Stagecoach is composed of two principal strata. The bottom layer is slope-forming Organ Rock Shale and the upper stratum is cliff-forming De Chelly Sandstone. The rock was deposited during the Permian period. The buttes and mesas of Monument Valley are the result of the Organ Rock Shale being more easily eroded than the overlaying sandstone.[7]
Climate
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit the Stagecoach. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. Summers average 54 days above 90 °F (32 °C) annually, and highs rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.[8]
Gallery
Stagecoach (left), Bear and Rabbit, Castle Rock
Northeast aspect of Castle Rock (centered) and Stagecoach (right).
L→R: Brighams Tomb, King-on-his-Throne, Stagecoach, Bear and Rabbit, Castle Rock
Castle Rock left, Stagecoach, King-on-his-Throne (center) Brighams Tomb to right. View looking southwest from Highway 163. Forrest Gump was here. (culmination of cross-country running scene)
Stagecoach centered
L→R: Brighams Tomb, King-on-his-Throne, Stagecoach, Bear and Rabbit, Castle Rock
Northeast aspect of Castle Rock (left), Bear and Rabbit, and Stagecoach