Monument Valley – Road trip in the American West #5
Today, we visit one of the iconic places in the United States: Monument Valley.
This article is part of our series of articles on the American West road trip. If you haven’t read the previous travel diaries, here they are: #1, #2, #3, #4
Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Journal
Day 6 of the road trip:
Here’s what the Visitor Center website says about Monument Valley:
Before the advent of humanity, the park was once a low-lying basin. Over hundreds of millions of years, materials eroded from the early Rockies formed layer upon layer of sediment, slowly and delicately solidifying into an uplift, caused by constant pressure from the depths, pushing these horizontal layers one to three miles above sea level. What was once a basin became a plateau. The natural forces of wind and water, sculpting the land, have spent the last fifty million years carving and exposing the plateau’s surface. The gradual erosion of soft and hard rock layers has gradually revealed the natural wonders of Monument Valley as we admire them today. From the visitor center, you have the world-famous panorama of the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. Guided tours, offered by Navajo tour operators, take you in jeeps for a narrated tour through these mythical formations. Sites like Ear of the Wind and other plateaus are only accessible via these guided tours.
From Page, it takes us just over 2 hours to reach Monument Valley. The road is easy despite the rain. We’re glad we dodged the bullet; such rain wouldn’t have allowed us to visit Antelope Canyon. Every time, we avoid the rain by just one day.
As we approach Monument Valley, it’s nice again. I have a hard time recognizing it because there are many structures around as massive and as beautiful.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
We pay the $8/person fee, card payment only (make sure you have an international card to avoid fees). This park belongs to the Navajo people, so the America the Beautiful pass can’t be used here. This entry is valid for one day, and we arrive at 1:30 PM, an hour before the entry deadline for the Scenic Drive. It’s a predefined route on a dirt road, 24 km in total. Apparently, regular cars like ours can go on it when it’s not raining and hasn’t rained. 4x4s will have no problem. Anyway, before we got on, we watched from afar to see if small cars were managing today.
Here’s the panoramic view from the visitor center: from left to right: West Mitten Butte (1882m), East Mitten Butte (1,898m), and Merrick Butte (1,892m)
We lack a bit of power on the uphill sections because we’re driving too slowly (limited to 15 mph), but it’s not catastrophic enough to get stuck. However, we still stopped at stop #5, since beyond that, you get away from the two famous buttes anyway. Here are two photos to show you the road conditions (up to point #5). Many cars also stop at #5 because the full loop would take 2 hours total.
And here’s a close-up view when you’re on the dirt road
It’s nicer, but not fundamentally different either. If the road seems impassable, don’t risk it.
Dashcam
Before the road trip, JB was wondering whether to buy a dashcam, not so much for insurance reasons but to be sure he could film all the beautiful landscapes. However, he wasn’t sure about the quality of dashcam footage and, above all, whether he’d use it enough to justify the purchase. I suggested an alternative: my Osmo Pocket 1 and its WiFi base, attached with double-sided tape. This lets me start any video in a second from my phone. I had a lot of fun during the drive making timelapses, hyperlapses… The base is always charging, but the device doesn’t overheat too much, despite the sun.
Anecdote: when we arrived in Florida, our Uber driver had a dashcam. Since we were considering buying one, we asked him a few questions. We realized that for him too, it wasn’t about insurance but about protecting himself. She explained that since last July, in Florida, it’s possible to buy firearms without a permit or prior training… She regrets not being able to arm herself, because depending on the trips she does, she often goes to the port, an area where weapons are prohibited. That exchange suddenly put us in the American vibe, after 15 days in paradise on a cruise ship…
And when we parked in a parking lot, Osmo Pocket took a photo of us from the car 😀 Handy!
Let me show you the video taken by Osmo Pocket. There’s very little editing despite the sped-up videos and maybe a bit boring but it lets you see this side dashcam of my camera.
This day is very light because we can’t push all the way to Moab and we’re not doing any trekking. Some people told me about the Wildcat Trail, as well as the sunsets and sunrises at Monument Valley. Hotels near Monument Valley are very scarce (there are two and they’re very expensive, because the balconies look directly onto Monument Valley). We turn around to spend the night in Kayenta at the Wetherill Inn at $109/night and have dinner at Reuben Heflin Restaurant (a Native American restaurant). JB tries the Navajo taco that he saw on billboards all along the road and concludes that it’s very filling, but not very subtle. He can’t even finish it, which is rare! I stick to their chicken wings with a spicy, delicious homemade barbecue sauce.
Day 7 (morning):
On the way to Moab, we pass by the famous filming location of Forrest Gump, the scene where he stops running and decides to go home. It’s an extremely funny scene, I think, and it really showcases Monument Valley. The “now what are we supposed to do?” is absolutely brilliant, it sums up the sheep mentality, unable to think for themselves.
There’s a small sign indicating you’re approaching the spot, and several arrows pointing to the parking areas where you can stop (scenic view area).
The speed limit drops from 65 to 45 mph, even though the road is just as straight, so cars don’t risk running over tourists willing to die for a photo. The best spot to take photos is at the top of the hill, but it’s also the most dangerous because you can’t see cars coming from either side. However, thanks to the light traffic, you can snag 10 seconds to take a photo in the middle of the road. We see lots of people filming their loved ones running to recreate the scene, it’s hilarious.
I think that a few meters away is the filming location of “Once Upon a Time in the West”, a movie I’ve never seen and that the younger generations have already forgotten. But do a Google Maps search if you know that film.
We drive this road twice, in both directions because the view of Monument Valley from this road is magnificent and these views are absolutely iconic.
Then we drive non-stop to Moab (the rest of our adventure here).
Part 2: Practical Tips
All our routes and points of interest are available on this Google Maps map. I’ve already explained how to use our custom maps here
- Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park: $8/person
- Hotel: Wetherill Inn in Kayenta, $109/night.
- Reuben Heflin Restaurant: $34 for two, tip included
