Monument Valley – Part of the Navajo Reservation in Utah and Arizona

The Monument Valley is a three-hour-drive from the Grand Canyon. It is located northeast, right at the Arizona state border in middle of the Navajo reservation. There is only one hotel in the valley: the View Hotel. Another option to spend the night is in Kajeta, a little village 20 minutes from Monument Valley. Kajenta does not offer much; it’s in the middle of nowhere. Don’t expect more than a place to stay for one night. Monument Valley can be combined with a ride to the Grand Canyon Nationalpark or the Arches Nationalpark in Utah. Both parks are about 3 hours from Monument Valley (Grand Canyon Southwest, Arches North).

We drove from Grand Canyon to Monument Valley after sunset when it was too dark to stay in Grand Canyon and reached Kayenta in the evening. He had a room in Kayenta for one night and went to Monument Valley the following morning to see the sunrise.

Sunrise at Monument Valley – Breakfast in The View Hotel

Early that day, we drove to Monument Valley on highway 163 to see the sunrise. Sunrise is a very special time in Monument Valley: the light emphasizes the red color of the rocks even more. It is a very good time to take beautiful pictures. A viewpoint for this is the place in front of the visitor center (you also find the View Hotel here). This spot offers an extraordinary view to the popular rock formations. The view you have here is the well-known perspective of the valley. Until here, it is easy to drive yourself. A proper, solid street leads to the visitor center. The hotel had a breakfast buffet. We were thinking it’s not worth asking, this place is super-exclusive and breakfast will cost more than 20 Dollars per person. But that was wrong, I’m glad we asked because the breakfast was only 10 Dollars. Having a breakfast here was the right thing to do: sitting at your table and enjoying the view was perfect after that sunrise. I would recommend doing that.

Monument Valley is located on a plateau, quite above sea level. That is why it can be cold in winter. On the pics you see in tiny bit of snow in the valley. Watching the sunrise was really cold, even though we had proper winter clothing. You will probably need a warm jacket here, unless you come in the summer months.

Driving on 27 km Unpaved Road – Monument Valley Road

The only way to continue your route and drive in the Valley is an unpaved road called Monument Valley Road that starts at the visitor center. Lonely Planet says this can be done in a standard passenger car. But I disagree, we tried it, it didn’t work. We did the first bend of the road, drove a bit further down a hill and a little further just straight. All in all, maybe 800 meters. This little part was enough for us to give up: the car bounces, we heard bumps and noises all the time, and potholes were everywhere. The ground was wet, muddy and plashy; you could only drive walking pace. We stopped because there was a huge puddle all the way across the road. We don’t know how much water it had but it definitely looked deep. We decided to not drive any further and not take any risk with our rental car. Maybe it would have been possible to drive cross that puddle, maybe we should have been driving faster while crossing those potholes. That’s difficult to say now. For us, it was too risky to damage our rental car.

The residents of the valley offer Jeep tours. There are different tour options available. All these jeeps drive faster and with much more routine and confidence through these potholes and all the mud. We could not have done it ourselves. Anyways, most likely they try to fill the jeep that means you will have to squeeze and share the car with other guests.

We were there in very low season (you can the snow on the pics). The valley had very few visitors. In and in front of the visitor center, there are many tour options and offers available. The shortest tour was offered for 80 bucks per person. None of us wanted to pay that much. We were a group of four: we would have to pay 80 dollar per person, not per jeep. After long and difficult negotiations, the price became much less. In the end, we paid 25 dollar per person. I doubt this would have worked the same way in the main season. When we were there, there were rarely any other tourists around. I think they decided to drive for little money instead of not driving at all.

