Monument Valley

Red sandstone buttes on the Navajo Nation, the iconic backdrop of Hollywood Westerns, with a scenic valley drive, Navajo-guided tours and Forrest Gump Point.

Monument Valley lies within the Navajo Nation on the Arizona–Utah border. Its core is Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (not a U.S. national park, so the America the Beautiful pass isn't accepted), where sandstone buttes and mesas rise more than 300 m from the desert floor. It was a filming location for John Ford Westerns such as Stagecoach, as well as Forrest Gump.

Visiting: the tribal park charges admission per person (about $8; check the official website), and the mesa with the visitor center and The View Hotel overlooks the East and West Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. The roughly 27 km Valley Drive is an unpaved red-dirt road that regular cars can manage slowly, passing the Three Sisters, John Ford's Point, Elephant Butte, Artist's Point and North Window. Areas such as the Totem Pole, Ear of the Wind, Sun's Eye, Hunts Mesa and Mystery Valley can only be visited on a jeep tour with a Navajo guide. Don't miss the Mittens silhouetted at sunrise or the Milky Way at night.

Nearby: to the north along US-163, Forrest Gump Point, Mexican Hat, Goosenecks State Park, the Valley of the Gods and the Moki Dugway make a half- to full-day driving loop; to the south, Navajo National Monument protects cliff dwellings.

Getting there and lodging: it's about 3–4 hours' drive from both the Grand Canyon South Rim and Arches National Park, and the nearest city is Page (about 2 hours). Stay at The View Hotel, Goulding's Lodge or in the town of Kayenta. Alcohol is prohibited on the reservation, you must ask permission before photographing Navajo residents, and off-road driving and drones require a permit.

Top sights

• The View (Monument Valley Visitor Center) – A viewing platform at the entrance to the Navajo Tribal Park, directly facing the East and West Mittens and Merrick Butte. It is the best p…
• Valley Drive – A 27-kilometer loop through red earth that you can drive yourself, stopping at 11 numbered viewpoints. It is the core of any visit to Monum…
• West and East Mitten Buttes – Two isolated sandstone pillars that look like a pair of mittens, the most iconic image of Monument Valley.
• John Ford's Point – A cliff viewpoint favored by the western film director John Ford, where you can pose on horseback with Navajo riders.
• Forrest Gump Point – A roadside spot at mile marker 13 on US-163 in Utah, where a straight highway runs toward the lone buttes, the place where Forrest Gump sto…
• Merrick Butte – A square sandstone butte standing alongside the Mittens, named after a soldier who was killed here while searching for silver in the 19th c…
• The Three Sisters – Three slender, tall rock pillars at the eastern end of Mitchell Mesa, said in legend to be a nun and two students, at Stop 3 on the Valley…
• Elephant Butte & Camel Butte – Two sandstone buttes shaped like an elephant and a camel, with roadside stops in the middle of the Valley Drive loop for fun photos of thes…
• Artist's Point – An open viewpoint on high ground along the eastern section of the Valley Drive loop, where you can take in the scattered buttes across the…
• North Window Overlook – A “window” formed between Elephant Butte and Cly Butte, one of the best angles for looking back at the Mittens group.
• Totem Pole & Yei Bi Chei – A slender stone pillar about 120 meters tall and only a few meters wide, beside a group of rock pillars resembling Navajo dancers.
• Ear of the Wind & Sun's Eye – Natural arches and a domed skylight within the restricted area of the valley, reachable only on Navajo-guided jeep tours.
• Hunts Mesa – A high plateau at the southern end of the valley with a view over the entire Monument Valley, popular for sunrise and camping tours and ope…
• Mystery Valley – A small valley southwest of Monument Valley with natural arches, Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and rock art, accessible only with a gu…
• Wildcat Trail – The only trail in the Tribal Park where visitors may hike on their own, a loop of about 5 km around West Mitten.
• Goulding's Trading Post Museum – A museum in a former trading post built in the 1920s, telling the story of Navajo trade and the Western films shot here.
• Agathla Peak (El Capitan) – A volcanic neck peak between Kayenta and Monument Valley, a striking landmark beside US-163.
• Mexican Hat Rock – A flat rock about 18 meters wide balanced on a slender pillar, shaped like a Mexican sombrero, from which the town takes its name.
• Goosenecks State Park – Deep meanders where the San Juan River carves successive bends through a canyon about 300 meters deep, visible right from the cliff edge.
• Valley of the Gods – Known as the “mini Monument Valley,” a free 27 km dirt road winds through groups of buttes and sees few visitors.
• Moki Dugway – A zigzag gravel road carved into a cliff, climbing about 350 meters within 5 km, with views down over the Valley of the Gods.
• Muley Point Overlook – A cliff viewpoint on the edge of Cedar Mesa overlooking the goosenecks of the San Juan River and distant views of Monument Valley.
• Natural Bridges National Monument – Utah's first national monument, with three huge natural stone bridges, and also an International Dark Sky Park.
• Navajo National Monument (Betatakin) – Well-preserved 13th-century Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in canyon alcoves, visible from a viewpoint trail.

Where to eat

• The View Restaurant – Located inside The View Hotel within the Tribal Park, offering green chili stew and Navajo tacos alongside spectacular…
• Goulding's Stagecoach Restaurant – Perched on the hillside at Goulding's Resort, this all-day restaurant is famous for its Navajo tacos made with freshly…
• Linda's Fry Bread – A Navajo fry bread stand near John Ford's Point, offering an affordable spot for snacks and tacos while touring the val…

Itineraries

• Southwest Grand Circle Self-Drive in – A loop from Las Vegas linking Utah's red-rock parks, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon South Rim.
• Four Corners Ancestral Puebloan Loop – An Albuquerque-based loop through the Four Corners region, featuring cliff dwellings, narrow-gauge railroads, Monument…