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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.
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.
Viewpoint
From the viewpoint, we were able to see three of the most famous buttes, which are the two Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte.
Scenic Drive
Visitors can drive a 17-mile scenic drive for US$8 per person (as of September 2023). We arrived too late to do the drive, so we elected to see the valley from the visitor center only.
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.
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.
