If you’re planning an Arizona or Utah road trip, you NEED to make Monument Valley a stop on your itinerary! Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park on the Utah/Arizona border, and is home to one of the most iconic landscapes in the country. It’s located in a fairly remote area so it’s a bit out of the way for most road trips, but the detour is worth it! The landscape is so epic that it’s been the location of several famous movies, like Stagecoach, How the West Was Won, and Forrest Gump. Keep reading learn about the best things to do in Monument Valley, and to plan the best way to spend one day there!
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SEE ALSO: The Most Epic Things to Do in Southern Utah
How to Get to Monument Valley
Monument Valley is a bit out-there, so it’s best to be included on a larger Utah/Arizona road trip. You really only need one day in Monument Valley to see the highlights, so it’s perfect as one-night stop on a larger road trip.
The Closest Airports to Monument Valley:
- Flagstaff (FLG): 2 hours 45 minutes
- Phoenix (PHX): 4 hours 45 minutes
- Albuquerque (ABQ): 5 hours
- Las Vegas (LAS): 6.5 hours
- Salt Lake City (SLC): 6.5 hours
The Closest Driving Destinations for a Monument Valley Road Trip
- Page, AZ (Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon): 2 hours
- Moab, UT (Arches NP): 2.5 hours
- Grand Canyon: 3 hours
- Capitol Reef NP: 3.5 hours
Monument Valley Road Trip Ideas
Combine your visit to Monument Valley with seeing some other amazing sites in the region! See below for some ideas.
Utah/Arizona Border Road Trip
- Fly into: Las Vegas (LAS), rent a car
- First Stop: Kanab, UT. Hike The Wave (if you can get a permit) or explore some other epic spots in the area like White Pocket
- Next Stop: Page, AZ. Check out Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Lake Powell
- Third Stop: Monument Valley
- Fourth Stop: Bryce Canyon National Park
- Last Stop: Zion National Park – then drive 2 hours back to Las Vegas airport!
PRO TIP: Get the Annual National Parks Pass if you plan to visit another national park this year to save money on entrance fees!
Moab to Monument Valley
- Fly into either Grand Junction (GJT) or Salt Lake City (SLC), rent a car
- First Stop: Moab – Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park
- Second Stop: Goblin Valley State Park
- Third Stop: Captiol Reef National Park
- Fourth Stop: Monument Valley
For my trip, I did the first option. I flew into Las Vegas, rented a campervan from Blacksford, and started my road trip from there, We stopped at The Wave in Kanab, UT, Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ, and then made our way to Monument Valley. Going from Page to Monument Valley is an easy 2 hour drive (but make sure to gas up in Page before it gets too remote!). On the way back to Las Vegas, we stopped at Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. It was such an epic road trip, and I highly recommend doing something like that!
The Best Time to Visit Monument Valley
Monument Valley can get super hot in the summer, and it can snow there in the winter. To avoid those extremes, the best time to visit Monument Valley is in the Spring (March-May) or Fall (September-November). I visited in mid-October, and it was great weather!
How Much Time Should I Plan to Spend in Monument Valley?
There are so many great things to do in Monument Valley, but you really only need one day in Monument Valley to see everything. I recommend spending the night there as well. That way, you will be there for both sunrise and sunset!
Best Place to Stay at Monument Valley
Camping: Arrowhead Campground
We booked a campsite on HipCamp at Arrowhead Campground, and absolutely LOVED it! It’s just 10 minutes outside the park entrance. Each site has a picnic table and a firepit. The views from this campground are insane. You can see some of the sandstone buttes and mesas in the distance with the sun setting behind them. It’s so special!
Hotel: The View Hotel
The View Hotel is hands-down the best hotel to stay in at Monument Valley. It’s the only hotel located within the actual park, and each room has a private balcony with views of the iconic “Mittens” buttes. You can literally watch the sunrise over the buttes without even leaving your hotel room! Make sure you book in advance, because it sells out.
The Best Things to Do in Monument Valley in One Day
Ok – now that you know how to get to Monument Valley and where to stay, let’s talk about the exciting part – the best things to do in Monument Valley during your one day there!
Wake up at Sunrise and Enjoy the View
Trust me – it’s worth it to wake up at sunrise here, even if it just means popping your head out of your campervan or hotel room and looking out the window! Seeing the sun rise up from behind the giant buttes is incredible.
Stop at the Visitor’s Center for Coffee or Breakfast
Normally I avoid the visitor centers at National Parks and nature spots, but not in this case! The Visitor’s Center is called the Monument Valley Trading Post, and is also in the lobby area for the View Hotel. They have a gift shop, coffee bar, and cafeteria-style breakfast (I didn’t get any food so can’t comment on that). But the best part is the outside patio – the view from there overlooking the Mitten Buttes is GORGEOUS! We sat there, sipping coffee, staring out at the view for awhile and it was so peaceful. This is definitely one of the best things to do in Monument Valley!
