Another Walk in the Park: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

You are probably familiar with Monument Valley, even if you don't recognize the name, from the stunning images captured by director John Ford in several John Wayne movies. Picturesque mesas, buttes and spires, the "monuments," rise up to 1,500 feet tall from the desert floor on the Arizona-Utah state line. One of the buttes is called Stagecoach. Fans of the Duke probably know why.
A mesa, Spanish for table, is a large, flat-topped formation in the early stages of erosion. As it is worn away, it becomes a somewhat smaller butte, and in the final stage it is a tall, narrow, free-standing spire.
The desert at Monument Valley is at an elevation of over 5,000 feet so winter temperatures can be below freezing. Shirley and I visited in July when heat, 104 degrees, was the issue. Spring or fall would probably be a better choice.
The entrance to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is off Rt. 163 on the Utah side of the state line. There is an entrance fee and your National Parks pass is not accepted. This is a Navajo Tribal park. The entrance road turns southeast into Arizona. The valley drive itself is a 17-mile dirt road. It is important to know that if you plan to take your own vehicle on the park road. RVs and motorcycles are not allowed. The first portion of the road is two-way but at Camel Butte it becomes a one-way counterclockwise loop road. Once you are committed, you are committed. There are deep ruts and soft sand. Allow at least two hours to make the drive.
You may wish to take even longer to see the effects of changing light on the landscape. If you want to include local residents in your photos, it is customary to get their permission and tip them. (Some of the Navajo make their living by posing on horseback like sentinels on a butte, gazing out over the Valley.)
Many visitors choose to take a guided tour in a high-clearance vehicle with a driver who explains what you are looking at. An additional advantage of a guided tour is that you are taken to places with restricted access out behind Thunderbird Mesa.
There is only one hotel--The View--where all guest rooms face east for views of the sun rising over the monuments. On the west side of Rt. 163 is Gouldings Lodge where the movie crews stayed back in the day. There is a hotel, campground, grocery, and gas station.