Monitor and Merrimac buttes are two neighboring formations sitting at the edge of a plateau,
overlooking Sevenmile Canyon, which is northwest of Moab. In this WikiMapia aerial view, the
buttes are at upper center, above Sevenmile Canyon. Moab is out of view to the southeast.
Through the canyon runs Highway 313, the route to Dead Horse Point State Park.

I first saw this landscape in 2002, during a half-day visit to the Moab area (pitiful duration!).
Like so many landscapes, the terrain between the highway and the buttes called to me, so I vowed
to return to explore it on foot. A few days before this hike, I examined the topography with
binoculars and determined that most of the terrain leading up to the buttes was hikable.
However, some parts of the route were hidden from view, creating the "unknown factor" that
makes trips interesting. As it turned out, the hike was generally easy.

I parked at a small, unmarked turn-out where the wash goes under the highway in a culvert,
descended to the wash, then zigzagged up through the rock shelves to the buttes.

Photos are posted roughly in chronological order.

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