrimac.
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 11/17/2009 8:18:49 PM
Waymark Code: WM7PD5
Views: 2
Long Description:Located north of Moab, Utah in Red Rock and Canyon Country, what
was once a mesa has been eroded over time, becoming two separate
buttes situated in close proximity to each other. Composed of
Entrada sandstone, the buttes closely resemble the Confederate
Merrimac and the Union Monitor. The distance from scenic roadside
overlook makes them seem small, but in reality, they tower some 600
feet high.
The Confederate ship, the Merrimac, had a longer, boxy,
rectangular shape. The Union ship, the Monitor, was shaped like
squat round box on a thick plate. They long ago settled to the
bottom, but their replicas will remained locked in close combat for
eons to come.
Has parking for cars and RVs. Also has a pit toilet comfort
station. Responsible agency is the US Bureau of Land
Management.
View area. Elevation 4,800 feet. The Monitor and Merrimac Buttes
are 600 feet high monoliths which are so-named because of their
resemblance to the two Civil War ironclad ships. The Monitor, to
the right, was the Union ship. The Merrimac was the Confederate
ship. For the next miles, the North Fork and the South Fork of
Seven mile Canyon are to the right and left of this narrow finger
of the Big Flat (or Island-in-the-Sky) peninsula.