Am visiting Monument Valley in a few weeks with a hired Toyota Rav 4. Any views as to the suitability of this vehicle on the trails?

There is only one road through Monument Valley that you may go on without a Navajo guide. It is unpaved and a little rough at the start but the Rave will be fine for that.

autocorrect that's the Rav 4 will be fine

Thanks emalloy, that's what I was hoping.

ditto, we were there two years ago in my wife's 2005 Rav 4 (smaller than today's Rav 4). Exactly what emalloy said, rough at the start but then it was getting better. Presumably that is still the case today,

However we elected to turn around because it was so windy that it was no fun being out there. We retreated to our protected room at The View and enjoyed the scene from there.

Sorry - (I'm guessing you are from overseas . . .'hired' rather than 'rented') but most likely you can't take your hire car on any unpaved roads. Most US rental agencies do not allow it and your insurance would be voided.

most likely you can't take your hire car on any unpaved roads

I didn't know a company would rent a 4-wheel-drive SUV and then not let the renter drive it in places it is designed to go. Thanks for the heads up.

HTtY

Janisj is correct again.

It is absurd, but it will be very expensive if you damage a rental 4x4 or AWD off the paved highway, and it won't be difficult for them to tell as soon as they put it on a lift. There may be penalties built into the rental contract even if the drive is entirely successful.

If it matters a lot, you might try a specialist rental company through your travel agent in the (I'm guessing) UK or Germany.