Lady in the Bathtub
Lady in the Bathtub is a sandstone pillar in the Valley of the Gods, San Juan County, Utah. It rises to about 5,552 feet (1,692 meters) above sea level, with the top about 550 feet (168 meters) above the surrounding ground. The formation is located about 17 miles (27 km) west of Bluff and sits on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
You reach it via the 17-mile Valley of the Gods Road. The name was officially adopted in 1988. The first recorded ascent was in 1978 by George Hurley and Bill Forrest, and the easiest climb is rated 5.9, indicating technical rock climbing.
Geology-wise, Lady in the Bathtub is built from two main rock layers: a lower, slope-forming Halgaito Formation and an upper cliff-forming Cedar Mesa Sandstone. The Cedar Mesa Sandstone comes from ancient coastal dunes that were deposited about 270 to 300 million years ago in the early Permian period. The valley’s shapes are the result of erosion of these layers.
Climatic conditions are those of a cold semi-arid climate. Spring and fall are the best times to visit. Summers are hot (with highs near 100 °F / 38 °C) but nights are cool, and winters are cold but daytime temperatures usually stay above freezing. The area gets less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain annually, and winter snowfall is typically light.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:03 (CET).