Three Sisters, Totem Pole, the Thumb and John-Ford-Point

The tour itself was nice. It leads a bit further into the valley; you get to see many rock formations that are not visible from the hotel. I wasn’t sure if I’d be interested in the tour at all, in particular because I was supposed to pay 80 dollars. I have to say, it was worth doing the tour. You get to see the popular rock formations Three Sisters, Totem Pole, the Thumb and the John-Ford-Point. John-Ford-Point is a rock ledge that was used for many shots in John Ford’s movies but also Ford himself enjoyed standing there and watching larger scenes with many extras from there.

On the tour, several ladies sell jewellery, they say it’s authentic Indian jewellery. Necklaces and bracelets are pretty and not expensive (10 – 20 Dollar). You also get to see some Indian homes, even though these homes seem a bit artificial and made for tourists. In fact, all residents don’t live here but in different area that is not open to public.

At the John-Ford-Point you can take pictures with a rented horse at the rock ledge. I didn’t do that, that’s not my kind of thing. Horse lovers can also do an entire tour on a horse. I cannot say if that is good or not. I’m rather skeptical when it comes to using animals for touristic purposes.

When you do the longer guided tour, you see some places in the park that are only accessible with a tour guide. Because we had paid so little, of course they only did the short tour. To us, that was sufficient.

At the very end of that unpaved road, a little Opel Corsa came along. Somehow, these guys made it to the very end of that road. It don’t know how that was possible. The longer you drive along that road, the less standard cars you see. All the regular cars disappear one after another. At some point of the route, only Jeeps still drive along the road except that one Corsa.

Well-known because of it s many TV and film appearances

Monument Valley has appeared in many movies. The first movie the be shot there was Stagecoach with John Wayne, by John Ford. Ford made another nine movies in Monument Valley. Clint Eastwood’s The Eighter Section was also shot here, the Totem Pole appears prominently in this one.

Many famous scenes also play here: Forrest Gump ends his long run here, Tom Cruise climbs in the Mission Impossible II opening sequence, the Transformers Autobots reunite (Transformers: Age of Extinction). Many scenes with Jonny Depp in The Lone Ranger were filmed here. Just recently, HBO’s Westworld used Monument Valley as a filming location.
A very well-known campaign is the Marlboro campaign with the Marlboro cowboy. This was also made here. Many car ads are made here as well.

When you have visited Monument Valley, you recognize it in many films, ads and publications. Everyone has already seen Monument Valley somewhere. It’s the blueprint for all Wild West Impressions. It shows how we imagine the Wild West to be.

Suggestions and Ideas

Visiting the Monument Valley is highly recommendable. It’s the best place to take nice pics. I would not recommend doing a tour in a regular car. I think the road is simply too bad. A rental jeep would have worked. Or rental car (Dodge Grand Caravan) was not right. Maybe it’s possible to drive there yourself if you have offroad experience or are a very good driver. Anyways, we couldn’t.

The 80 Dollar-guided-tour is pricy, 80 would have been too much or us. I’m glad we bargained hard and got a better price, without the tour we would have missed a lot. Although the visitor center has a great view, it’s necessary to move further into the valley and see more rock formations.

The driver was a bit annoyed and not very motivated or friendly. Maybe that was because of the low price. The tour itself was ok, we saw all important rock formations and it took exactly as long as planned.

I would always do Monument Valley if I was in Grand Canyon. It requires an extra 2 days. Driving there, spending time there and continuing your route takes about 2 days (1 night). Half a day is enough for monument valley. If you are very enthusiastic about it, you can also camp there and hike.

Our next stop was Page in Arizona. This is where you find the Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon. Page is about 2 hours (200 km) from Monument Valley.

See also:

Article about the Horseshoe Bend

Der Beitrag Face of the Wild West: Monument Valley erschien zuerst auf travelspotting.

