Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Things to do

Hiking the Wildcat Trail

The Wildcat Trail is a 3.2-mile loop hike (4 miles total, including the return to the trailhead and parking area) into one of the most scenic areas that Monument Valley has to offer. This trail lets hikers feel like they stepped back in time into the Wild West.
Mexican Hat

Mexican Hat, one of Utah’s strangest rock formations, balances a flattened pancake disk atop a 300-foot-high talus cone. It’s a novel route and quick summit for expert desert rock climbers.
Monument Valley Area Scenic Drives

A scenic drive around Monument Valley is one of the area’s most popular activities, and for good reason. High-clearance vehicles are recommended to navigate the dirt, gravel and red rock road.
Guided Jeep Tours

Butte after butte and mesas upon mesas are calling your name. Guided jeep tours of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park are a great way to take in the iconic landscape. It is just as much fun for kids as adults, and a great morning or afternoon activity for families.

Discover Monument Valley

Goulding's Lodge is tucked under soaring rimrock cliffs two miles west of the Monument Valley.

Photo: Austen Diamond

Order up! Diners rave about the Navajo flatbread tacos from Goulding's Lodge. Delight in Southwestern and Navajo cuisine throughout Monument Valley.

Where to Stay: Hotels, Lodging and Camping

Find 4-star hotels, bed and breakfasts, roadside motels and campgrounds for tents and RVs — pet-friendly and family-friendly, too.

Goulding's Lodge: Villas, RV Parks, Cabins

Goulding's Lodge, in Oljato-Monument Valley, offers villas with views, apartments with kitchenettes, a trading post, an indoor pool, and an on-site restaurant serving authentic Southwestern and native Navajo cuisine. Tucked under soaring rimrock cliffs two miles west of the Monument Valley, Gouldings also boasts a campground with RV hookups, a pool and separate cabins. Explore their guided tour opportunities as well.

The View Hotel: Modern Cabins in Monument Valley

The View Hotel is the only lodging within Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Make reservations well in advance to score premium modern cabins with sensational Monument Valley views.

Sleep in Mexican Hat: The Nearest Town to Monument Valley

Mexican Hat is a short 20-mile drive from visitor center. Go northeast on U.S. 163 where guests stay at Hat Rock Inn, Mexican Hat Lodge or San Juan Inn and Trading Post. Stop for a bite to eat at Hat Rock Café, Singin’ Steaks or Old Bridge Grill Cafe.

Camp at Goosenecks State Park

Prefer to camp? Goosenecks State Park (32 miles from Monument Valley Visitor Center) offers campsites to travelers en route to Monument Valley.

Drive 52 minutes north to Bluff, where Bluff Dwellings Resort & Spa pampers road trippers to a desert oasis built into sandstone cliffs. Find additional accommodations to the south in Kayenta, Arizona.

Monument Valley Fees, Permits & Hours

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is located on the Navajo Nation Reservation, along the state line of southeast Utah and northeast Arizona. Check Navajo Nation Tribal Park & Recreation for up-to-date conditions and entrance fees.

Fees: $8 per person per day
Park/Administrative Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., year-round.
Scenic Drive winter hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Scenic Drive summer hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Closed during all major holidays in accordance with the Navajo Nation: Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Permits are required for backcountry hiking, camping, filming and hosting weddings and private events.

Visitor Center

Monument Valley Weather

The best time to visit Monument Valley? Anytime, as each season unveils its unique display of sunlight, moonlight, desert breezes, rainfall and snow. Visitors come to Monument Valley year-round, but most come during spring and autumn to best enjoy the high-desert environment. The onset of searing summer heat usually begins in late May, and it can persist into mid-September. Autumn provides some of the most stable weather of the year. Temperatures may reach mid-90s F in July and August. Clear, warm, sunny days and cool nights make this one of the most delightful seasons to visit.

