United States / Las Vegas & the Southwest Canyons / Monument ValleyMonument Valley
The Buttes of the Western Films
The sandstone buttes and mesas on the Arizona-Utah line, run by the Navajo Nation as a tribal park (about US$8 a person; national-park passes are not valid). The 27 km Valley Drive is unpaved but passable in an ordinary car in dry weather; Navajo-guided jeep tours go to the arches and rock art closed to self-drivers. Stay at The View hotel or in Kayenta and Mexican Hat, and photograph the classic road shot from "Forrest Gump Point" on US-163. Remote: fill up with fuel, and no alcohol is sold on Navajo land. Moab is two and a half hours north.
Highlights
- Sunrise over the Mittens
- Self-drive Valley Drive
- Navajo-guided jeep tour
- Forrest Gump Point
- Goosenecks of the San Juan
Things to do
- Sunrise over the MittensMorning · 1h 30m
- Navajo-guided jeep tourMorning · 3h
- Valley Drive self-driveAfternoon · 2h 30m
Tours & tickets
Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.
When to go
Best time: March – May, September – November
Worth knowing
Extreme Desert Heat
⚠️ Summer days pass 40 °C in Las Vegas and the desert below the rims (the Grand Canyon's floor reaches 45 °C). Hike only at dawn, carry at least 4 litres of water a person, never leave anyone in a parked car, and don't try the canyon trails to the river in the heat: rangers rescue hikers every summer.