Ultimate Visitor Guide – Monument Valley, USA
The American Southwest has an incredible portfolio of natural wonders. From the incomprehensible vastness of the Grand Canyon to the mesmerising paths through Antelope Canyon, you could easily spend weeks exploring the region while finding a new thing to wonder at every day.
With such impressive neighbours it is difficult to stand out. But that’s exactly what Monument Valley does. It stands out.
Keep reading to discover all you need to know about our favourite place in the USA (if not the world):
What is it?
Monument Valley is a region within the Navajo Nation. It’s famed for the colossal sandstone buttes and mesas that protrude from the red, arid ground that surrounds them. The landscape is now an icon of the USA and is said to be one of the most photographed places in the world.
This area has been home to the Navajo tribe for hundreds of years following their migration down from Canada. To this day, you will still find people living and working in the shadows of these immense formations.
Monument Valley (or Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii as the Navajo call it) is not only a home to them, but also holds an amazing amount of sacred significance. The locals have stories and legends to tell about almost every single one of the formations if you have the time to listen.
The Navajo also recognise that they were not the first to settle in this land. They refer to the people before them as the Anasazi. The evidence of these ancient people is still visible today in the form of petroglyphs and rock carvings that are strewn all around the valley.
It may interest you to know that until the early to mid-20th century, practically no one outside of the local tribes even knew Monument Valley existed. That was until Hollywood ‘discovered’ it of course.
Films such as John Wayne’s ‘Stagecoach’ propelled not only him to global star status but also showed off Monument Valley to an audience that had never seen anything like it before. It was not long before the valley became the home of the Western and an icon of the USA.
Today, Monument Valley is an amazing destination catering for tourists. Once you are inside the reserve you can explore the area yourself by car, take a guided tour, hike among the monuments, buy handcrafted native goods and much more.
How to get there
Monument Valley is located on the Arizona-Utah border and is within the Navajo Nation Reservation.
One of the reasons it was not ‘discovered’ for so long is due to its remoteness. While there are some small towns and settlements close by, you’ll have to travel hours to reach a city.
Here are the distances to some close by locations:
- Las Vegas – 400 Miles (7 hours by car)
- Grand Canyon South Rim – 180 Miles (3.5 hours by car)
- Page – 130 Miles (2.5 hours by car)
- Phoenix – 325 Miles (5.5 hours by car)
- Albuquerque – 325 Miles (5.5 hours by car)
To get to the entrance to Monument Valley, simply follow Highway 163 until you hit the roundabout near the state border. From here follow the signs south down Monument Valley Road.
Towards the end of the road you will come to a small ticket booth. Because you are entering Navajo land and to help them maintain the area, they charge an entrance fee of $20. Don’t worry if you plan to leave and enter multiple times to explore the local area, simply show your receipt at the booth so you aren’t charged twice.
Once you’ve paid your entrance fee you can park your car outside the View Hotel or continue on round the self-drive route – the choice is yours!
Things to Do
When we visited, we took the 1.5 hour drive from Tuba City and arrived mid-morning. When we got there, we had time to relax on the View Hotel’s viewing platform and shop for handmade native goods at their shop.
A great bonus of staying at the View Hotel is that they reimburse you the $20 dollar entry fee by giving you a voucher you can use in their shop.
Guided Tour
We then went on a prebooked tour with Monument Valley Safari which was the best thing we did on our entire road trip.
Our tour guide Don took us on a 4-hour journey through Monument Valley stopping off at great photo points and sights as well as sharing with us many personal stories about his life living here which made the tour so much more interesting.
On the tour we also had the opportunity to visit a traditional hogan where Leah was lucky enough to get her hair arranged into the traditional Navajo style.
After this, it was time to grab some food and head to our balcony and watch as the sun set, and the stars came out. From your balcony you won’t see a particularly good sunset but just wait till morning as the sunrise is glorious!
Monument Valley Loop
If taking a guided tour isn’t your thing, then you can also drive the 17-mile-long Monument Valley Loop. This is a great option if you are tight on time as it allows you to make your way through the park at your own pace.
We would recommend taking a tour over the self-drive option because you will learn so much more about the monuments and the people that call them home, plus you will also be granted access to places that are off limits to regular visitors.
Tip: the road of the loop is not paved and a little bumpy so cars with low ground clearance may struggle to make it round safely.
Wildcat Trail
Due to being on Navajo land, hiking options are more limited than you would find off-reservation.
However, there is a lovely hike called the Wildcat Trail that is a favourite among visitors.
This short hike takes you from the View Hotel out and towards the base of some of the buttes and offers incredible views that you can’t get from the self-drive route.
Although only 4 miles long, the desert-like environment means the weather can get very hot in summer so beware of the sun and take plenty of water with you.
Where to stay
Because of its remoteness and size, visiting Monument Valley as a daytrip can be tricky – instead, aim to spend the whole day here.
There are a few hotels, B&B’s and campgrounds in the general vicinity of Monument Valley but the two most popular are Goulding’s Lodge and the View Hotel.
Prices at both of these locations are always going to be a bit more expensive than usual simply due to their location.
When we visited, we stayed at the View Hotel and cannot recommend it enough – we loved it!
The View Hotel is the only hotel within the park area and offers accommodation options such as camping, cabins, and hotel rooms with glorious views out over Monument Valley.
If you pay a premium you can even book a room on the hotel’s top floor and get an unobstructed view of the night sky from your balcony.
Where to Eat
Like accommodation, there are only a few places to grab some food close to Monument Valley.
The View Hotel offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and while the food is nothing special it isn’t poor either. The prices are on the expensive side but it’s nothing outrageous. If you are staying in the hotel, you may also get a free breakfast.
If you want to save some money, each room also comes with a microwave just remember to bring food with you as grocery shops are limited.
Another option is Goulding’s Restaurant, located just outside the park. Like the View Hotel, prices will be higher than expected with food that is fine rather than great.
What to see near by
Every time we visit somewhere we are always checking what’s on enroute and nearby so that we can tick them off in one journey and save ourselves some time.
Here are a couple places close to Monument Valley that you should consider visiting:
Forrest Gump Point
Named after the famous movie character, this is a scenic viewpoint located only a 20-minute drive from Monument Valley.
Stopping here allows you to capture one of the best vantage points of Monument Valley and it should not be missed when you are in the area. You can read more about it here.
Tip: the stop is located on the highway so be extra vigilant when stopping to take pictures
Mexican Hat
If you continue driving for 15 minutes from Forrest Gump Point you will hit a cool rock formation called Mexican Hat Rock.
You can walk up to this sombrero-shaped formation or you can glimpse it from the road if you are in a rush.