Winter in Monument Valley can be cold and windy, although there will be some nice days. Average highs in the winter are in the 40s, so you'll want to pack layers and water when you venture out to enjoy serene, sometimes snow-dusted, panoramas.

Utah Weather

Car_Monument-Valley_Kunde-Michael_UOT — Photo: Michael Kunde

copy-of-roots-rated-monument-valley-wildcat-ps-austen-diamond-photography-1 — Photo: Austen Diamond

Where is Monument Valley?

Monument Valley Tribal Park spans over 90,000 miles across southeastern Utah and northern Arizona. It’s vast and remote, deserving plenty of time to explore. From the north, the Utah towns of Mexican Hat, Bluff, Blanding and Monticello provide gateway town amenities for lodging, dining, outfitters, gas and groceries. Kayenta is the closest Arizona town to Monument Valley’s south.

Getting to Monument Valley

The Monument Valley Tribal Park Visitor Center sits about 7 hours from the Salt Lake International Airport, 7 hours from the Las Vegas airport, 5 hours from the Phoenix airport and 5 hours from the St. George airport.

Roadtrippers often extend their Monument Valley trek with adventures in other parks. The visitor center is under an hour from Goosenecks State Park, under 2 hours from Bears Ears National Monument and Valley of the Gods, and under 2 hours from Four Corners National Monument. Lake Powell’s Wahweap Marina and Arches National Park sit just over 2 hours aways from the visitor center. Plan on a 4-hour car ride from Zion National Park and 4.5 hours from Bryce Canyon National Park.

How Long Does It Take to Drive the Loop?

Most people spend about 3 hours driving Monument Valley’s 17-mile loop road. Don’t forget to factor in these five scenic stops along the way.

Why Visit Monument Valley Tribal Park?

Discover Nature’s Erosive Power

How did these incredible sandstone towers form? Like Arches and Canyonlands national parks to the north, Monument Valley showcases eons of nature's erosive power, yet has distinctive formations unlike anywhere else in the world.

For millions of years, layers upon layers of sediments settled and cemented in the basin. The basin lifted up and became a plateau; then the natural forces of water and wind slowly removed the softer materials and exposed what we see before us today. The spires, buttes, and other formations are still slowly chipping away but will be around long after we are gone.

Recall Hollywood Moments

The formations in Monument Valley have achieved some Hollywood fame as the backdrop of many movies and television shows, beginning with several John Wayne films including Stagecoach in 1939 and Forrest Gump in 1994.

Tour, Shop and Dine

The visitor center offers museums, souvenirs, restrooms, a restaurant, a lodge, and much more. Guided tours of the park are available by vehicle and by horseback. Both the park headquarters and visitor center offer information on the area and exhibit Navajo archaeology, arts and crafts.

Honor Navajo Hospitality

The Navajo Parks and Recreation Department, which manages the park, shares this message with visitors: “The Navajo people have a custom that has endured. Whenever visitors come they are always treated as honored guests. They are offered shelter, warmth and nourishment so they can continue on with their journey. The same hospitality we offer to you, and we hope that you have a safe and pleasant visit to our land.”

Here's another way to look at it: Monument Valley is like a national park, but it falls within the jurisdiction of the Navajo Nation's 27,425-square-mile (71,000 square kilometers) territory in the Four Corners region of the United States. Of that 17 million acres, more than 91,000 acres are set aside as Monument Valley Tribal Park — a space larger than Arches National Park.

Visit with Respect

● You are a guest on the reservation and tribal park land, and allowed on site with the permission of the tribe. Act accordingly. Learn more about Native Nations in Utah.

● Avoid taking pictures of people or events unless you have permission. Remember, this is where people live and work. (Watch: Voices of Bears Ears — The Navajo).

● Act respectfully at all times, but particularly at important sites and burial grounds.

● Don’t remove pottery or other artifacts you may find — this is a violation of federal law. (Read: How to Visit Rock Imagery Sites)