Dreaming of an epic road trip through the American Southwest? Add the Monument Valley scenic drive to your itinerary: 17 miles of red dirt road that weaves between the buttes, spires and mesas you’ve seen in a hundred Westerns.
I drove the Monument Valley scenic drive on a day trip from Page during an early-summer road trip through Arizona and Utah. It’s a longish drive from Page, but it’s worth it: there’s nothing quite like steering your own car along a sandy track with the Mittens and Merrick Butte towering over the windscreen.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is run by the Navajo Nation, and the scenic drive (officially the Valley Drive) is the only part of the valley you can explore by car on your own. It’s a rough, unpaved loop that cuts through the centre of this iconic landscape, with 11 numbered viewpoints along the way. The rest of the valley, the backcountry, is only open on tours with a Navajo guide.
Read on to discover what you can see along the scenic drive, the rules and fees you need to know before you go, how to visit on a tour, what to pack, and where to stay in or near Monument Valley.
Why visit Monument Valley?
Let’s be real: have you seen Monument Valley? It’s one of the most photographed landscapes in the American West, and for good reason.
The valley is home to massive sandstone buttes and mesas that rise 400 to 1,000 feet above the valley floor, carved over millions of years by wind and water. The park covers almost 92,000 acres straddling the Arizona-Utah border, and it sits at about 5,500 feet above sea level.
The famous buttes (no sniggering, please) and the handful of trails draw most visitors, and the valley has plenty to brag about in the hiking department. But the scenic drive is the easiest way to see the most famous formations up close in a few hours.
The Monument Valley scenic drive: what you’ll see
First of all, pick up the free map at the entrance or the visitor centre. There are 11 numbered viewpoints on the scenic drive, and signs along the way point you to each one. Here are the stops, in the order you’ll reach them.
The Mittens and Merrick Butte
You’ve probably seen East Mitten, West Mitten and Merrick Butte in countless photos: they’re the most instantly recognisable of all the Monument Valley formations, and you get your first look at them from the visitor centre before the road drops down into the valley.
The Mittens are named because they look like a (you guessed it) pair of mittens, of wacky proportions, I will admit, with the thumbs pointing out to the side. Merrick Butte sits just to the south, closer to the road, so you’ll drive right past its base.
Elephant Butte
Viewpoint 2 is another of the valley’s more famous spots. Atop a red ridge sits the sheer sandstone bulk of Elephant Butte.
This is one of the park’s numerous enormous and unusual rock formations, and it’s said to resemble an elephant. You might need to use your imagination with this one.
Three Sisters
The Three Sisters, three slender spires at the end of Mitchell Mesa, make an excellent photo stop. Some say they look like a Catholic nun facing her two pupils. Pay attention to the crumbling earth at their base: it’s worth pausing here to consider how nature created such a weird and wonderful sculpture.
John Ford’s Point
This picturesque viewpoint is named in honour of John Ford, the director who made Monument Valley Hollywood’s image of the American West.
He shot the John Wayne film Stagecoach here in 1939, and he came back for several more Westerns, including My Darling Clementine, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and The Searchers. Since then, numerous films and TV series have used the valley as a backdrop.
There’s usually a Navajo rider with a horse on the ledge: pay a small fee and you can have your photo taken on horseback like a Hollywood cowboy. Linda’s frybread stand is nearby too, if you need a snack.
Camel Butte
Camel Butte is an enormous, intricate rock formation a little further along the loop. It’s a slender, narrow-looking sandstone peak, but again, with a little imagination, you might spot a camel at this stop.
The Hub
The Hub is a single, isolated spire that rises about 150 feet above the ground beside Rain God Mesa, and it’s said to resemble the hub of a wagon wheel. This is also where the road splits into a one-way loop, so follow the signs.
Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei
Here’s a secret: this is one of the best places on the drive if you’re searching for a picturesque backdrop.
The Totem Pole, a spire about 450 feet high, stands next to the Yei Bi Chei formations, a cluster of spires said to resemble Navajo dancers. You can only see them from a distance on the self-drive loop; getting closer means joining a tour.
Totem Pole and Sand Springs
Officially, the next pullout is a view of Sand Springs and the neighbouring red-orange dunes, but because the overlook is a little closer to the Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei, it also gives you a better view of these formations.
Artist’s Point
Artist’s Point is arguably the nicest overlook on the route after John Ford’s Point, and it’s usually quieter.
The road climbs here, so you look out across the valley floor to the buttes in the distance. To the east, the edge of Spearhead Mesa rises relatively high, while the lower outlines of Cly Butte and Elephant Butte lie to the west.
North Window
North Window, a gap between Elephant Butte and Cly Butte that frames East Mitten Butte in the distance, is the penultimate stop on the Valley Drive.
From the parking area, you can walk along a short path of about a third of a mile towards the gap for an even better view.
The Thumb
The Thumb, a rounded pinnacle at the eastern end of Camel Butte, is the last numbered viewpoint on the Valley Drive, and you’ll see it from near the North Window parking area.
It really does look like a thumb. For this one, imagination is not essential. From here, the loop rejoins the main road back to the visitor centre.
Planning your visit to Monument Valley
- Fees: entry to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park costs $10 per person per day, plus $15 per vehicle. You can buy entry online through the Navajo Parks website or pay on arrival. America the Beautiful and other national park passes aren’t accepted.
