Monument Valley in 48 hours

Our 48 Hour adventure in Monument valley.

It’s iconic landscape of sandstone towers, buttes, mesas and dunes provide a view that is unparalleled. You could easily just spend a few hours here and see the landmark sites but there is so much to do and see here that you should spend at least 48 hours in Monument Valley.

History of Monument Valley

Diné – The People

This land is the land of the Diné. They believe that their people journeyed through three worlds in various forms before emerging from Mother Earth into this word, the Sparkling World. Anthropologists hypothesize that the Diné Split off from the Southern Athabaskan and began migrating into the Southwest around 200AD. They developed a rich and complex culture that still survives today. For more info on the Navajo Nation and Dine people visit www.navajopeople.com

Modern History

Prior to the 1920´s this valley was virtually  unknown except by the Native Americans who migrated thru here. In the early 1920´s Harry and Leone Goulding bought a substantial piece of land near the monuments and set up a camp ground & trading post. During the Great Depression which hit this tribal community hard, the Gouldings, looking for a way to help bolster the local economy reached out to director John Ford to pitch the idea of making movies in The Valley. The idea stuck and production came quickly. Over the years, this valley has become the backdrop for dozens of movies.

For more of this history visit www.Goulding’s.com

Room with a view

We stayed at The View which has a hotel, cabins and camping/Rv (dry) hook ups. The first night we stayed at the hotel. Every guest room has a balcony facing The Valley. The top floor has a recessed roof for star gazing. At night they project some of the old movies that were made in the area on the side of the restaurant with seating on the terrace. Sitting amongst the monuments and watching them on the huge screen simultaneously was a unique experience. We stumbled upon it and thought it was pretty cool (BYOB.)

The second night we stayed in a cabin, and the view from there was even better. These cabins are small but have everything you need. We loved the feeling of seclusion they had and loved experiencing both places in our 48 hours in Monument Valley.

Best ways to experience the Valley

We have never been much for organized or guided tours but in the case of this site it is a necessity. Monument Valley is within the Navajo Nations Reservation so any exploration of the geological, historical and cultural landmarks must be done with a Navajo guide. Rest assured this experience is going to blow away your expectations and be far more fulfilling on so many levels, than you could have ever imagined. These tours made sure we got the most out of our 48 hours in Monument Valley.

Explore the Valley floor by Horseback

Our first morning there we took a 2 hour guided horse ride with “Sacred Monument Tours. Our guide Lauren was born, raised and lives in The Valley. He left for a few years to attend college and learn a trade and then returned. This is his home. The Diné guides have an intimate relationship with this land. They were very generous in sharing all of their stories with us. He told us that his Auntie lives under the 3 sisters butte and many of his relatives live within and under the buttes and mesas. He took the time to stop at picturesque locations to take our photos!

They have riding tours for all experience levels and are a short walk from The View.

Check them out at www.sacredmonumenttours.com

Driving Tour

In the evening we did a 3 hour sunset tour. We had driven the 17 mile loop the day before to check it out but doing it with a guide was a completely different experience. Our guíde Sharon took us to sites like the Sun’s Eye arch and ancient petroglyphs (rock art),  the Ear of the Wind arch, the famous Totem Pole and Yei bi chei rock formations, John Fords Point and many more.

We visited a traditional Navajo Hogan. A Diné woman demonstrated how they make yarn out of the sheep wool and told us beautiful stories about their culture. After talking to her more we discovered she was Loreńs (our horse ride guide) Auntie. She was so excited when we told her we had ridden with him in the morning.

The tour wrapped with precise timing at a lookout spot just as the sun was setting. https://www.monumentvalleytribaltours.com

A couple things to bring:

• A bandana for the dust
• Water bottle (The Valley is at 7k feet so pace your self and stay hydrated.)
• Comfortable hiking boots
• Cash for tipping

Insider tips:

• Lindás restaurant inside the park has one of the best Navajo tacos we’ve ever had and they deliver to The View Hotel.
• If you didn’t come in from Mexican Hat and aren’t leaving that way, take the short drive to Forest Gump point. Not only because of it´s iconic appearance in the movie but also, it offers a very different perspective of the monuments. 
• The closest town is Kayenta South on the 163 and there is a restaurant there called Amigós cafe. The food is authentic and delicious. We had a Navajo Taco, Chicken Quesadlla and a bowl of Pozole and everything was well prepared w
• When we road trip we have a cooler for perishables, an insulated bag to ice beverages for easy access , a dry foods bag, and a 5 gallon water jug with a spigot. 

Check out our other blogs on Arizona, New Mexico and more at https://48houradventures.com/category/arizona-southwest/