Monument Valley

Monument Valley is a region of isolated sandstone buttes, mesas and spires on the Colorado Plateau, located on the Arizona-Utah border within the Navajo Nation. The landscape is one of North America’s most recognisable images, widely used in film and photography.

The valley’s principal features are towering sandstone formations that rise from a flat valley floor; visitors follow a scenic unpaved loop road through many of the best viewpoints and stop at named overlooks such as John Ford’s Point. The combination of shape, scale and red-hued rock makes the formations distinctive at dawn and dusk.

The area came to international attention through frequent use as a location for Hollywood Westerns from the late 1930s onward, notably in films directed by John Ford, which popularised the valley’s vistas. Today the site is managed by Navajo authorities as a tribal park with visitor facilities, guided tours and interpretation.

Geographically Monument Valley sits on the high desert plateau of the Colorado Plateau, straddling northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah; it lies northeast of the town of Kayenta, Arizona and is accessed by paved roads from regional highway networks.

• Best light and access: Best photographic light is at sunrise and sunset when the red sandstone buttes and mesas show strong contrast; access within the designated tribal park requires an entry fee or guided tour for some areas.
• Management: Located on Navajo Nation land, many sites are managed as a tribal park rather than a U.S. national park, and some viewpoints are reachable only by guided Navajo-led tours.

What to See #

• John Ford's Point: A famous overlook on the tribal park's edge that was frequently used by film director John Ford and provides a panoramic view over many of the valley's principal buttes and mesas.
• Valley Drive (17-mile loop): A roughly 17-mile unpaved loop track that traverses key formations through the park; public vehicle access is allowed when conditions permit and guided tours also operate.
• The Mittens and Merrick Butte: Iconic sandstone monoliths including the East and West Mittens and Merrick Butte that rise abruptly from the valley floor and form the landscape's most photographed silhouettes.