A Road Trip to Monument Valley

If you are planning to explore the desert landscapes of Arizona and Utah, don’t miss a road trip to Monument Valley. This magical natural monument is truly a thing of wonder. Located on the border of Arizona and Utah, in the Navajo Nation Tribal Park; Oljato-Monument Valley is a soul-shaking must see.

I would recommend staying overnight because the sunrise and sunset over the rock formations is beyond special. And you can add to the Navajo economy by staying at the hotel and eating at the restaurant.

Taking a road trip to Monument Valley : Complete Guide

Where to start your road trip

The easiest places from which to start a road trip to Monument Valley are Las Vegas or Salt Lake City; and to wrap it up into a bigger road trip around Nevada, Arizona and Utah. Monument Valley is around 6-hours drive time from both international airport, but there are so many amazing places to stop along the way, it should be part of a 1-2 week trip.

If coming from Salt Lake City, drive via Moab and visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. See Monument Valley and then continue on via Page, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Zion National Parks too.

If travelling from Las Vegas, visit Hoover Dam, Route 66, Flagstaff, and Grand Canyon on your way to Monument Valley. If you have time, combine both these loops and see all the amazing landscapes of this area.

Where to stay in Monument Valley

In my opinion, there is nowhere better than The View Hotel inside the Navajo Tribal Park. The hotel itself is set into the canyon edge and is the same colour as the surrounding rocks, so isn’t intrusive or garish. There are also cabins and a campsite nearby – all have a spectacular view over the canyon and buttes.

There are three floors of rooms, most with a view out over the buttes. With a good sized terrace, and large glass sliding doors, your eyes are drawn to the incredible view constantly. The terraces are stepped back, so that each has an uninterrupted view. We stayed on the ground floor, and spent all evening marvelling at the view.

Oljato-Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

A Navajo Tribal Park looks after Monument Valley and the sacred lands around it. The 3 buttes in the centre of the valley floor are called: East and West Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. There are also other rock formations in the vicinity: Elephant Butte, Three Sisters, John Ford’s Point, Camel Butte, The Hub, Totem Pole, Yei be Chei, and Artist’s Point.

Alongside The View Hotel, there is the Trading Post shop, a restaurant, and tours of the valley on offer.

There is a fee to enter the park – $10/ person or $20/ vehicle [as of 2021]. There are many types of guided tours of the park – from horse treks to photography tours, tribal history and walking tours. I would really recommend staying in the park and contributing to the local economy by taking one of these tours. You will learn a lot about this sacred land.

Please be respectful of Navajo Nation rules while visiting.

Sunrise and Sunset at Monument Valley

By far the most raison d’être-shaking experience of our road trip to Monument Valley was seeing the sunset and sunrise. The ancient buttes cast incredible shadows, and silhouettes against the sunrise are like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

I was so taken with the sunrise at Monument Valley that I wrote about it for Road Trips & Coffee! See below the time-lapse video I took on that magical morning!

Loop Road & Hiking

There are many back country hikes of moderate to strenuous rating around the Oljato-Monument Valley Tribal Park. These require a permit and strict hike-in hike-out litter rules. The weather in the valley can go from dry to freezing and flash floods very quickly.

There is a ring road around the buttes that you can drive to get a better view of the valley floor. However, you will need a high clearance under your car and a hardy vehicle, as this dirt road is very rough. We had a jeep and still found it tough going in places!

Where to visit near Monument Valley on the same road trip

As I mentioned above, there are so many amazing places to visit in this area of Arizona and Utah. But in the immediate vicinity you have Goosenecks State Park, Valley of the Gods, and Muley Point East to the north. To the west, there’s the city of Page, Wahweap Lookout, Lake Powell, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Antelope Canyon, and Horseshoe Bend.

The Grand Canyon is only 2.5 hours drive from Monument Valley, so it makes sense to visit both in the same road trip.

Don’t miss seeing the famous view from Forrest Gump along the 163 highway north of Monument Valley!

A Magical Road Trip to Monument Valley

Road tripping around the USA is one of our favourite pastimes. The vastness of the country, the varied landscapes, and the great people we meet and food we eat along the way!

A road trip to Monument Valley is nothing less than magical, and I urge you to visit at least once in your life. Revel in those long straight roads through the desert, the rock formations, and the natural wonder on offer all around the Navajo Nation.

We have road tripped all over the USA, check out more of my road trip guides!

All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; and an iPhone.