- Opening hours: in winter (from mid-October), the scenic drive is open from 8am to 5pm, with last entry at 2:30pm. In summer, the last vehicle goes in at 4:30pm. Allow two to three hours for the loop, and check the Navajo Parks website for the current season’s times before you go.
- Closures: the park closes on Thanksgiving, Navajo Nation Family Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and the loop road can close after heavy rain or flooding.
- Sunrise and sunset: the drive opens after sunrise and closes before sunset, so for the classic sunrise behind the Mittens, head to the visitor centre viewpoint or The View Hotel, or book a guided sunrise or sunset tour.
- Supplies: there’s nothing along the drive itself, so use the restrooms at the visitor centre before you set off and bring plenty of drinking water and snacks.
- Sun: wear a hat and sunscreen. Summer highs regularly reach around 90°F (32°C), and there’s barely any shade on the loop.
- Time zone: the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time and the rest of Arizona doesn’t, so in summer Monument Valley is an hour ahead of Page and Phoenix. Check your clock before a booked tour.
- Dogs: dogs aren’t allowed at Navajo tribal parks, including this one.
Finding the visitor centre
The visitor centre is at the end of Monument Valley Road (Indian Route 42), about four miles east of US-163 in Oljato-Monument Valley, on the Arizona-Utah border. Search for “Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Visitor Center” on Google Maps. You’ll find the entrance booth on the way in, plus a museum, restrooms and a viewpoint at the visitor centre itself.
You can pick up a map showing the viewpoints at the visitor centre, and there are signs along the way inside the valley.
I’d also recommend downloading an offline Google Map of the area, as it labels all the viewpoints along the scenic drive. Mobile coverage is patchy in the valley, so downloading the map before you arrive is a lifesaver.
Driving the Monument Valley scenic drive independently
Plenty of visitors take a guided tour, but you can drive the whole loop yourself, as I did. The road is bumpy, rutted and sandy in places, but it’s drivable with care, and it takes you right through the buttes and strange rock formations.
Some ground rules from Navajo Parks:
- Stay on the designated route and obey the signs. The back roads are only open on guided tours.
- RVs, camper vans, motorcycles, and large SUVs or off-road vehicles aren’t allowed on the drive.
- A car with decent ground clearance makes life easier on the ruts and sand. If you’re renting, check your hire agreement, as many don’t cover unpaved roads.
- Drive slowly, especially on the steep, rough descent at the start, and you’re responsible for any damage to your vehicle.
Top Tip
The busiest stretch is the first few miles around the Mittens and John Ford’s Point. Arrive when the drive opens, or later in the afternoon before last entry, and you’ll share the viewpoints with fewer people.
On a tour
A large part of this fabled landscape (the backcountry) can only be visited with a Navajo guide, which is why tours are so popular. Guided tours take you to places such as Ear of the Wind, Big Hogan Arch and Moccasin Arch, where independent visitors can’t go.
A tour is also the best option if you’d rather not drive on dirt roads, or you want to unwind and take in the scenery while someone who grew up here tells you its stories.
You can book a tour on arrival with the Navajo tour operators at the lower car park by the visitor centre: Navajo Parks lists around 25 authorised operators, including Goulding’s Tours. Or book ahead online. This Monument Valley backcountry jeep tour with a Navajo guide is one of the best options: it lasts two and a half hours and heads into backcountry areas that are closed to independent visitors.
If you’re more interested in Navajo culture than in photo stops, look for a cultural tour such as this 3.5-hour scenic and cultural tour, which gives you more time with your guide to hear the stories behind the landscape.
Do
For the best light, the 3-hour sunset tour with a Navajo guide stays out after the scenic drive closes to independent visitors.
Where to stay for the Monument Valley scenic drive
There are only a few places to stay near the scenic drive, so book early in spring, summer and autumn. I based myself in Page, about two hours and 15 minutes away, and did Monument Valley as a day trip; it’s long but very doable. If you’d rather catch sunrise or sunset over the valley, stay overnight at one of these.
Goulding’s Lodge
Goulding’s Lodge is a great option, about five miles from the park entrance on the Utah side. While it doesn’t have quite the same jaw-dropping view as The View, the old trading post turned lodge is the subject of many local stories: Harry Goulding persuaded John Ford to film here in the late 1930s. Today there’s a trading post museum, a restaurant, a grocery store, fuel and its own Navajo-guided tours.
The View Hotel
As the only hotel inside Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, it’s no wonder that The View is so popular. Built into the landscape near the visitor centre, it has hotel rooms with balconies facing the Mittens, plus valley-rim cabins and a campground.
What to pack for a day in the valley
There aren’t many shops nearby (and there are none along the drive), so being prepared is a must. Here’s what to bring.
- Essential supplies for hot weather: I’m talking about a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, the lot.
- Layers, even in the height of summer, as mornings and evenings can be chilly.
- A camera or a GoPro.
- A reusable water bottle, and plenty of water.
- Snacks or a packed lunch: food options in the valley are limited.
- Cash for the frybread stand, the horse photo at John Ford’s Point and the craft stalls.
- Comfy shoes: you know I swear by my Tropicfeel Canyon trainers.
Map
Read next
- The ultimate Monument Valley travel guide
- The best hikes in Monument Valley
- Visiting Forrest Gump Point, Monument Valley
- Things to do in Page, Arizona
- Upper vs Lower Antelope Canyon: which tour to choose
- Visiting Horseshoe Bend
- The perfect Southwest road trip itinerary
- Beautiful places to visit in the USA
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