Tag: Monument Valley

Guide to Monument Valley’s Unique Rock Formations

by msminnie72, posted in Arizona, Utah

Welcome to Monument Valley, one of the most beautiful places in the world! Thank you for joining us as we show our oldest daughter the valley.

Autumn had never been to Monument Valley, so of course we had to take her there. It is Andrew and my favorite place. This was my 4th time here in the last few years.

Before we begin our journey into the valley, some things to know about. There are 3 differnt kinds of rock formations.

  1. A mesa, which is the biggest. I remember this because it looks like a table, and the Spanish word for table is mesa. It is wide and stable.
  2. A Butte, a rock formation that has eroded from a mesa which makes it smaller.
  3. A spire, which is the final form of erosion from a butte. It is tall, narrow and free standing.

You can’t go to Monument Valley and not do the 17-mile loop, but don’t plan to do it in your RV. You’re driving on dirt and sometimes it is very soft. In fact, busses, RVs, and motorcycles are not even allowed! Plan for a couple of hours to do the drive and enjoy the sights. There is an $8.00 fee, and they will give you a map as well.

Both of these buttes look like mittens which suggests spiritual beings watching over the valley.
Doesn’t this look like an elephant? You can’t see it? Use your imagination with the big hump.
This is supposed to look like a catholic nun facing her two pupils. The middle one looks like it is leaning back and will fall one day.

The next stop was the John Ford point, which is named after Hollywood director John Ford who made John Wayne famous.

Sometimes you can pay to have your picture taken with a horse out on the point.

We took a break at the John Ford point and enjoyed some fry bread. It was so big that we couldn’t finish it. We had garlic and butter on it, and it was so rich, but so good. We had never had it before, have you? Here they also have Navajo vendors set up, so you can buy products from them.

Can you see the camel in this Butte?
The hub symbolizes the hub of a wagon wheel. The Navajo see this as a fireplace in the center of a Hogan. Keep reading to find out what a Hogan is.

This spire monument is a good example of what erosion does to a butte. This is one of my favorite because you can see the totem poles.

The magnitude of these is massive.
I was excited for this because I had recently learned what code talkers were.

Code talkers in a nutshell were military members who used their knowledge of Native American languages to send secret messages during the war. They were vital to helping the US because nobody could translate what was being said.

For more information on Code Talkers visit

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/american-indian-code-talkers

This is the north window, where you can see the northern view of the valley.

Sometimes Navajo vendors are here, and you can buy Navajo products.

Hiking in Monument Valley

There is only 1 hike that you can do in the valley. It is 3.8 miles and you hike around a butte. I recommend in the warmer months to start early and take plenty of water. There is not much shade and only 1 bathroom half-way through the hike.

This was an April outing for us and you can see, we had jackets/ sweatshirts on.
This was summer time as you can see.
So much to see and learn along the way.

When we stayed here this past summer, it was the 4th of July and we got to experience a free 4th of July show that can compete with any 4th of July show. It was so cool to hear the blast off the canyon walls, it was so loud! Have you ever been here for the 4th of July?

This is definitely a 4th of July, we won’t forget!

What is a Hogan?

A hogan is a traditional ceremonious dwelling that is considered sacred for the Navajo. As you drive around the area, look on the land for these sacred sites. I think each family has one on their property.

I don’t know how many people can be in a Hogan at once, but if it’s a ceremonial location, I would imagine the whole family would go in.

The best place to stay

Everytime we have visited Monument Valley, we have always stayed at Gouldings. They have something for everyone. They have lodging accommodations, as well as an RV campground that you can tent camp at also. https://gouldings.com/.

This little guy scared Andrew as he hooked up our 5th wheel. I think he is so cute!

Many of the sites have these beautiful flowers.

The view of Monument Valley from the campground.

If you’re interested in taking a short little hike in the park, there is a gem within the park.

The hike to get there is short but sweet! And there are sooooo many picture opportunities!

Dinner at the lodge

We had soup with fry bread, a taco salad in fry bread as well as a steak. All entrees were very good and the views during dinner were really good. So have no fear, you will be fed while you’re here. There is something for everyone!

Hiking at the campground

There is a nice little hike within the campground that will take you into the canyon to see a little surprise of an arch bridge. You really can’t go on top of the arch, but you can definitely go underneath it and beside it. Each time, we have hiked back into the canyon and enjoyed this little gem.

Do you see it?????? The bridge?
Is that better? It is very cool to walk to a natural bridge!

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