Road Trip in the American Southwest // #6: Monument Valley

Next stop of our road trip in the American Southwest: After Sedona, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon, here is Monument Valley, at the border between Arizona and Utah.

The Mittens Buttes

We all have seen those buttes in movies, series, cartoons, comics and what not, so you can imagine that expectations were high! We left Page in the morning to drive the 250 miles round trip in one day. For lack of time we had decided to not go further towards Moab. I somewhat regret not going further to go around the Lake Powell because we missed on more amazing landscapes like Canyonland and the Arches National Park. But there's always choices to be made... Without a doubt, Monument Valley remains a very majestic scenery. The 300 to 1000 feet high red sandstone buttes that cover this large valley are stunning. We are surrounded by miles of mesas and buttes that shape the Colorado plateau. The buttes are what is left of this plateau after thousand years of erosion. 

The drawback is that the place is very touristic, and the set up and crowd takes away from the magical feeling you'd hope to experience. After paying the fee at the park entrance, everybody drive their car to the parking lot at the end of the road, where, needless to say, sits the unavoidable souvenir shop/restaurant/hotel. The site is part of a Navajo reserve, and it is Navajo Indians that collect the entrance fees. The National Parks Pass is not valid here. (It is in Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Park, to name the few other parks in the surrounding.)

The visit is done by car following a stony sandy lane, either in one's own car (be sure it is not too low so it doesn't scrape the ground), or with Indian's guides. The road zigzags in between buttes in a loop. It is permitted to stop here and there but forbidden to get outside the tracks. All these buttes are considered sacred for Navajos Indians. It is a little disappointing to not be allowed to wander freely and to have to share this only road with all the other tourists, but it is worth the journey.  If not enough time, or if you don't want to pay the fee to get in, I think it would be acceptable to only drive by the park, if possible from East to West, because the westbound view as you get close to the park entrance is amazing! You can stop on the side of the road where Forest Gump stopped running, and take a pretty photo! 

"Forrest Gump ended his crosscountry run at this spot"

Unlike what we'd think, it is not extremely warm in the area: about  85 degrees in the summer. We went there in April and it was much less than 70 degrees even in the middle of a very sunny day. It was also very windy. 

Last advice: Native Indians do not change hour throughout the year, so I'd recommend to be careful about the time difference depending on the season...