Monument Valley APK
Cora Devries
The landscape overwhelms, not just by its beauty but also by its size. The fragile pinnacles of rock are surrounded by miles of mesas and buttes, shrubs and trees, and windblown sand, all comprising the magnificent colors of the valley. All of this harmoniously combines to make Monument Valley a truly wondrous experience. Enjoy this beautiful land. While on your travel stop and take a look at some of our vendors on the loop road. Our vendors have beautiful hand crafted jewelry and more. You can buy direct from the artisan, which makes your travel experience so much more to have a momentous keepsake with you while at home.
Backcountry Permit: A Backcountry Permit can be obtained from the Visitor Center, and for San Juan River Permit it can be purchased at the Welcome Center. Please sign in/out prior to Hiking. Please proceed with extreme caution.
Before human existence, the Park was once a lowland basin. For hundreds of millions of years, materials that eroded from the early Rock Mountains deposited layer upon layer of sediment which cemented a slow and gentle uplift, generated by ceaseless pressure from below the surface, elevating these horizontal strata quite uniformly one to three miles above sea level. What was once a basin became a plateau.
Natural forces of wind and water that eroded the land spent the last 50 million years cutting into and peeling away at the surface of the plateau. The simple wearing down of altering layers of soft and hard rock slowly revealed the natural wonders of Monument Valley today.
From the visitor center, you see the world-famous panorama of the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. You can also purchase guided tours from Navajo tour operators, who take you down into the valley in Jeeps for a narrated cruise through these mythical formations. Places such as Ear of the Wind and other landmarks can only be accessed via guided tours. During the summer months, the visitor center also features Haskenneini Restaurant, which specializes in both native Navajo and American cuisines, and a film/snack/souvenir shop. There are year-round restroom facilities. One mile before the center, numerous Navajo vendors sell arts, crafts, native food, and souvenirs at roadside stands.
Monument Valley has been featured in many forms of media since the 1930s. Director John Ford used the location for a number of his Westerns; critic Keith Phipps wrote that "its five square miles [13 km2] have defined what decades of moviegoers think of when they imagine the American West".[3]
The area is part of the Colorado Plateau. The elevation of the valley floor ranges from 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1,500 to 1,800 m) above sea level. The floor is largely siltstone of the Cutler Group, or sand derived from it, deposited by the meandering rivers that carved the valley. The valley's vivid red color comes from iron oxide exposed in the weathered siltstone. The darker, blue-gray rocks in the valley get their color from manganese oxide.
The buttes are clearly stratified, with three principal layers. The lowest layer is the Organ Rock Shale, the middle is de Chelly Sandstone, and the top layer is the Moenkopi Formation capped by Shinarump Conglomerate. The valley includes large stone structures, including the "Eye of the Sun".
Between 1945 and 1967, the southern extent of the Monument Upwarp was mined for uranium, which occurs in scattered areas of the Shinarump Conglomerate; vanadium and copper are associated with uranium in some deposits.[4]
Monument Valley includes much of the area surrounding Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, a Navajo Nation equivalent to a national park. Oljato, for example, is also within the area designated as Monument Valley.[citation needed]
Many more recent movies, with other directors, were also filmed in Monument Valley, including Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (in 1967), the first Spaghetti Western to be filmed outside Europe, and Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger.[9]
Meet the silversmiths, potters and weavers who preserve Navajo traditions in their artwork. Inside the park, the Trading Post at The View Hotel offers one of the largest collections of Navajo rugs in the Four Corners area of Arizona. Visitors also find a selection of traditional and contemporary Navajo art such as squash-blossom necklaces, concho belts, hand-woven baskets and sand paintings. Artisans also set up roadside markets along Valley Drive to sell their authentic Native American arts and crafts.
The high-desert area encompassing the Arizona-Utah border features some of the most scenic drives in the United States. While this area is remote and offers limited services, small towns such as Kayenta and Dennehotso have restaurants and convenience stores to stock up on road trip supplies. Inside the park, The View Hotel offers an overnight option with rooms and cabins that frame magnificent panoramas of the valley. Options for RVs and camping in Monument Valley allow visitors to fully surround themselves with stunning rock outcroppings that come to life with color every sunrise and sunset.
