Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
4.5
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Geologic Formations
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
7,351 reviews
Excellent
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Very good
981
Average
302
Poor
131
Terrible
97

dsears3
Boca Raton FL477 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Stunning. If I were spiritual, I would add that in. A few cautions:
currently the tribal elders decreed that all visitors have to exit the loop road by 7 pm.
Unfortunately, sunset is now (Sep 1st) an hour later.
When your tour ends, as sunset approaches, head to the The View Hotel - pass through the Gift Shop to the south east decks (where diners might eat if/when their restaurant re-opens; still under COVID restrictions)
In fact, masks have to be worn in open air - including in tour vehicles.
Highly recommend the Dineh Bekayah tour group; female owned (one of the only in the Valley) female managed, female guides. All very professional. Bring cash to save on 8% tax.
Some tours done through Goulding’s etc inc the Navajo Nation entry fee of $20/ car w/ 2 pax. Request a refund if you already paid the latter online or while driving the 17 mile loop on your own beforehand.
Written August 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Edward
Santa Rosa, CA1,596 contributions
Dec 2021
The Navajo Tribal Park in Monument Valley contains much of the most stunning and iconic scenery in the area. There is a hotel and visitor centre with shop.

One must pay to enter and even if paid ahead of time must queue up to drive in. We paid in advance to enter around a certain time, but still had to wait in the queue, which took some time.

There is a rough dirt rood loop to drive on for the scenery. Visitors may drive on their own on the drive if early enough in the day. However, after a certain time of day, one may no longer drive on it and must instead pay to take a tour. These see to be readily available at the parking lot at the visitor centre and we ended up having to take one since we were only there for that day as we drove through. We researched it ahead of time (given the time we had to plan this trip, a replacement for a UK trip cancelled due to Omicron), and found out about the park, scenic drive, entrance fee which we could pay in advance, but did not discover any information about the time limit for driving through the park on one's own.

Either way, if you want to see this, it is well worth it. The tour was great and took us all over the place. In fact, the road is extremely rough in places and even though we have a Subaru all well drive, we were thankful not to have to negotiate that ourselves. We loved the magnificent and iconic setting, magnificent in its own right, but also so iconic and famous from many Westerns.
Written November 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

ecosse_posse
Chipping Sodbury, UK38 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
Being brought up on the Road Runner cartoons, I have always wanted to visit this amazing location and have been lucky enough to do it this October. The drive in from Kayenta, AZ just sets you up for what you are about to experience, some of the world's most awesome vistas! We stayed at Gouldings Lodge which I have reviewed separately to see the sunset over the monuments, this was a truly magical experience for my wife and I. Then following day we drove to the visitors centre which has an $8 cover charge per person, this includes the drive round the monuments which is fantastic value for money. The off road drive although very uneven in places is tremendous and well worth it, plenty amazing photo stops and a good laugh actually especially in our compact hire car! The visitors centre itself it's very overpriced so we bought our souvenirs from the Navajo stalls on the valley drive, fantastic prices and lovely to meet these graceful people who love to share a story or two and ask you about your story! Would 100% go again.
Written October 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

307leven
Stroudsburg, PA281 contributions
Nov 2022
Visited the week before Thanksgiving (Tuesday) and did the self driving tour. I only had about 4 hours since I drove up from Flagstaff in the morning. I had a pre-paid ticket ($8.00 plus $1.00 admin fee) so I entered the park and started the tour. The scenery was stunning and I repeatedly pulled over during the 17 mile course and took photos while admiring the great views.

I had read other posts about the poor road conditions, so I had rented an SUV and I was glad I did. The road was in terrible condition as I constantly had to slow up for potholes, dips in the road, rocky areas and deep ruts. In fact, an SUV in front of me (Nissan Armada) actually hit the bottom of his vehicle on a deep rut as he pulled out from a scenic pullover. I do not recommend taking the self driving tour with a lower sitting sedan as you will risk causing damage to the underneath of your vehicle. If you do drive a sedan, you may want to consider taking one of the several jeep tours offered by the Navajo. The posted speed limit was 15 mph, but there were many times I had to drive slower than that. The road is also very dusty which resulted in a heavy coat of dust on my vehicle at the end of my visit.

I saw at least 2-3 portable toilets at the scenic pullover sections for those needing a bathroom break. I also brought my own water and snacks which saved time from going to the visitor's center. The entire tour lasted just under 3 hours which included taking a lot of stops to admire the scenery and take photos. It wasn't crowded and I didn't have to wait to get it, but I'm sure it does get more crowded during holiday weeks and weekends so plan accordingly.

