The best way to experience the spectacle of Monument Valley

One of the astir picturesque places successful the satellite is practically astatine our doorstep — the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Located connected the borderline of Utah and Arizona, the parkland boasts buttes, mesas, spires, pinnacles and arches, arranged successful immoderate of the finest panoramic views connected Earth.

You’ve nary uncertainty seen the photographs, oregon scenes from the movies that were filmed here, but seeing the spot firsthand is simply a once-in-a-lifetime experience, good worthy the six- oregon seven-hour drive.

The parkland was established successful 1958 and encompasses 91,696 acres, each wrong the 16-million acre Navajo Reservation. The Diné, arsenic the Navajo radical notation to themselves, person called this portion location for much than 400 years. Prior to that Ancestral Puebloans lived here.

You tin get a fewer classical views conscionable driving astir the country oregon by taking successful immoderate fashionable viewpoints, but astir of the existent treasures are off-limits to visitors traveling connected their own. The implicit champion mode to observe the spot is by taking a circuit with an approved Navajo guide. These Jeep tours tally antithetic lengths, and if you person the clip I highly urge doing a full-day trip.

The guides are highly knowledgeable and not lone pass you astir the humanities and taste value of the area, but volition instrumentality you to archaeological and filming locations and to the astir stunning stone formations. There are besides plentifulness of photograph opportunities to get retired of the conveyance and sojourn the sites up close.

Monument Valley is favourite scenery for TV and Hollywood films. Movies that person utilized the parkland see immoderate of John Ford’s classical Westerns, specified arsenic “Stagecoach,” “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon” and “Fort Apache,” each starring John Wayne, and the second co-starring Henry Fonda. Newer classics specified arsenic “Thelma and Louise,” “Forrest Gump” and “Back to the Future III” besides utilized the magnificent backdrop.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is unfastened the twelvemonth round. At the visitant halfway the elevation is astir 5,200 feet. Average regular precocious temperatures successful August are astir 91 degrees, and successful September 83 degrees.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Navajo Nation is presently operating successful “Yellow Status,” which means the Navajo Parks and Recreation is unfastened astatine 50 percent of maximum occupancy. Masks are mandated passim the park. Always publication your enactment and your circuit usher earlier arriving successful the park, arsenic they capable up fast. For a database of approved Navajo circuit guides and further information, interaction https://navajonationparks.org/, oregon 435-727-58740. For lodging accusation sojourn oregon www.gouldings.com.