Moab to monument valley12/5/2023 ![]() Beginning with 1939’s Stagecoach, starring John Wayne, Ford’s many happy returns to Monument Valley, Utah, shaped how much of the outside world pictures the American West. Monument Valley captured a larger audience’s attention via director John Ford’s Westerns. You can even take a little home in the form of handmade jewelry or a dyed wool rug. Explore their history, their way of life, their cuisine and their art. Monument Valley is a window into their culture. The Navajo culture took root centuries before Spaniards entered the area in 1581, and 250,000 of their descendants still live on the 16-million-acre Navajo Nation. Their art and building structures remain, hinting at an ancient resourcefulness that found promise in a foreboding desert. Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim only takes 2-3 hours so you may want to add Colorado Natl Monument, another 2-3 hours, on your way to Moab. The earliest people to mark the area were the Anasazi, or Ancestral Puebloans, who settled in around 1200 BCE. The Monument Valley Back country Tour will include the Valley Loop drive so no need to drive it yourself and be aware it can be in poor condition and not suitable for a rental car. Book early for peak season.Ī dozen hikes (mostly easy with a few that get tricky) lead to natural bridges and a wealth of Anasazi ruins. A handful of outfits will show you through the area on horseback, just the way people have been exploring it for hundreds of years. What to Do near Monument ValleyĪ 14-mile graded dirt road will show you around most of the major monuments (The Mittens, Three Sisters, John Ford’s Point, Totem Pole, Yei Bi Chai, Ear of the Wind), and Navajo guides can lead you deeper, into Mystery Valley, Hunts Mesa and more. The visitor center is open seven days a week. There’s a tiny little town with a lodge, camping, outfitters and a few restaurants. (You should probably go ahead and check Four Corners off your bucket list while you’re in the neighborhood.) ![]() And part of part of Monument Valley’s charm is its remoteness, about 60 miles west of the zero-dimensional Utah–New Mexico border on Highway 163. Maps aren’t exactly all-caps-ing its name.
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