Monument Valley Scenic Drive
Driving the 17-mile loop road called the Monument Valley Scenic Drive is one of the best things to do in Monument Valley, and a great way to start your day. The entrance to the road is right out front of the Visitor’s Center. There are several stops along the scenic drive to get out, take photos, and see different viewpoints. It’s awesome!
Some important things to note about the Monument Valley Scenic Drive:
- It costs $8 per person to enter the scenic drive
- Winter Hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm Mon-Sun (last entry: 2:30pm)
- Summer Hours: 7:00am – 7:00pm Mon-Sun (last entry: 4:30pm)
- Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day
- Motorcycles and RVs are not allowed on the road
- They have signs saying that 4×4 is needed, however this is not the case. It’s a dirt road that can be bumpy at times, but a normal car should be just fine!
- Note that we had a campervan, and they told us we couldn’t take it on the drive. So, we hired one of the guides in the parking lot with the open-air Jeep tour, and it was awesome!
Taking a Guided Tour of Monument Valley Scenic Drive
A guided tour of Monument Valley Scenic Drive might be a good choice for you if:
- Prefer to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride
- Like the idea of having a guide tell you fun facts about the area and point things out
- Want to be able to go off the main road to the backcountry area (if you are self-driving you have to stay on the main road only)
- You are in a motorcycle, RV or campervan (then the only way is to go by guided tour!)
We decided on a guided tour last minute, when we realized that our campervan wasn’t allowed on the Monument Valley Scenic Drive! There were a few different guides in the parking lot area. We went with Sandstone Tours in one of their open-air vehicles. It was $65 per adult ($30 for kids) for a 1.5 hour tour. There’s also an option for a longer, 2.5 hour tour for $75 per adult. We ended up being the only ones on the tour, and our guide actually took us to some cool backcountry areas even though were were only on the 1.5-hour tour. It was so much fun!
If you are more of a planner and don’t want to risk not being able to get a spot on one of the guided tours when you get there, then I recommend booking ahead of time! See below for two great options:
- Monument Valley 1.5-hour Scenic Tour
- Monument Valley 2.5-hour Scenic Tour (that takes you into the backcountry area that can only be accessed with a guide!)
Monument Valley Scenic Tour – Lookout Points
Here are the stops that most of the guided tours make (and if you are doing the drive yourself, these are the stops you should make!)
- Mitten and Merrick Buttes – this is the landmark view of Monument Valley that you see in photos, located right by the entrance
- Three Sisters – three tall skinny rock formations next to each other
- John Ford Point – an epic (slightly toursity) viewpoint. There’s horses here that you can get on for a photo-op and a little market selling trinkets. This point is named after famous director John Ford, who filmed a few western films here!
- Camel Butte – a rock formation with humps that resemble a camel
- The Hub – a central location with sweeping views of the park
- Totem Pole – a tall, slender spire rock formation
- Artist’s Point – panoramic views of the eastern side of the valley
After your scenic drive is complete, you’ve pretty much seen the highlights of the park itself. This next best thing to do in Monument Valley is actually right outside the park, but it can’t be missed:
Forrest Gump Point
Just about 20 minutes outside Monument Valley is Forrest Gump Point – the iconic spot from the movie when Tom Hanks completes his cross-country long distance run. It’s located off of Highway 163 in the town of Mexican Hat. There are a few pull-off spots and you’ll likely see other cars there, as this is a popular thing to do in Monument Valley! If you put “Forrest Gump Point”in Google Maps, it should take you there. But here are the GPS coordinates just in case: 37.101445, -109.990812
Note: This photo spot is located on a highway with fast-moving cars, so please be careful and look both ways before taking your picture!
The view from this point overlooking the buttes in the distance is incredible, and is definitely worth a stop on your Monument Valley road trip!
Hike the Wildcat Trail
If you love hiking, one of the best things to do in Monument Valley is to check out the Wildcat Trail. Since Monument Valley is a protected park, this is the only hike you are able to do here without a guide! This 4-mile hike meanders around some iconic rock buttes and provides great views. The trailhead is located in the parking lot near the Visitor Center. Note there is no shade on the trail – make sure to bring enough water and sunscreen!
Take an Exciting Guided Tour
If you are looking for more than than the Monument Valley Scenic Drive, consider booking one of these unique tours!
- Teardrop Arch – this is the coolest photo-op of the buttes from afar, perfectly framed from this teardrop-like rock formation. You can only get here by guided tour. Book here!
- Mystery Tour – this 2.5 hour tour takes you off the beaten path in Monument Valley to see petroglyphs, ancient dwellings, and amazing rock arches
- Stargazing Tour – are you a photographer and want to get some great shots of the stars and moonlight above the buttes? This is the tour for you!
Where are you off to next? Keep your Monument Valley road trip going, and explore Antelope Canyon just a 2-hour drive away!
Enjoy!!