Going there by Bryce Canyon, Highway 14 and Dixie National Forest

Bryce Canyon is northeast of Zion Nationalpark. A national forest is between these Utah’s two national parks (Dixie National Forest), you can either cross the forest or drive around it. The best route from Bryce to Zion is east of the forest on highway 89, highway 89A and highway 389 (via Carmel, Kanab, 2 hours, 140 km). A western route on interstate 15 is also possible (reachable on highways 89 and 20, 2 ½ hours, 230 km). There is a third option as well, a bit longer but more beautiful: you take highway 89 to reach Dixie National Forest, take highway 14 and cross the forest till Cedar City. It’s a very nice road, a scenic route but it takes a little more time (2 ½ hours, 211 km). The street can be closed in winter due to weather conditions (snow, icy roads or winds). We were there in December, Bryce Canyon was full of snow and night temperatures were below zero degrees. But we did not have any problems on that route, the street was fine. I would always recommend taking that route, it only takes a little more time and the scenic views and nature are very pretty.

Booking a Hotel in Springdale

Inside Zion NP, there is one motel called Zion Lodge. Camping is also available. We chose a cheaper option. All towns around the national parks have tourist facilities (Springdale, Rockville, Mt. Carmel Junction, Hurricane, St. George and Kanab). We stayed in Springdale right in front of the park’s main entrance. Springdale is rather artificial place, in the end only a very long street with hotels, restaurants, cafés, cinema and supermarkets. Calling this place a town is almost exaggerating. It’s very touristic and has no character. But it’s very good location compensates for all of that. You can see the mountains of the national park from there. Simply looking out looking out of the hotels window makes a great view and is a huge consolation for the artificial little town. A major plus is that you can reach the national park easily: you can either drive straight and park there or (if parking is not available) take the shuttle bus for all the hotel guests.

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive: a Scenic Tour on the Shuttle Bus

The shuttle bus system starts at the visitor center right behind the park entrance. You can either take the bus or go in your own car. The shuttle busses are free (basically included in the park entrance that you have to pay anyways). Restrictions apply on self-driving tours, you can only go east on Zion-Mount Carmel Highway).

The main route north, with all the main attractions is not open to private vehicles. Only guests of the Zion Lodge are allowed to go to the hotel in their own car. The shuttle bus stops 11 times on the route. You can get off and on as whenever you want. The busses come every few minutes; you don’t need to wait a long time. Information on stops, their hiking routes and how difficult these routes are (including distances and altitudes) is available in the visitor center.

Difficult Routes: Angel’s Landing, The Narrows and Kolob Arch

Angel’s Landing is the park’s most famous route. It’s a viewpoint on a rock on 1753 meters, to reach you need to pass a 450 meters change of elevation. We started hiking early in the morning (at 6 am with the first bus). We only met very ambitious hikers who we planning to do one of the difficult routes. Angel’s Landing is their absolute favorite one. The park’s list says it takes 4 hours (12 km back and forth). The most ambitious route leads along the Virgin River. You need to cross the river, walk in the river or swim in the river 60% of the time. In the end, your reward is The Narrows, a sandstone grot with natural pools and gardens. The Narrows leads through a canyon with big, sheer canyons walls. The river leaves no space for walking trails. You need an extra permit to hike here, because the river’s water level is unsteady. After 22.5 km you reach the Kolob Stone Arch, the largest stone arch.

Unfortunately, I have never done any of these difficult routes: it’s still an unfulfilled dream to me. I really hope I can come back one day for that. Even though, The Narrows will most likely be too challenging for me.

Easy Routes for Little Trips: Temple of Sinawa and Emerald Pool Trails

We only had time to do some easy routes. We took the shuttle bus to its very end, the Temple of Sinawa. That is a smaller hike, or rather walking tour along the river. It’s an easy walk and a good opportunity to dive into the park’s atmosphere. You walk along the river’s rocks and see how the rocks orange beautifully contrast the blue sky.

Emerald Pool Trails are several smaller hiking routes along the river close to the shuttle bus line (next to the Zion Lodge Motel). You can walk a few steps up and enjoy the view from a bit further up. You can take a walk without being far from the bus line; you can just go back to the previous bus stop.

