Monument Valley or Four Corners?
 

Another thread prompted me to question this myself! We'll be driving from Cameron (east end of Grand Canyon) to Moab and had planned on stopping off at the Four Corners on the way. Son is dying to get a picture of himself in all 4 states at once. (He's 17. He was less than 2 the last time we were there and we have a picture of him doing the 4 limb sprawl).

But he is also dying to see the famous Monument Valley "look" of a straight road with the crazy cool red rocks jutting up on the sides. Will there be other places along the way for that "look" without having to go the Monument Valley way (and thus miss the Four Corners)?

There will be a lot of great scenery, but it won't be Monument Valley. My choice would be Canyon de Chelly, but you would need to spend a night there and take a guided tour.

HTTY

If you're in the Moab area, you may be able to find what you're looking for at Fisher Towers

http://tinyurl.com/92zzgm4

Or certainly SOMEWHERE in Canyonlands NP.

it's so cool...

Monument Valley would be best. You would need to allow at least half a day there though. Four Corners takes just a few minutes.

I like Arches NP, far better than Monument Valley

PaulRabe mentioned Fisher Towers.

Go to Youtube and search for "Ctiti Accessories". That's a commercial Citibank ran over the holidays last year.

The first part was shot at Dead Horse Point just outside of Canyonlands and the second part at Fisher Towers. That part is known as Ancient Art or the Corkscrew.

You don't have to be up there to see it. We were hiking at the bottom and saw a group of climbers with one at the top.

I have not been to Four Corners, but regarding Monument Valley, the views are spectacular from the main road.

It is not a national park. if you enter the monument, it does not have solitude and a wilderness feel. I did not think it was worth the time to actually enter and drive around each monument on a dusty, poorly maintained road.

Ohh wow... I remember that Citi commercial! Never did notice Dead Horse Point though. DH and I went there 7 years ago. We are going to Canyonlands and Arches, but I was thinking more of the straight, long open highway. 15 years ago we drove from Grand Canyon to Bryce and I remember the first time we entered southern Utah. I was f.r.e.a.k.i.n.g out at the coolness of it all, and sure seems like there was a stretch of road like we're wanting.

Oh, and we don't have a few hours to spare so can't go IN to Monument Valley, but just thought the "from the road" view OF the road/monuments would be awesome.

Oh again :) The reason I mentioned Grand Canyon to Bryce is because this trip we will be driving the same stretch, just in reverse. Hoping someone could confirm my memories that somewhere along there it's "close enough" to Monument Valley to satisfy son.

Four Corners is a big blah; look at photos from the air (and the surroundings) before you make the trek to stand in an imaginary boundary.

agree Big Blah. Saw it 15 years ago. But to teens, it's kind of fun bragging rights.

If you/he has your heart set on that long lonely hwy scene in Forest Gump, then you'll need to go to Monument Valley for that one. You can also get plenty of shot in the Yella Wood commercial and John Wayne movies.

It's still my opinion that if you go to Monument Valley you need to get a Navajo Guide to see it. You will miss 80% of it otherwise. Think of it as kinda like going to Disneyworld and riding 2 rides and then leaving.

<i>But to teens, it's kind of fun bragging rights.</i>

There are adults stuck in this mode, too. They can't think of a better
reason to visit a place other than to be able to be able brag about having
been there.

HTTY

Another nay to Four Corners. A thumbs up to Canyon de Chelly. You can just drive around it and view the dwellings from a distance. Fascinating. As I recall,they farmed/lived on the floor of the canyons and the Mesa Verde Anasazi farmed on the tops of the mesas--both lived in the "middlings".

Monument Valley it is! (Canyon de Chelly out of the way a bit for this day)

Thanks for the input. Son's 1997 picture of him at the Four Corners will have to do (but that sure doesn't help daughter since that was before her time!!)

The scene from Forest Gump of the long straight road and monuments in the background is at Utah mile marker 13 just north of the state line.

While I agree with travelottie that the dusty dirt road didn't give much bang for the buck, I feel like if you are that close you should go into the park and take a look at the valley from the visitors center. The Mittens there are a classic western scene and a picture of them is almost as good as being in four states at once. You can do the park like that in half an hour or so (though it does cost per person to enter and the photo from mm 13-or is it 18?) is classic as well and free= just dont' get run over standing in the middle of the road for the picture)

Mile Marker 13 on Rt 163 from Arizona into Utah?

Did you tell your son and daughter that the 4 corners monument is not really where the 4 states meet? We did do the picture too and one visit was more than enough.

Good that you've decided to do Monument Valley instead and it can take as much or as little extra time and money as you want to spend as has been mentioned many of the iconic sights can be seen from the state road.

Sounds like a fantastic trip.

""Mile Marker 13 on Rt 163 from Arizona into Utah?""

Yes.

And emalloy, I know there have been news reports about the monument being in the wrong place. But they are incorrect. The monument does in fact mark the place where all four states meet. Even if it is a little off from where it was supposed to be (and it is only a couple hundred feet), it has been there for about a hundred years now and has been declared by law and all four states to mark the spot their boundaries join. I learned how this works when we had a fence on our property. Because it wasn't exactly on the lot line I wanted to move it. Apparently since it had been there for over 20 years it became the defacto lot line. We would have had to pay our neighbors for the land if we moved the fence. Same thing with the 4 corners monument. That had been there for too long and is now accepted as the right spot.