I’ve wanted to see Monument Valley since way back when I was just a snot-nosed little kid watching John Wayne westerns. The scenery looked so cool to me even then – the towering rocks, the sweeping vistas, and the hero riding off on a dusty trail into a glorious sunset.
(A reminder: If you click on these pictures they will enlarge.)
There is a 3.5 mile loop trail called the Wildcat Trail around West Mitten Butte pictured here.
Our road trip in our trusty camper van took us from Scottsdale through the Tonto National Forest (which on our route seemed to have more cacti than trees) and then to the stark, windswept landscape of the Petrified Forest National Park. We toured around the Petrified Forest and spent the sunset and night at another picturesque spot – The Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
Snow was sprinkled on the highest buttes and mesas.
After a leisurely breakfast we headed out towards Monument Valley. As we approached we could see threatening clouds in the distance and in this wide open country you can see for miles.
This rock formation was called Church Rock – so named for its cathedral like appearance.
We were on a high plateau at 5,000 feet with some amazing rock formations interrupting the mostly flat landscape.
Just a few miles from Monument Valley we passed Agathla Peak which rises up 1500 ft. from just off of U.S. Route 163.
As the valley came into view a storm came whipping through and soaked everything with a heavy rain for an hour and then just as abruptly stopped. The rain dramatically changed the color of the soil and rock formations to a deep burgundy red.
I don’t have the words to describe how incredibly beautiful Monument Valley is to my eyes. I’m just glad that film is free in the digital world because I would have spent a fortune in film and developing costs.
Bronze sculpture of a Navajo Family at the entrance to Monument Valley.
Monument Valley is squarely in the middle of The Navajo Nation which means it is not actually a U.S. National Park but if it were, it would rank in the top 5 on my list for its raw, natural beauty.
The North Window viewpoint features a couple of huge buttes perfectly framing a view north to the lower valley.
During the rain we checked into our RV site, grabbed some lunch and then headed to the official entrance of the Monument Valley Tribal Park. By then the water from the heavy rain had soaked into the usually dusty ground and the sun was peeking through the clouds.
A late afternoon shot taken from the Visitor Center overview.
Most of the 250,000 visitors a year come in the summer and so our mid-March arrival meant the crowds were sparse, the 17 mile Valley Drive was empty, and no reservations were needed at the RV Park. But the March weather was a bit chilly and windy as we approached the gate to pay the $20 per vehicle (up to four people) to enter the park for 24 hours.
The three spires at the left are called the “Three Sisters” and is said to look like a nun facing her two pupils.
This is the stunning view from the viewpoint named after John Ford who used Monument Valley as a setting for many of the famous Westerns he directed.
This balanced rock in the middle of the Valley Drive is one of the smaller monuments in the valley but still bigger than my van.
These spires represent the last stages of the erosion process. The tallest spire is called the “Totem Pole”.
After our spin around the Valley Drive we headed up to the spectacular view from the parking lot where you can also find a restaurant, gift shop, The View Motel, and a visitor center. Then we waited for the fireworks, as in the explosion of colors as the sun set at our backs and lit up the monuments in the burnt orange glow of dusk.
As the sun set behind us the shadows began to creep across the valley.
Monument Valley is more than a little off the beaten path. It is 320 miles and a 5 hour drive from Phoenix and nearest major airport. You can combine it with a trip to the Grand Canyon or do the loop we did through Petrified Forests National Park, Canyon de Chelly, Lake Powell and Sedona.
In Navajo legend a spell was cast on the dangerous beasts in the valley and the spell turned the beasts to stone. Those stones are the towering rock formations that stretch across Monument Valley.
The Navajo word for home is Hogan. This is a hogan near the visitor center. These dwellings are made of clay and Juniper tree.
The brochure you are given upon entrance to the Tribal Park says on the cover: “Welcome to the 7th Wonder of Navajoland – Where the Earth Meets the Sky” which I thought was a pretty good description.
The silhouetted view of the monuments as we approached the overview at sunrise.
