Sentinel Mesa | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 6,450 ft (1,966 m)[1] |
Prominence | 920 ft (280 m)[2] |
Parent peak | Mitchell Mesa (6,586 ft)[2] |
Isolation | 2.64 mi (4.25 km)[2] |
Coordinates | 37°00′41″N 110°06′16″W / 37.0113367°N 110.1044478°W[1] |
Geography | |
Location | Navajo Reservation San Juan County, Utah, U.S. |
Parent range | Colorado Plateau[3] |
Topo map | USGS Monument Pass |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Mesa |
Rock type | Sandstone |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | class 5.x climbing[2] |
Sentinel Mesa is a 6,450-foot-elevation (1,966-meter) summit in San Juan County, Utah, United States.[1] It is situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the Monument Valley visitor center on Navajo Nation land and can be seen from Highway 163. The mesa is immediately northwest of the iconic West and East Mitten Buttes. The nearest higher neighbor is Brighams Tomb, 2.64 miles (4.25 km) to the north-northeast.[2] Precipitation runoff from this mesa's west slope drains to Mitchell Butte Wash, whereas the east slope drains to West Gypsum Creek, which are both part of the San Juan River drainage basin.[3] The "Sentinel" name refers to how the mesa oversees Monument Valley which the Navajo consider as one of the "door posts" to Monument Valley.[4] The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[1]