Hour and a half ride through Monument Valley

Hour and a half ride through Monument Valley

On this route we will make a walk of an hour and a half by using one of Monument Valley guide services that we provide through this valley Navajo. 

This route is recommended for those who want to do it with your own car (it's the only route that allow the Navajos in the park on your own, but you should for that ye rented a 4x4 and have a little skill to drive with these vehicles in any case caution if you decide to do it yourself) or for those who have little time to be in Monument Valley and want to visit the main sights and attractions of this valley viewpoints. In case you want to make this journey on your own, the time indicated is an estimate, especially in summer, where you can find lot of traffic, especially at noon or midafternoon. 

However, if you have a little more time I recommend that you take the tour of two hours, which will introduce you to spectacular places where you can only access if you are accompanied by a Navajo.

Our route of Goulding's Lodge, where we landed the plane that brought us from Grand Canyon. If the views are spectacular from the air, the earth as you approach the gated entrance to Monument Valley they are not less. Our first stop is The Mittens and Merrick Butte, where we have a nice view of the famous mesas of Monument Valley. Then quite dusty and swallowing as the Navajo are driving leads to a rather cheerful and speed up enough dust when the vehicle in which we (sort of jeep-bus with hood open seats about 12-15 people ), after passing the elephants (huge stones that way) we arrived at one of the most famous viewpoints of Monument Valley: John Ford Point. The name comes from John Ford, famous American director western that shot a lot of movies in Monument Valley and vicinity (Stagecoach, The Searchers, ...) but the site is also well-known for the announcement of Malboro, where the cowboy took his horse and stood at a point scanning the horizon, work that now makes an Indian in place by a modest tip. 

Right next to John Ford Point is The Three Sisters, stones shaped three nuns that if you look form a sort of W, so John Wayne liked to joke during the filming of that W was there in his honor. Then we headed to the last stop of the journey, where we see The Thumb, and nobody can deny that it is a good thumb, and the North Window, with a beautiful view from the top of the entire valley. 

After an hour and a half that has made ​​us very short Navajo return us safely to the starting point.

At every stop we make along the way Navajos have anchored stalls where they sell all kinds of handcrafts (earrings, bracelets, ...) and although that gives a tourist air takes away some charm no doubt Monument Valley has something that grabs a magical halo to explain but you do not know that everyone thinks that there has been exactly the same. 

Finally, remember that for those coming by car from other parts of the United States (Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, ...) in Monument Valley are governed by the time Utah and not by Arizona, so careful to meet with Navajo and confirm the time with them before they become.