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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Review

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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

  • Address: Visitor Center, off U.S. 163, 24 mi north of Kayenta, Monument Valley, AZ
  • Mailing: Box 2520, Window Rock, AZ, USA, 86515
  • Phone: 435/727-5874 park visitor center; 928/871-6647 Navajo Parks & Recreation Dept.
  • www.navajonationparks.org

Fodor's Review:

For generations, the Navajo have grown crops and herded sheep in Monument Valley, considered to be one of the most scenic and mesmerizing destinations in the Navajo Nation. Within Monument Valley lies the 30,000-acre Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, where eons of wind and rain have carved the mammoth red-sandstone monoliths into memorable formations. The monoliths, which jut hundreds of feet above the desert floor, stand on the horizon like sentinels, frozen in time and unencumbered by electric wires, telephone poles, or fences. a scene virtually unchanged for centuries. These are the very same nostalgic images so familiar to movie buffs who recall the early Western films of John Wayne. A 17-mi self-guided driving tour on a dirt road (there's only one road, so you can't get lost) passes the memorable Mittens and Totem Pole formations, among others. Drive slowly, and be sure to walk (15 minutes round-trip) from North Window around the end of Cly Butte for the views. The park has a 99-site campground, which closes from early October through April. Call ahead for road conditions in winter.

The Monument Valley Visitor Center has a small crafts shop and exhibits devoted to ancient and modern Native American history. Most of the independent guided tours here use enclosed vans and charge about $20 for 2½ hours. You can generally find Navajo Native American guides—who will escort you to places that you are not allowed to visit on your own—in the center or through the booths in the parking lot.

  • Cost: $5
  • Open: Visitor center May-Sept., daily 6AM-8PM; Mar. and Apr., daily 7-7; Oct.-Feb., daily 8-5
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