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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
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US Highway 163
Monument Valley, UT 84536
(435) 727-5874
Monument Valley, UT 84536
(435) 727-5874
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6 reviews for Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
THE CRAZIEST PLACE ON EARTH!
one of the most striking, surreal, magical, mystical, special places i've ever been to, if not THE MOST. definitely better than the grand canyon for me. i'm sad i'm not there right now & can't wait to go back. the beauty is simply stunning & breathtaking, a wonder how a place could naturally be like this.
i'm surprised most people have never heard of it because i've known about it since i was a kid.
my tips for a successful visit:
on the way in, stop @ the navajo stands & pick up some navajo jewelry. yes, u can bargain, & sometimes they'll give u an automatic discount, but i want to show support & pay full price. say hi to elvis saltwater for me! he has the best shop & selection. it was a little crazy to me how some jewelry stands were set up deep in the park, literally in the middle of nowhere, like how much foot traffic r u really gonna get?
i'm a big camper, but u HAVE to stay @ the view hotel. it was only $20 more than gouldings, & u have this spectacular view of the 3 famous buttes (the mittens & merrick butte) right outside of ur balcony! the location is BADASS. i think it's worth the luxury after a long, dusty drive. the rooms are nice, & the bathroom is really nice. visit the trading post, & catch the view from the outlook point. the reservation is dry (no alcohol) & the hotel is non smoking.
the food @ the view restaurant was deeelicious as well. i had a lovely bonding moment with the navajo flutist, who charmed us during the meal with soothing navajo flute music. get the green chile stew, the mutton stew, john wayne's fried chicken, & the free salsa is delish. a common problem in monument valley is undercooked fries! note to monument valley chefs: u need to cook fries twice to achieve desired crispiness!
do the 17-mile drive. i was totally glad we had an suv, more suitable. every view was more breathtaking than the last, but my favorite was from artist's view. i could not tear my eyes away. sooo beautiful, the tilt of the land is unreal, the surface of the earth is shaped like a bowl, & the buttes in the foreground & background are unbelievably beautiful. i wanted to run across the huge, grassy plain, & the green grass combined with the rainbow-colored buttes & sky were perfection. *sigh* bring binoculars.
during the drive, we came across the horseback ride place. the horses & 2 dogs come right up to the car! they actually got into a spat, which was quite funny. there r just horses roaming everywhere, no fences, which was amazing & added to the specialness of the experience.
next time, i want to take a guided tour & go on a horseback ride for sure!!! & stay there 2 nights.
drive past the park entrance to mile marker 13. one of the best pictures ever. stand in the middle of the highway & take a picture. we accidentally drove even further to outside of the navajo border, to mexican hat rock, where there are some very cool, lively biker bars!
weather is crazy & unpredictable. there is something crazy & magical about this land, not just the landscape, but the forces of nature, too. u can feel this place has a special energy that is immensely powerful. as we were getting gas on the way out, out of nowhere, the whole sky lit up suddenly (at 2pm) with an amazing lightning display, followed half a second later by a huge rumble of thunder, then it was instantly pouring rain! it was straight out of a movie, it was so dramatic. be careful, & be prepared for anything.
this place is crazy beautiful!!!! love love love love love monument valley.
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When I told my friends that I was going to visit Monument Valley, they didn't know what it was. I had to explain to them that it was where Forrest Gump stopped running, and then they understood.
Despite the fact that many movies, commercials, etc... have been shot in Monument Valley, the location is very real - from the hundreds of miles on a two-lane road (literally) driven to get here, to the vistas of massive buttes rising high above the valley floor. It is all very real.
This is truly an awesome and AMAZING place. The sights and vistas here represent some of the finest landscape images of the rugged West, which have been deeply engrained in the American psyche for years. Say "American West," and most likely, some images from Monument Valley come up. The location is on the Navajo Indian Reservation, and like the reviewer said before me, the Navajo people are generally poor. Tourism makes up the majority of the Navajo economy. Yes, the Grand Canyon is more famous, but it isn't necessarily better!
Monument Valley is very rugged, so be prepared for it. There is a fine red dust that permeates everything, and it will eventually get on your clothes and personal belongings. I stayed at the brand new View Hotel, and I have to say that it is one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever stayed in (see separate review). Upon paying the $5 admission fee to the Navajo tribe (fee allows one day of visitation), most people drive the 17 mile loop road, which is really rough for the first mile or so. You can get away with the 17 miles in a regular sedan style vehicle, but I recommend a vehicle that is high off the ground, like an SUV. Four-wheel drive is not required on the loop road, but it helps. DO NOT bring your sports car here - leave it at home! Despite the uneven and unpaved road, the loop road is scenic, enjoyable, and easily done. Go for it!
