Introduction:
What? :
Monument valley Navajo Tribal Park landscape is the view when we are imagining how was the old wild west. Monument Valley, a red-sand desert region on the Arizona-Utah border, is known for the towering sandstone buttes of Monument Valley. The park, frequently a filming location for Western movies, is accessed by the looping, 17-mile Valley Drive.The famous Mittens buttes can be viewed from the road or from overlooks.
Another nearby famous location is Forrest Gump Point, just north of the muniment, the view is from Utah looking south.
Where? :
Located on highway 163 just on the border of Arizona and Utah.
It will be 2 hour (120 mile) drive from Page, AZ; or almost 3 hour (148 mile) drive from Moab, UT.
Google Map Link
The park website:
Related National Park Blogs:
When ? :
Year round but summer months can be VERY hot and not so recommended.
Winter can be cold.
Due Note:
This Park is under local Indian reservation regelation; hikes or drives going
off main trails is forbidden without official local guide, please respect this.
My thoughts:
This is my landscape view of the wild west, always excited to visit here. A
must stop (even for short time) if you are traveling in this area.
The
visit:
This park is owned and maintained by the local endian tribe that consider this as a holy place.
You can see the rocks from the main road outside the park but going into
give you a much better view.
After paying
entrance fee you start the visit from the viewing point just at the Visitor
Center.
From the
Visitor Center there is a gravel road (good for all cars) that will take you
into the valley and between the towering mountains, just follow the signs and stop
at the recommended viewing spots.
The car
trip can be 1-2 hr depending on how many stops you are taking; and how many
other visitors there are.
This car
trip with the stops along the way is highly recommended.
You can also have local guided trips that will take you into other places that you can’t get by yourself.
Forrest
Gump Picture (Google Map link):
Another
interesting point is just out of the park itself on hwy 163 north of the park in
the direction of Mexican Hat. In this nice spot Forrest Gump (the movie) stop
his famous cross US running, just because he was tired 😊.
Just stop on the side of the road, stand in line and take a nice picture of the road going into the mountains. You will not be the only one over there 😊
www:
https://navajonationparks.org/tribal-parks/monument-valley/
https://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/monument_valley/index.html
Map:
https://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/monument_valley/valley-drive-map.html
Additional Pictures:
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