In the spring of 2020 when COVID hit the US, the Navajo Nation was hit particularly hard with COVID cases and deaths, and the Navajo Nation implemented tight restrictions on travel, both for its residents and for visitors, and even put curfews in place for their residents in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID. During this time the Navajo Nation closed all of their parks and monuments, and asked for visitors to please not come.
The reason our office, San Juan County Economic Development & Visitor Services, as well as the Utah Office of Tourism, promotes Monument Valley is because there are many Utah residents who are operating their businesses from the UT side of the border so we promote those businesses, and we promote Monument Valley Tribal Park since visitors to the park bring money to the Utah businesses located in the community of Monument Valley. Also, the park itself and many of the businesses providing services for visitors to Monument Valley provide jobs for residents of the area, both those on the Utah and Arizona side of the border.
The Navajo people, who refer to themselves as the Din, have been the inhabitants of this land for centuries. One of the largest Native American tribes, they retained portions of their ancestral land through treaties with the United States Government, despite the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcibly removed many Native American tribes from their ancestral land. Today, the Navajo Nation is a vibrant community spreading 27,413 square miles across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah with more than 160,000 residents.
Monument Valley is the sacred heart of the Navajo Nation and is linked to their creation and origin story. It is considered a divine landscape that connects the Navajo people to their spiritual traditions and ceremonies. The buttes, mesas and sandstone formations are seen as physical manifestations of these traditions and are revered as living entities that have witnessed and preserved Navajo traditions and history.
The Navajo Nation is renowned for its rich artistic traditions. From intricate weaving and vibrant pottery to silverwork and jewelry, Navajo artisans skillfully channel their cultural heritage into their creations, showcasing a remarkable blend of craftsmanship and storytelling. Today, Monument Valley is an area where local Navajo artists display and sell their pieces, with many vendors selling their work roadside throughout the Monument Valley area. Be sure to make a stop along your travels to support their incredible traditional craftsmanship.
No reservations are necessary to enter the park, but there is an $8 per person, per day entry fee. America the Beautiful, or other interagency national park passes, are not accepted. Permits are required for rafting the San Juan River which runs through the park, and backcountry hiking and camping. These can be purchased at the visitor center, which is located off Hwy. 163 on Monument Valley Road. Note that dogs are not allowed outside of vehicles in the park.
While journeying on the valley road, the impressive sandstone formations of East Mitten, Merrick, Elephant, Cly, and Camel buttes loom overhead, creating a striking silhouette against the nearby scenery. These geological masterpieces evoke a sense of wonder, as if time itself carved this marvel of unparalleled beauty.
Note that entry on the loop road is first come, first served, and during peak season it does fill up fast. Be sure to arrive before it opens at 6 a.m. to ensure you get a spot. There are longer wait times during the winter months. Restrooms are located at the visitor center and gift shop. There are no restrooms on the loop drive.
A range of tour types are offered for all kinds of adventurous souls. Tours can be purchased online at navajonationparks.org/guided-tour-operators/monument-valley-tour-operators/ or upon your arrival at the park.
John Ford Point is a popular spot along the Monument Valley Loop. John Ford is a revered filmmaker known for his Western films like My Darling Clementine and Stagecoach. This point is known to be one of his favorite spots in Monument Valley, where many of his films were shot, regardless of whether or not they were set in Utah.
Hiking in and around Monument Valley is a great way to get an up close look at the rock formations that make the park so unique. Roam the desert amongst the mesas, sandstone towers, shrubs, trees and buttes that rise at heights of 400 to 1,000 feet.
This area gets a ton of sun and is one of the hottest places in the U.S., especially in the summer months. Be sure to bring a hat, ample sun protection and plenty of water. Avoid hiking in the summer months if possible and start early in the morning to avoid midday heat.
The Lee Cly Trail is a loop and the Mesa Rim Trail is an out-and-back that splits off from the Lee Cly Trail. We suggest combining them into one hike to get the full experience, taking you to some of the most astonishing spots in the park, with vistas of Mitchell Butte, Mitchell Mesa and the Grey Whiskers Butte while you hike.
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