West and East Mitten Buttes

"The Mittens" redirects here. For other uses, see Mitten (disambiguation).
West Mitten Butte (left) and East Mitten Butte (right)
West Mitten Butte
Highest point
Elevation6,176 ft (1,882 m) NGVD 29[1]
Prominence856 ft (261 m)[1]
Coordinates36°59′27″N 110°05′46″W / 36.9908349°N 110.096237°W / 36.9908349; -110.096237[2]
Geography
Map
LocationMonument Valley, Arizona, U.S.
Topo mapUSGS Mitten Buttes
East Mitten Butte
Highest point
Elevation6,226 ft (1,898 m) NGVD 29[3]
Prominence1,026 ft (313 m)[3]
Coordinates36°59′18″N 110°04′11″W / 36.988335°N 110.069847°W / 36.988335; -110.069847[4]
Geography
Map
LocationMonument Valley, Arizona, U.S.
Topo mapUSGS Mitten Buttes

The West and East Mitten Buttes (also known as the Mittens) are two buttes in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in northeast Navajo County, Arizona. When viewed from the south, the buttes appear to be two giant mittens with their thumbs facing inwards.

The Mittens are about 0.6 mi (0.97 km) from the Arizona–Utah state line and West Mitten Butte is 1.1 mi (1.8 km) northeast of the park headquarters.[5] The summit of West Mitten Butte is 6,176 ft (1,882 m)[1] and East Mitten Butte is 6,226 ft (1,898 m)[3] in elevation. The Mittens form a triangle with Merrick Butte about 2⁄3 mi (1.1 km) to the south and, with Sentinel Mesa, a more extensive plateau, towards the northwest. At the end of March and mid-September, for a few days only at sunset, the Mitten Shadow[6] occurs, when the West Mitten shadow appears on the East Mitten.

The buttes are made of three principal rock layers. The lowest layer is Organ Rock Shale, the middle is de Chelly Sandstone, and the top layer is the Moenkopi Formation, capped by Shinarump Conglomerate.

  1. ^ a b c "West Mitten Butte, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  2. ^ "West Mitten Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  3. ^ a b c "East Mitten Butte, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  4. ^ "East Mitten Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  5. ^ Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer (4th ed.). DeLorme. 2001. p. 26. ISBN 0-89933-325-7.
  6. ^ "Monument Valley in Arizona - Best Time". Best Time 2 Travel. 2022-04-01.