Top Things to do in Monument Valley
Top Restaurants in Monument Valley
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Top 5 Things to do in Monument Valley, United States
Discover the best top things to do in Monument Valley, United States including Monument Valley Navajo Park, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Wildcat Trail, Goulding’s Trading Post Museum., Sandstone Tours.
Restaurants in Monument Valley
1. Monument Valley Navajo Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 208 reviews
Located on the Arizona-Utah border, this valley has sandstone formations that tower at heights of 400 to 1,000 feet, and more than 100 Anasazi ruins.
Reviewed By mcdeux - Glencoe, Illinois
What’s not to like about one of the world’s most stunning pieces of inspirational topography, Navajo lore, and movie-making scenic backdrops?
The best way to see and travel the great sites of MV is with a Navajo guide. As my hosts recommended, talk to several guides at the MV Navajo welcome center - not at the Gouldings center, which many Navajos hold in contempt. Tell the guides at the little tour hut what you want to see, do and learn. Remember that MV is 30,000 acres, so do your homework ahead.
We opted for a 2.5 hour tour and had a wonderful, older guide who masterfully navigated the rutted, sandy roads and told us the ancient and modern lore of each monument. As a bonus, he sang a beautiful, haunting Navajo prayer at the “Big Hogan” cave, which echoed everywhere.
2. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By SanFrancisco2121 - San Francisco, California
After entree fee of $20 you get to drive up to the visitor center which had no attendant in place, for questions, due to lunchtime. Nice gift shop, open during lunchtime ;)
Self-driving tour takes about 2hr with long photo stops. In one of the stops, you can take a picture (for $5) sitting on a horseback in a gorgeous spot!
3. Wildcat Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 283 reviews
Reviewed By ArizonaJT - Buckeye, Arizona
Wildcat Trail allows you to get up close to West Mitten Butte in Monument Valley. Overall, the trail is moderate. You may need to catch your breath on the hike back up the hill; but overall it was a very comfortable hike, even for someone like me that is not in shape at all.
4. Goulding’s Trading Post Museum.
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 526 reviews
Reviewed By Karrst - Pretoria
An unexpected little gem. The Golding’s Museum is a time capsule of the Golding Family and more recent history and the valley. You can wander through the building and get a glimpse into the past, lots of artifacts and information. Just up from the main museum is part of the set used in She wore a Yellow Ribbon staring John Wayne. There is also information on the numerous other films filmed in the valley. Don’t miss this if you are visiting. A downside for us was that although very interesting, we would have liked to have seen more of the early Navajo history.
5. Sandstone Tours
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 75 reviews
Sandstone Tours provides an unforgettable experience through the best and most inspiring natural formations that Monument Valley has to offer. With Sandstone Tours you will trek through the valley in a comfortable open air 4x4 truck with a knowledgable Navajo guide. We offer a range of tours in Monument Valley and Mystery Valley as well as a range of tours to choose from. Get a reservation on our website in less than 5 minutes!
Reviewed By ussh2 - UK
We decided to do the all day trip, which entailed doing the basic trail in the morning and then after 1/2 hour break we went out into the back country to do the mystery mountain tour. For me this was the best part as we got to see a great deal more of the area. The terrain is very bumpy as you are well off the beaten track. Our guide Frank was very informative.
Tip. I had booked in advance, but found the numerous truck operators a bit confusing on the morning at the visitor centre. The Sandstone tour (the vehicles were marked as Black Mountain Tour) were in fact the best looking vehicles that morning, they were clean and well looked after, some of the vehicles looked well abused and tatty.
I would recommend you try and do an early morning tour (we went out at 8.00am) as the area gets packed by 11.00am with tourist, RVs, Coach tours etc. We pretty well had the whole of Monument Valley to ourselves which made for some great photos.
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