If you go, have fun and enjoy the stunning views as it was a thrill to finally see this famous icon of the southwest.
Written December 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Fred W
Mobile, AL12 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
We took the Sunset tour with Dineh Bekeyah Tours. Our guide, Herb, was outstanding and had an extensive amount of knowledge of the area and the valley. He was Navajo, native to the area, and told very interesting stories passed down to him from his parents and grand parents who also lived in the area all of their lives. The afternoon was very windy and fortunately our tour company utilizes standard passenger vans rather than the open sided vehicles many of the other companies use. The wind kicked up a lot of dust and it would have been very unpleasant in an open vehicle. While you can self-drive some of the valley I would strongly recommend taking a native tour as they are allowed into many interesting areas that you cannot access on your own.
Written November 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

NatParkLove
Peoria, IL1,793 contributions
Jul 2021
Monument Valley is a magical, beautiful place. Straddling both UT and AZ, the red rock buttes that rise up from the ground to greet you are breathtaking. If you just want to see the "mittens," you can do so by paying the $20 park fee and driving to the parking lot of The View gift shop and hotel. There are some lovely viewing points there. However, to truly immerse yourself in this place, I would do two things: 1) Book a room at The View hotel to see this place at sunrise and sunset from your balcony, and 2) book a backcountry tour. I recommend Navajo Spirit - review done separately.

Even if/when the 17 mile drive is open, that is not the same as taking a backcountry tour. The backcountry tours take you places folks in private cars cannot go. You get to see amazing views by yourself, get a weaving demonstration from a Navajo woman, tour hogans, and more. Plus you get to learn about the culture and history of this amazing Nation from a Navajo guide. It was worth every penny of the $75 per person cost of our tour and then some.

Right now (early August 2021), the only restaurant open here is at Goulding's - The View hotel restaurant was not open when we visited, but the hotel IS open and is amazing (review done separately). There's also gas at Goulding's and another hotel there. There's a KOA a bit down the road. Like I mentioned before, I think the most magical time to be out here is sunset and sunrise (and we lucked out to also get to see a lightning storm move across the valley at night).
Written August 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

pearleco
Columbia, MD49 contributions
Sep 2022
The premium View Cabin porches were spectacular vantage points for the Mittens and sunrise. Stillness, the awe of nature, and phenomenal photos will be long treasured. The cabins were clean, comfortable, and had a sustaining breakfast included. In our wide travels, rarely have we had such remarkable views upon opening the door.

Strongly suggest having a Diné guided tour that includes the lower part of Monument Valley.
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

BlackberryBoy
Gibsons, Canada282 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
I'm really on the fence on writing this as I've been through Navajo Nation many times and love the area. It's worth spending time and money in this xommi but....I don't think it's worth one's time or money to enter the tribal park unless you're planning a tour (i can't speak to that as we drove ourselves).

Entry to the park is $8.00 per person, affordable enough but we didn't even get a map as they were out. The road is dirt and very rough in places but passable even for regular cars (we were driving an SUV). There are barely any signs as you drive so it's possible to get disoriented and go the wrong way. There's signs with names of various valleys and rocks but no explanation of anything, I normally get bored of reading plaques but it would have been nice to have some context! Honestly, the road is so rough that it's hard to really enjoy what you're seeing and I found the views up close in the park weren't as awing as those seen from afar for free.

My suggestion: save the money and time and stop at either the Tribal market just outside the park and/or at a casual jewellery market just South (Arizona side) on Hwy 173. We did this and got to spend a lot of time buying reasonable jewelry and taking to Navajo artists. There's also many casual food vendors around and I loved my fry bread and blue Mush (corn meal mixed with sage I believe).

The views from Hwy 173 are spectacular and there are lots of pull outs. If you're looking to hike know that there's only one trail in the park that we could see. It's definitely a driving park.

Written October 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

DesertRose
185 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
The landscape is incredibly beautiful in a almost alien way.
I found myself just staring in amazement at how truly unique it was.
Even in July it was chilly do to the monsoon storms so bring a hoodie.
The reservation is not on MST even the portions that are in Arizona so check time zones. I didn't know this and almost missed a pricey tour.
I do recommend booking a tour as the dirt road isn't passable by low cars especially after rain and there are portions of interest that can only be seen with a guide.
Written August 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

ehaynes40
Lexington, KY36 contributions
Mar 2022
I visited on March 21, 2022. I hadn't done any research so I was in a panic when i checked out reviews the night prior. I camped at the nearby KOA with a 15 foot camping trailer with an 11am checkout. What to do with the trailer?? I left it at the campground but there is room to park it at the tribal parking lot. The reviews seemed to say i better get their before 8am which I did arriving at 7:55am. There were 16 cars before me. They allow 25 cars in per hour so if you don't make the first group you have to wait until someone leaves or another whole hour! I got confused about how to reach the line which I could see on the other side of parking lot so while i fumbled that 2 cars arrived and got in front of me. Just make an immediate left at the parking lot and you will see an opening to get in line. THEN, the tour vehicles started arriving! They get to cut the line. Five tours came through putting the count at 24 so i barely made the first group assuming they are counted. When you pay at the gate you are paying to reach both the tribal park and the visitor's center just to clear that up. There is a hotel there too but i don't know if they pay as well. My dog was with me so that is allowed. I drove a Land Rover which was a great vehicle for the road conditions which can get a little gnarly but a sedan will be okay if you are careful in spots. I saw a C class RV come through. I got to enter at 8:15am and I was back at the campground at 10am so I would say 1 1/2 hours is a leisurely amount of time to expect to finish the tour. It was cold and windy that day and the wind kicked up quite a sandstorm at times so protect your eyes. Since I had the dog I couldn't enter the visitor's center although I could have just left him in the car. There was NO LINE when I finished the tour. It was an experience of a lifetime! I loved it!
Written March 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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