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Monument Valley is one of the most photographed places on earth. It’s a spectacular natural place located on the Arizona border with Utah and is a tribal park within the territory of Navajo Nation.

Even traveling down the road to the visitor center, spotting the buttes of Monument Valley gets visitors excited. We pulled off the road to take it all in.

Driving into the valley at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
Driving into the valley

 

Visitor Center

The visitor center contains a hotel, restaurant, museum, and store. It also has a viewpoint where you can get panoramic views of the valley.

Visitor center at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
Visitor center

 

Viewpoint

From the viewpoint, we were able to see three of the most famous buttes, which are the two Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte.

Buttes from the viewpoint at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
Buttes from the viewpoint
Buttes from the viewpoint at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
Buttes from the viewpoint
West Mitten Butte at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
West Mitten Butte
Merrick Butte at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
Merrick Butte

 

Scenic Drive

Visitors can drive a 17-mile scenic drive for US$8 per person (as of September 2024). We arrived too late to do the drive, so we elected to see the valley from the visitor center only.

From the viewpoint at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
From the viewpoint

 

Guided Tours

Certain parts of Monument Valley are accessible by guided tour only. A list of tour operators is on the official website. On my next visit, this is what I plan on doing.

Monument Valley at sunset at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
Monument Valley at sunset
Monument Valley at sunset at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
Monument Valley at sunset

 

The View Campground

Our original plan was to camp overnight at the View Campground and wake up to the amazing views of the valley. We reserved a campsite but two things happened. Our tent picked up a few holes in rough weather at the Grand Canyon a couple nights earlier, and there were heavy rains in the forecast. We ended up canceling the campsite and losing our camping fee, then we drove to Mexican Hat, Utah, and stayed in a hotel.

Playing with my camera at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona
Playing with my camera

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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