Sights & landmarks in Monument Valley

THE 10 BEST Monument Valley Sights & Historical Landmarks

Monument Valley Landmarks

  • Traveler favorites
    Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
  • Traveler ranking
    Highest rated attractions on Tripadvisor, based on traveler reviews.
Types of Attractions
Sights & Landmarks
Sights & Landmarks
Traveler rating
Good for
10 places sorted by traveler favorites


What travelers are saying

  • TheOrganizedTravelCoach
    28 contributions
    Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is an extraordinary destination that provides an immersive experience of natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. The park is located on the Navajo Nation and offers a unique opportunity to learn about the Navajo people and their connection to the land. The park is home to a variety of iconic sandstone formations, including the famous Mittens, Elephant Butte, and Three Sisters rock formations, each with its own unique shape and history.

    One of the best ways to experience the park is through a guided tour, and there are a variety of options available to suit every interest and budget. The Extended Backcountry Tour offered by Tribal Tours is a standout choice, providing an exclusive view of the park's most iconic landmarks and natural wonders. Visitors can also take a sunrise or sunset tour, offering a breathtaking view of the park's stunning vistas as the sun rises or sets. These tours are a photographer's dream, offering an opportunity to capture the beauty of the park at its most dramatic.

    In addition to the park's natural wonders, Monument Valley also offers a rich cultural experience. Visitors can learn about the Navajo people, their history, traditions, and way of life through a variety of activities and experiences. The park features a Navajo Cultural Center, which provides an opportunity to learn about Navajo history, art, and culture through exhibits, demonstrations, and presentations.
    Written February 22, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Von1287
    Albany, NY771 contributions
    We came to get the iconic view of the monuments and the road that was from Forrest Gump. There were tons of people and we had to fight through Instagram photo shoots to get our spot but we eventually did. It was cool to drone this view as well. A good spot!
    Written February 10, 2023
    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
    John Ford's Point if one of the most iconic and scenic spots in the Navajo Tribal Park in Monument Valley. It is one of the first places one reaches after heading out on the drive from the visitor centre, either by one's own car (during the permitted hours), or by tour. It was used during filming of westerns and it has sweeping views. There are also touristy things related to westerns there which one can pay for- photo ops, etc., including horses to hire for photos.
    Written November 20, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Taylor B
    Chicago, IL8,345 contributions
    There is so much to see in Monument Valley, a beautiful landscape of ancient sandstone formations that cover 91,696 acres on the Utah/Arizona border. There is a visitor center, a 17-mile loop drive, a few hiking trails, buttes, mesas, chimneys, spires, natural arches, pictographs and petroglyphs. Perhaps the most famous of all are the twin Mittens and Merrick Butte. They are the first buttes you see from the View Hotel or on the 17-mile loop drive. They are clearly stratified and made up of three main rock layers. The lowest is Organ Rock shale, the middle is de Chelly sandstone and the top layer is Moenkopi shale. What is so fascinating about this place is archaeologists believe people have occupied this landscape since 12,000 BC. The West and East Mitten Buttes are two buttes that, when viewed from the south, appear to be two giant mittens with their thumbs facing inwards. The summit of West Mitten Butte is 6,176 feet and East Mitten Butte is 6,226 feet in elevation. They form a triangle with Merrick Butte to the south and Sentinel Mesa to the northwest. Merrick Butte stands alone, like a fortress, reaching 6,224 feet in elevation. For travelers, Mitten View campground near the visitor center has 99 sites available on a first come, first served basis.
    Written September 23, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • cagatravel
    Shellharbour, Australia576 contributions
    The best place to get great photos of the Three Sisters is from J.Ford point. There are view points from the road.
    Written September 10, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • wirttravelers
    West Virginia490 contributions
    Artist's Point (now named Navajo Code Talker Point) is one of the nicest stops on the Valley Drive. You can look out over much of the valley.
    Written November 4, 2022
    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
    This is one of the iconic and stunning scenic spots in Monumnet Valley. It is on the scenic drive in the Navajo Tribal Park and one must enter the park to see it. AFter entering, one may drive right to the spot if uring the time when private vehicle are allowed on the route, or one may take a tour from the visitor centre, which will go to this spot, among others. It does look like a window, or a door, with the view of monuments through a large gap between two others which frame the view.
    Written November 20, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Taylor B
    Chicago, IL8,345 contributions
    Clint Eastwood is credited with many famous quotations during his long and distinguished career in motion pictures. Two of my favorites are "Go ahead, make my day" and "Men must know their limitations." Neither is associated directly with the Totem Pole in Monument Valley, Arizona, but they clearly apply--and Eastwood was there. Remember the 1975 thriller The Eiger Sanction, directed by and starring Eastwood? One of the most memorable scenes in the movie was filmed on the Totem Pole, a pillar or rock spire, a highly eroded remnant of a butte that is the tallest spire in the world at 400 feet. One of the many unforgettable sandstone rock formations that cover five miles in Monument Valley, including Three Sisters, The Mittens, Elephant Butte, Merrick Butte, Moccasin Arch, Sun's Eye and Camel Butte, Totem Pole was first climbed on June 11-13, 1957 by Bill Feurer, Jerry Gallwas, Mark Powell and Don Wilson. In 1975, Eastwood, who did all of his own stunts during the dangerous mountain-climbing sequences in The Eiger Sanction, was given permission to climb the spire if he agreed to clear the mountainside of all the pitons from previous climbing expeditions. The sequence of Eastwood and fellow actor George Kennedy sharing a can of beer at the top of the Totem Pole is an extraordinary piece of film-making. Interestingly, Eastwood and his film crew were the last people to climb the Totem Pole. It rises next to a gathering of thicker spires that the Navajo Nation refers to as Yei Bi Chei. All can be seen via a self-guided Valley Drive tour.
    Written September 11, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • cagatravel
    Shellharbour, Australia576 contributions
    Like clouds these rock formations require imagination to view certain objects in the rocks. The elephant butte is one of those rocks.
    Written September 10, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Monument Valley