Monument Valley. Monument Valley provides perhaps the most enduring and definitive images of the American West. The isolated red mesas and buttes surrounded by empty, sandy desert have been filmed and photographed countless times over the years. Because of this, the area may seem quite familiar, even on a first visit, but it is soon evident that the natural colours really are as bright and deep as they are in all the pictures.
Valley of the Gods
Monument Valley lies entirely within the Navajo Indian Reservation on the Utah/Arizona border near the southeastern corner of Utah. The state line passes through the most famous landmarks, which are concentrated near the small town of Goulding. This isolated settlement was established in 1923 as an Indian trading post, but it now has a comprehensive range of visitor services. The town is 175-miles (250 km) from Flagstaff, Arizona, the nearest city.
The Valley is not a valley in the conventional sense, but rather a wide flat, sometimes desolate landscape, interrupted by the crumbling formations rising hundreds of feet into the air, the last remnants of the sandstone layers that once covered the entire region.
The Monument Valley area and the Navajo reservation provide some excellent opportunities to view Native American culture and to learn about the Navajo people. You can even observe some traditional Navajo craftsmanship and purchase hand-made items. You should refrain from taking photographs of the Navaho people, their homes or their possessions without first asking permission. Often a small gratuity is expected for photography.
There is only one main road, US163, which links Kayenta, AZ with US191 in Utah. The stretch approaching the Arizona/Utah border from the north offers the most famous image of the Valley – a long straight empty road stretching across flat desert towards the 1000-foot high stark red cliffs on the horizon. Although much can be appreciated from the main road, a lot more of the landscape remains hidden from view behind long straight cliffs (the Mitchell and Wetherill Mesas), east of the road. More scenery is contained within the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (entrance fee $2.50), on a short side road opposite the turn-off to Goulding.
Gooseneck
View some related video clips below.
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