Guide to get the best photographs of Factory Butte

Factory Butte rises 1400 feet above the barren otherworldly lunar landscape surrounding it

Factory Butte last light east of Hanksville Utah

Factory Butte near Hanksville Utah and just to the west of the Moonscape Overlook got its name from Mormon settlers because it reminded them of the Provo Wool Mill back home.

It sits on the Factory Bench Mesa and is part of the Upper Blue Hills which are nearby, similar in appearance but not as spectacular as this lone blocky iconic formation.

The official discovery of this unique formation was made by Grove Gilbert, a USGS geologist in the 1870s. He noted coal seams along outcrops to the northeast of the butte. By 1908 small-scale coal mining was taking place at the Factory Butte Coal Mine located in Coal Mine Wash on the north side.

Photo by Intricate Explorer

If you’re wondering how the surrounding barren landscape gets its lunar-like look devoid of vegetation, that is thanks to the Blue Gate shale making up the area which is particularly hostile to plant life.

Photo by Intricate Explorer

There are many different types of images you can find and create here

Documenting the sheer size of the butte sitting by itself on the plain with dramatic lighting from different directions
Cracked dry earth can be found closer on the northern side
Wildflowers grow spectacularly here during the spring, creating opportunities of juxtaposition of the barren landscape with beautiful wildflowers
Capturing the texture, pattern, and colors of the rolling terrain at the base on the northwest side of the butte

The north side of the butte has a much different foreground than the south side

Xiu Yu

Photo Notes

The graded dirt Factory Butte Road from Highway 24 is traversable by cars and runs north/south on the east side of the butte and gives you a good selection of distant views from the south all the way to the north as you can pull over easily anywhere along the road
West Factory Road runs north/south on the west side of the Butte and can be driven by car, but you’re significantly further away from it
Neither Factory Butte Road nor West Factory Road gets you up close to Factory Butte, in order to do that you have to pull over and hike cross country or take an off-road vehicle, the area surrounding the butte is open riding country with no official trails
Getting closer to the butte is typically done by taking a south turn left off of Factory Butte Road around this area ( 38.470466, -110.909566 )
The best time to photograph the area is at sunrise or just after and just before and at sunset
In the spring desert flowers and blooming cacti are a stark contrast to the wasteland-like appearance of the area
The junction at ( 38.486029, -110.919593 ) takes you to an old airstrip and open coal mining area in just a few minute’s detour

BLM Map

Factory Butte from a distance with hoodoos in the foreground

John Menard from Phoenix, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Factory Butte during the middle of the day

dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Getting to Factory Butte

From Hanksville take Highway 24 west for 10.7 miles and turn north at ( 38.367083, -110.892296 ) onto North Factory Butte Road, continue north, Factory Butte is on your right

Parking

Pull off anywhere you like along the dirt roads

Notes

This route takes you near the Moonscape Overlook which is not to be missed

Factory Butte at sunset from the Moonscape Overlook

You get a different view of distance Factory Butte from the canyon edge at Moonscape Overlook

Explore Nearby...

Hikes...

Leprechaun Canyon – Hike

A short and fun hike in a non-technical slot canyon with corkscrew narrows, beautiful high-colored walled sections and a final narrow section with just a crack of light that will shine down from above.

Arsenic Arch

A little-known, rarely visited arch you can have all to yourself is hidden inside Poison Spring Canyon.

Hog Spring – Hike

Hog Springs is a nice rest stop and picnic area next to the highway with a short scenic hike that takes you to a spring-fed pool and the Cleopatra rock art panel is also close by

Scenic Drives...

How to photograph Factory Butte

Tips for photographing Factory Butte rising 1400 feet above the barren otherworldly landscape surrounding it

Moonscape Overlook – a photography paradise

A must-see viewpoint east of Factory Butte overlooking the moon-like badlands below

Hite Crossing Bridge

The bridge marks the upstream limit of Lake Powell and is the only bridge spanning the Colorado River between the bridge 110 miles upstream in Moab and the Glen Canyon Bridge, 185 miles downstream.