Even though this description does not sound super spectacular, I would definitely recommend doing some smaller walking tours. These tours made me fall in love with the park and are the reason why I want to come back, bring more time and do one of the more difficult tours.

You do not need any special equipment or shoes. All you need is a pair of shoes you would use for a longer walking tour. There’s only one thing in summer: don’t underestimate that it’s hot.

Zion – Mount Carmel Highway: A Self-Drive-Tour and Canyon Overlook Trail (Scenic Route)

The eastern route of the park cannot be reached in a shuttle bus, you need your own car for that. (There is a tunnel on the route with certain restrictions for larger vehicles). But you won’t have any problems with a standard passenger car. The tunnel is very long, 1.8 km. Right after the tunnel, a good hiking path starts: the Canyon Overlook Trail. Zion NP calls the hike medium level (1 hour, 1.6 km). You can park right opposite on the other side of the street. First part of the route is a path after that you need to walk on several stones and bumps, the ground is uneven. I recommend comfortable shoes for that.

The route is in my opinion not difficult only uneven. At the final spot of the tour, you have an absolutely stunning view over the valley. After all the easy hikes on the first day, this was our first opportunity to see the rocks kind of from top. So far we only had a “from-bottom-to-top-view” and only walk “under” (at the foot of) these rocks. The highway has some more viewpoints to enjoy the view. It was very nice for us to walk in nature, not near the roads. You need to be a little fit to do the tour but it’s definitely doable without being totally exhausted.

Professional Climbers in the Rocks

We left very early in the morning, the bus was almost empty. As mentioned above, we only met ambitious hikers and climbers. We could still see the climbers in the mountains. They have their tents somewhere in the air and that is how they spent the night on the way up. The bus driver says climbers like to come to Zion NP. To me, it was the first time that I saw something like this “for real”.

The bus driver also said most accidents happen on the way to Angel’s Landing because tourists overestimate their skills. Climbers know very well what they can do and what they cannot do. We were there on a Gap Day, Thursday was a public holiday and we were in Zion NP the following Friday. I was very glad that we went to the park so early. The park got more crowed all day long. In the end, a long line of cars even waited at the park entrance. Even thought, the park is big enough for everyone and people don’t gather at one spot, the silence in the morning is unbeatable. Also, the bus driver was relaxed, in a good mood and talkative. He had quite some stories to tell.

Further attractions: Kolob Canyon and Lava Point

There are two more park entrances: Kolob Canyon Northwest and Lava Point/West Rim Road. Kolob Canyon also has a visitor center. Both entrances have more hiking tours and also guided horse tours.

A Shuttle Bus System at the Main Routes – Is that a Good Thing?

Indeed, I like the shuttle bus system. Some call it touristic; of course it is, without tourism, none of us would be there. To me, these shuttle bus systems make life easier for everyone. A self-drive-route is usually quite messy. The first driver has problems with the rental car, the second one has rented an RC and cannot drive it properly, the third ones drives slowly because someone wants to take a pic and the fourth one wants to leave quickly because he has already seen the area. This list could be continued much longer. To sum up: these shuttle busses make life easier for everyone, much less chaos and mess is everywhere. Getting on and off is not a problem at all, there is only very little waiting time and everyone in the group (including the driver) can enjoy the view. Traffic is much less, the only ones around are the shuttle busses. The drivers know the area; they don’t honk, don’t block the road and don’t take the wrong road. To me, the shuttle bus system is a good concept and has entirely convinced me.

Resume the Tour: I Want to Come Back

One of the things I want to do in the future is to come back here and do one of the difficult routes. I think I could easily pass an entire week in Zion NP. The nature is absolutely stunningly beautiful; climbing up these rocks must extraordinary. Our visit to the park was, in the end, only a starting point to do more. But now I definitely know that I like it there and that I want to come back. I hope I get the chance one day. To me, this is the most beautiful national park in the US (only, I have not done some of the very famous one, in particular Yosemite NP. I cannot say if Yosemite would be better).

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