Monument Valley: Based on a True Story

Located on the border of Utah and Arizona, Monument Valley is the picture-perfect scenery stripped from the golden age of Western cinema. This valley of majesty is ornate with colossal sandstone buttes that scale up to 1,000 feet, nearly touching the heavens in such breathtaking natural beauty.

Stuff to do: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Mystery Valley Tour, Artist’s Point

Place to stay: Goulding’s Lodge, Kayenta Monument Valley Inn, Prospector Motor Lodge

Good eats: Linda’s Fry Bread, The View, Stagecoach Restaurant

Oh, Monument Valley — there’s no other place in the world that can bring such a majestic landscape into so many star-studded, iconic films. Perhaps you saw these towering buttes as Tom Hanks accomplished his cross-country run in Forrest Gump. Maybe they were the colossal backdrop as John Wayne stood stoically in nearly every single one of his westerns. Or maybe (just maybe) you were able to spot its otherworldly red landscape during the infamous monolith scene in the science fiction flick, 2001: A Space Odyssey. No matter where you’ve seen this natural beauty, the only preferred way to witness Monument Valley is by seeing it in person yourself. The only way to do that is by visiting The Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

While standing on the Arizona-Utah Border, the park stretches over 100,000 acres along the Colorado Plateau. What may seem like your average hike through a desert wonderland takes you back to the time when the Diné (Navajo National) Tribe inhabited the area. The buttes alone carry many legends believed by the Diné people of how they were created. Starting out as a lowland basin, the buttes were created through a series of natural erosion. Through years of heavy winds and water, this erosion would carve its edges into the rock mountains and develop a gentle (but gradual) uplift. Over time, the buttes cemented their iconic and distinct look. The most infamous of these gigantic structures would be the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Buttes, reaching the remarkable (and literally breathtaking from such a climb) heights of 400-1,000 feet. Other notable buttes in the area are Elephant Butte, Totem Pole, North Window, Three Sisters and John Ford’s Point, named after the picture-perfect shot from the director’s film Stagecoach.

Nowadays, The Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is a frequent tourist spot, bringing thousands of travelers from all over the world year round. The daring type might find interest in hiking through Monument Valley. Self-guided hikes will take you along The Wildcat Trail, a 3.2 mile loop offering views on the sandstone formations. For those who might like to sit back and relax, there’s also scenic tours brought to you by Goulding’s Tours. The rugged drives can get you up close and personal with nature, where driving through the park could lead to some extremely rough roads.

If you have a knack for expeditions and are willing to venture out in the desert landscape, plan your trip to Monument Valley to rediscover the natural order of Mother Nature.

Read more about how Monument Valley has impacted photography and cinematography in Utah:
How the American West Shaped Dino Kužnik
Utah Film Commission Celebrates a Century of Film in Utah

To help SLUG Magazine continue to represent underrepresented areas of Utah, consider joining our community of donors!