Out of nowhere among all of the red sandstone there was this huge monolith of dark metamorphic rock. It’s called Mitchell Butte, and it’s the first thing we see as we enter Arizona! How bizarre that this huge monolith stands in the middle of this sandstone desert with no other similar rock!
Just to help you understand how big Mitchell Butte is, the road we are on is about 5100 feet above Sea Level and the top of Mitchell Butte is 6165 feet above Sea Level. That’s 1065 feet! And what an impressive end to our drive through the Valley of the Gods!
Then finally, we make it to the edge of the Kaibab National Forest and the long drive through the forrest to the entrance of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon…
