Monument Valley - guide and tips



Welcome to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Utah

Monument Valley facts

• Monument Valley is located on the border, between Arizona and Utah (Flagstaff, Arizona is the closest major city - 175 miles away)
• The breathtaking landscape is made up of the many red sandstone buttes that tower at heights of 400 to 100 hundred feet
• A must see for any film fanatics (especially westerns), Monument Valley has provided the 'set' of many famous motion pictures, including "Stagecoach", "Forest Gump" and 'Thelma and Louise".
• Monument Valley is completely within and surrounded by the Navajo Indian Reservation and for that reason it is not part of the US National Park Service (NPS).

 




Monument Valley is one of the most photographed landscapes in the USA!

Cortez, CO to Monument Valley Navajo National Park, UT


I hired a car and drove over 100 miles from Cortez, along the US Highway 163.   

 

The drive is absolutely breath-taking as the iconic formations slowly become visible from miles away. 

As they start to get closer and closer, you appreciate why it is one of the most photographed landscapes in the USA. 



Breakfast at the Visitor Centre - best $13 ever spent!

 Monument Valley Visitor Centre

The Visitor's Centre is extremely informative and overlooks the valley. You can stroll through the various exhibits of the Navajo Nation and learn about the area's history.  There is a well stocked gift shop and a restaurant.

I highly recommend the breakfast served at 'The View Hotel' which is inside the Visitor's Centre.   

Monument Valley 'Scenic Valley Tour'



You can experience Monument Valley by driving the 17 mile 'Scenic Valley Tour'.

There are many guided tours available to explore the park, but you can use the free maps in the Visitor Centre to guide you through the 'Scenic Valley Tour'. 

 

The 17 mile self-drive tour takes 2 - 4 hours, following a rough dirt track (not recommended for the squeamish).  There is a steep 1/2 mile descent into the valley, but once you have navigated your way down the drive gets easier as the road levels out.







Viewpoint 2: Elephant Butte, Monument Valley

 Scenic viewpoints
 

As you drive around the park, you will pass 11 well marked viewpoints made up of mesas, buttes and spire rock structures.

The names were created by the early settlers of Monument Valley, based on ones imagination and portraying a certain meaning to the Navajo people.

 

 

 

 

 

The Elephant Butte (pictured above) is likened to a gigantic elephant in the southwest desert. Other viewpoints include 'Three Sisters', 'The Mittens' and 'The Thumb'.

 

There are opportunities to purchase local Navajo jewelry and crafts at the viewpoints and you can't miss 'John Ford's Point' for a unique photo opportunity - guilty as charged!

 

 

 

 

 

'Wildcat' self-guided hiking trail



Escape the car and get up and close and personal with the landscape by hiking the 3.2 mile trail around the west Mitten Butte. 

Starting at The View Hotel, the Wildcat Trail is the only trail you can take unescorted within the Tribal Park and follows a well maintained and marked trail as you loop clockwise around the Left Mitten (it is recommended that you follow the trail clockwise as this is direction that the Navajo follow).

 

Horse riding in Monument Valley

The horse is an important, integrated aspect of the Navajo culture and there are many guided trail rides available from morning to sunset, catering for all abilities.

I booked in the park the day before and enjoyed a private 2 hour ride ($120) and I was able to see a lot of different areas that I was not able to explore on the 'Scenic Valley Tour'.

Cantering through the amazing landscape was an experience I will never forget!

Horse riding in Monument Valley - the cowboy hat is optional!