[Click on the images for larger (and better!) versions]
Most of you probably saw this scenery in John Ford western movies (and Back to the Future III!), but Monument Valley is much more than just a photogenic landscape. It is a geological marvel and amazing place to explore. Monument Valley is located in Navajo territory, so the tribe manages this location. Still, it’s not expensive to enter the site.
Monument Valley - Western Scene
Monument Valley Mittens
The absolute best thing to do there is to take the 17-mile (27 km) drive and stop almost everywhere along the way. Each curve brings you at the front seat of a brand new breathtaking view and stopping is the only to take it all in. There are tours available if you don’t have a car, but I doubt the experience would be as grand because you then would need to follow their pace, not your own.
Monument Valley - Weird Rock
Monument Valley Mittens and Butte at Sunset
The red dirt road takes us down in the valley and all around the various buttes, mesas and other rock formations. We started our tour about 2 hours before sunset so the colors would look best. By the time we were done, our heads and cameras were filled with beautiful images and we were able to catch the last rays on the two mittens from the campground. It’s like the rocks were on fire!
Monument Valley
Monument Valley at Sunrise
All excellent. “Mittens” and “Sunrise” are the pictures of the trip so far. Wow!
JG.
Thank you so much, JG! In this lot, mine is probably the picture captioned “Monument Valley” itself, but so far the fire light in Antelope is my fave ;^)
Correction: “Mittens and Butte”, not “Mittens”.
JG.