BUT, if you want to dive deeper into Monument Valley, you have to invest in a guide. Most of the interesting parts of MV (ancient ruins, petroglyphs, beautiful arches, etc...) are restricted to the general public, and you need a Navajo guide to access them. I came here to do only photography, so I charted Tom Phillips, who is well known, very knowledgeable, and has worked with many of the finest photographers around. Taking a tour with Tom Phillips has been one of the highlights of my life, as he made MV come to life through his stories and personality. While Tom works with photographers, and is typically well-booked, there are many guides available at the Visitor Center booth. Please be sure to tip your guide well.
A couple of other tips/hints:
1. Don't forget to visit Mile Marker 13. Drive north on US 163, 13 miles from the Monument Valley turnoff. When you get to mile 13 (look at the mile markers), stop your car on the side of the road, and look behind you. You'll be looking at one of the most famous images of the American West. This is the famous road shot, with the two lane road dipping downward, then up again, and leading straight to Monument Valley in the background.
2. The best place to catch the sunrise in the morning is in the area near the hotel and visitor center.
3. Near the visitor center and hotel (and a current construction site), are two rather large boulders which stick out like bumps. This is the site where Ansel Adams photographed his famous image of Monument Valley, with the three buttes in the background.
4. Try to get your guide to take you to Mystery Valley, where a lot of the ruins and petroglyphs can be found.
5. The View Hotel, which opened in Dec. 2008, is the place to stay here. Every room has a view of the valley, with the buttes. The hotel is very clean, modern, and the staff very friendly.
As a sign of the significance of this place, I met a lot of foreign tourists during my visit, who had no problem driving the hundreds of miles used to get to this very remote location. Monument Valley is very well worth the trek out here.
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Feeling a bit self-important lately? Are you asking why can't everyone be like you? Friends telling you that your ego has reached epic proportions, but you don't believe them? Well, it might be time for a dose of Monument Valley.
You've seen it in movies and you have a mental picture of what to expect. Stop. Don't move. Toss those images in the trash before you even get in the car for the long drive to the Navajo Reservation. Did you do it? Don't lie, now, because you'll only confuse yourself. Good. Now, get out the road map and prepare for one of the longest road trips of your life. Distances and time mean nothing out here, so why don't you toss punctuality in the trash, too? Good. You're ready to go.
The landscape of Monument Valley is respectful because it lets you know you're getting closer even though you may be a hundred miles away. Isolated rock formations jutting out of the ground begin to appear out of nowhere. You're not there yet, but the Valley is already whispering to you so quietly that you can't hear what it's saying.
As you drive on mile after mile after mile, the dirt gets redder, the rock formations grow larger. Now, finally, you are here. These are not mountains and it's not a stone city, either. No, these behemoths are singular earthen sentinels poised to touch the clouds. The whispers are growing louder.
As you pull to the side of the road and get out of the car, these stone guardians proclaim loudly that you are small. Did you hear that? You're small -- you're not in control here and you couldn't be even if you wanted to be. You've already surrendered time and distance. Monument Valley is now ready to teach you about true power and your ego is nowhere to be found.
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One of my favorite places in the world...I can't really put it into words.
Forget a hotel, camp in the primitive campground with a view of the three mittens.
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There are some places that just take your breath away when you see them. Angkor Wat. The Taj Mahal. Iguasu Falls. I have always wanted to come here and not because I like John Wayne movies. Well, maybe 'The Searchers" but that's all. Monument Valley is simply one of the most spectacular and iconic sights in the Southwest, a relatively flat plateau of dramatically formed red-rock mesas and buttes.
I guess a lot of people fly into the airstrip near Goulding's Lodge, the only accommodation in the valley. I just drove in from Kayenta on a circuit I was making of the major sights near the Arizona-Utah border - Lake Powell, Canyon de Chelly, Bryce Canyon, Zion. This was the topper.
In order to get the best views within the valley, you have to enter the official Navajo Park by taking Highway 163. The exit is about 24 miles north of Kayenta, Arizona, and 22 miles southwest of Mexican Hat, Utah. Yep, it's that sparse in this part of the country, but it's fun how you see more and more of the valley as you get closer.
Once at the exit, go east on the solitary drive while taking in more of the mesas and then pay $5 at the booth. Once at the park headquarters (complete with gift shop and fast-food stand, of course), you can take a chance with your dusty sedan and go over the bumpy road to go to some of the key sights.
The better option is to take one of the Navajo-run jeep tours that take you around the valley and stop at the significant sights. The tour lasts about three hours and costs around $20, a bargain for what you see and photograph. Highlights include the view from John Ford's Point (the film director's favorite spot for vista shots), the Mittens, the Three Sisters and the Ear of the Wind. I've included three of my own photos here.
The most opportune time to take photos is near sunset as the sun makes the mesas a rich reddish tone. I was lucky to be there right after a major hailstorm, which left the mesas brilliantly rich-looking. The best photo op is actually outside the park, about seven miles north on Highway 163. Stop the car, look back and take the iconic photo you may remember from "Forrest Gump".
It's truly amazing.
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Truly spectacular scenery. A trip to remember for a lifetime.