Monument Valley Without the Crowds

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Monument Valley: Known for its majestic, free-standing sandstone buttes, this vast desert valley of some 92,000 acres on the border of Utah and Arizona stars in Hollywood movies and attracts more than 350,000 sightseers per year. Visitors come to this isolated area on the Arizona-Utah border to hike, drive, photograph, or simply experience its natural and ever-changing beauty.

I interviewed Lynn who has been on this podcast many times ( and Experiencing the Osa Pensinsula) about her experience in Monument Valley and she provided fantastic tips for a bucket list trip to Monument Valley. Listen above or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Tips for Visiting Monument Valley

• Since it takes about three hours to get to Monument Valley from almost anywhere else in the vicinity, it helps to stay overnight, at least one night. This gives you the opportunity to do a sunrise and/or sunset tour.
• Unlike many nearby national parks in Arizona and Utah, Monument Valley is a tribal park owned and operated by the Navajo Nation, so it’s not on public land. Visitors pay an entry fee of $10 per person, $20 per vehicle; children 9 and younger are free. Visitors must stay near the road and are not allowed to hike toward any of the formations unless accompanied by a paid guide.
• Visitors can take an open, jitney-type tour of the “Valley Drive”, a 17-mile, dirt road loop located at The View hotel Or, to avoid the choking dust created by the day-long traffic, you can drive yourself along this gravel road- allow 3 hours, at the 15mph speed limit. And the road is rough in places- a high clearance vehicle is recommended. 

• This drive is a great way to view the majestic buttes, spires and rock arches that make this vast desert landscape so stunning, vibrant and awe-inspiring. Eye-popping vistas and panoramic scenes can be viewed at numerous stops along the loop, especially at John Ford’s Point and Artist’s Point (sunrise photos best here!) PDF link to best descriptions of the 11 stops along the loop.

the Most Popular Attraction at Monument Valley

The most popular attraction is The Mittens or two enormous buttes that look like mittens with their thumbs facing inward. These can be seen from the visitor center, and from The View hotel. 

They had 1 full day and 2 nights in Monument Valley. They arrived in time for sunset the first night, and our shots of the Mittens from the patio of The View hotel were simply staggering.

Must-Do: Mystery Valley Tour

The next morning their Navajo guide picked them up at The View for our 3 hours, exclusive cultural tour (nobody but them on a weekday). Check out the Mystery Valley Tour for a personal tour to remember.

How Much Does it Cost to Go to Monument Valley?

• Rental Car out of Las Vegas: SUV class $433 10 days.
• The View 3rd-floor room: $289/night. 
• Mystery Valley Tour: $89 per Adult. Navajo Park Fee: $20 per car per entry.
• Misc for food/gas

Monument Valley Photo Tips

• Stay at The View- these sunset and sunrise photographic angles date from Ansel Adams’ time (the hotel wasn’t here then!) and many a professional photographer can be seen shooting from the restaurant patio. Staying at The View hotel on the top floor offers the best balcony views “right there” of the Mittens, and is perfectly convenient for those staggering sunrise images of the backlit icons. The View has an elevator and ramps but call in advance for specific ADA needs.
• Scenic Drive: Sunrise and sunset are the best times of day to shoot the various rock formations. The late afternoon light is perfect for John Ford Point and Artist’s Point. Many possible angles, so leave lots of time to frame your shots! You may need to pay the man to ride his horse out onto the end of the point at John Ford Point for that iconic man-on-horse shot. He wants $5. But if you hang out, he rides out there every half hour or so anyway. He keeps his horse in a tiny corral at the parking area at John Ford Point.
• Mystery Valley Tour: The best time for photography for the entire tour is afternoon, but it gets crowded. We made do with our private early morning trip, even if the canyons where Anasazi ruins lie were in deep shadow. Experienced photographers will not be daunted and will appreciate the opportunities the light affords. The arches are amazing, be sure to work all angles. We got to climb up into one of them for some amazing shots.
• Starlight photos: drive down the loop road to get away from The View parking lot and hotel lights. Pull off near the “Elephant” formation for great starlight shots with the Mittens or the Elephant in the foreground. Scout other angles from this loop road when you drive it during the day. The campground at The View may offer good angles without light loom from the nearby hotel.
• Forest Gump Road (I call this “Leaving Monument Valley”): MUST be shot in the morning, preferably between 9-10:30 am. My shot was taken in the last week of Sep. when skies/clouds are simply amazing. This is also a strong starlight-with-car-headlight-streaks candidate location but it can be a busy truck road, so watch out for them coming over the hill at your back as you stand in the road composing your shot! I composed from the side of the road, dashed out, took the shot, and left.

Additional Tips

• Buy gallons of water to keep in the car and transfer to water bottles- you will drink a LOT of water!
• Bring or buy a cooler and ice to keep in the car for day trips into the desert. 
• Buy all provisions well before you enter Monument Valley, there are no facilities except the few purveyors who sell cold drinks at a couple of places along the Scenic Valley loop. 
• Make your hotel reservations at least 3 months in advance, more if you travel during the height of tourist season in the spring or late summer, early fall. 
• Have a hat and sunscreen available at all times. Be prepared for wind storms, they can develop quickly and unexpectedly at any time. 
• Gas up well before you enter Monument Valley. Know before you go: study your maps and know your route, towns, stores and stops well in advance. 
• Plan ahead. Cellular service ranges from spotty to non-existent throughout this region once away from major towns. WiFi can be sporadic too, in spite of places claiming to offer it. 
• Liquor laws in Utah are unique- do your homework.  
• Be mindful of your water use, you are in the desert where people still live with no running water, so don’t expect swimming pools and spas! 
• Get an SUV to stay up off graded, rough dirt roads, soft sand and gravel roads. A 4-wheel drive is not required but good ground clearance is essential if you get off the interstates and state roads- this absolutely includes the Scenic Valley loop road.

Related Episode: Visit the Grand CAnyon