My Ultimate Guide to visiting Monument Valley

It’s about time I finally published some of the travel content I’ve been meaning to get up for ages. Last September, we did an another amazing road trip in America and one of the places that we visited was Monument Valley. 

A lot of people that I spoke to about our trip had never actually heard of Monument Valley, but I’m sure they will have seen that iconic landscape in photographs. Monument Valley is sat on the Utah and Arizona border. It’s actually quite confusing with the time zones! 

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the area twice now, so I thought I would put together a little guide of visiting Monument Valley and what you should do when you are in the area. My first visit to Monument Valley was back in 2017 when I was on a Trek America trip. Sadly the company is no longer in business but our visit to Monument Valley was all organised by Trek America. My second visit was in September 2024 when I did a USA road trip with my family. It’s a place somewhere my dad had always wanted to visit because of its connection to Western movies.

Spoiler Alert: it did not disappoint. 

How to get there

As I mentioned, Monument Valley is on the border of Utah and Arizona. We drove there from Las Vegas, so it really is quite a distance to go. We adjusted our road trip route to specifically get to Monument Valley. You can read about the whole route we did between Las Vegas to Phoenix, Arizona here.  

The nearest town to Monument Valley is Kayenta. Whilst this town is marketed as the gateway to Monument Valley, you are still a good half an hour plus to the Visitor Centre. Kayenta is where you will find a couple of fast food restaurants including a Burger King (which has a museum inside!!), McDonald’s and Taco Bell. There is also a few motels and Inns here. 

 

What to see 

Monument Valley itself is within the Navajo Tribal Park. To access the tribal park there is a fee which is currently $8 per person. This gives you access to the visitor centre and a 17 mile circular drive. I do have to say that the drive into the valley is not for the fainthearted, it is a very very bumpy ride. Personally, I would not want to take a rental car down there, which is why we booked a tour. 

4×4 Jeep Sunset Tour

On both occasions, when visiting Monument Valley I went on a 4×4 Jeep sunset tour. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and 100% recommend booking as you will get taken to so many incredible spots by a Navajo guide.

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The tours for sunset usually start around 4 pm but you do need to be careful with timings as you are on the Utah and Arizona border. The time zones all over the place. The tour includes points in Monument Valley such as the Three Sisters, John Ford’s point, the Moccasin Arch & the Totem Pole. Visiting John Ford’s point is a massive iconic highlight of the trip. You can have your picture right on the point, as seen in many classic western movies. 

Additionally, you get taken to visit an authentic Hogan which is a sacred home lived in by a Navajo family. We got to watch a demonstration and learn some really interesting things about the Navajo culture. Our guide also performed some ceremonial music which was a highlight for me on the trip.

It’s also worth noting that if you are weighing up going on a tour or driving down yourself,  the tour does offer restricted backcountry access. So you can go into certain places that you wouldn’t be able to if you were there in your own car.

Forrest Gump point

Fans of the Forrest Gump movie (me!) may recognise Monument Valley from the movie. This is featured in the movie when Forrest decides to stop running and go home. The iconic view is around 10 minutes from the visitor centre and is clearly marked on Google Maps. It’s along a popular road so you do need to be careful when taking photos. On my first trip to Monument Valley in 2017, we actually bumped into someone who had been in the movie as a background actor. 

If you’re a big fan of the movie like myself, or just wanting yet another spectacular view of Monument Valley, it’s definitely worth checking out this spot. If you are staying towards Mexican Hat, this spot will be on the way for you. 

Goulding’s Lodge

One of the places you can stay in the immediate area of Monument Valley is Goulding’s Lodge (more on places to stay later!) but this is also where you’ll find the Gouldings Museum & Trading Post. 

Goulding’s in Monument Valley is owned by the Goulding family and started by Harry Goulding. In the early 1920s, he visited Monument Valley and essentially was the one to bring Hollywood to Monument Valley. The first movie being Stagecoach starring John Wayne. Goulding’s Lodge was the place to host movie crews and actors but now is one of the main places to stay for visitors. 

The Goulding’s Lodge Museum has loads of artefacts from when they were making western movies and also gives the glimpse to the rich history of the culture. I found it all really interesting and it’s also free entry! Next to the museum, they have John Wayne’s room which is where he stayed when he filmed in Monument Valley.

Utah state line

One of the other places we visited whilst in the area was the Utah state line. As mentioned when crossing this line, the time zones change! The sign is a pretty cool spot to get a photo. Around a 90 minute drive is also the Four Corners monument where four state lines meet. We would’ve loved to have gone here but it was a little too far off course for us! 

Where to stay

When visiting Monument Valley, if you are planning to stay overnight there is two main places you can stay. One being within the tribal park and that is The View Hotel and Cabins. These offer incredible views over the valley. The other option in the immediate area is Goulding’s Lodge which is around a 5 minute drive and slightly setback from Monument Valley. 

Further afield you can stay in a place called Mexican Hat which is on the Utah side of the border. There is a few motels, RV Parks and lodges in this area. In 2017, I actually stayed at a place called San Juan Inn which was pretty spectacular as we were on the Sun Juan River and it was built into these amazing red sandstone rocks. Futher on from Mexican Hat is a place called Bluff with even more accommodation options. 

Finally, the other option of places to stay would be going back to Kayenta where there is also plenty of motels and as I previously mentioned, a fair few fast food restaurants too. 

The View hotel & cabins

The View Hotel & Cabins are as close as you can get to staying in Monument Valley as it’s within the tribal park boundary. I’ll be doing a more in-depth review of the Cabins as this is where we stayed last year. The View Hotel at Monument Valley has 95 rooms all with balconies overlooking the iconic view and a great option for visitors to the area. The View hotel sits alongside the visitor centre, trading post and a restaurant with panoramic views. 

The Cabins are about a 5 minute walk away and last year we stayed in a premium cabin. I have to say this is probably one of the most amazing places I’ve ever stayed. The view was just incredible. It was around $500 for one night for four of us. There is 29 cabins in total yet it felt very secluded and peaceful. The view of the valley was unmatched, especially getting up early to see the sunrise! 

Goulding’s lodge

As mentioned previously, Goulding’s Lodge is another place where you can stay. From the visitor centre, it’s only about a 10 minute drive and has a great view of the area being more set back. Goulding’s Lodge is steeped in so much history where you can learn more in the museum. There is also a trading post and restaurant. 

I’m hoping I’ve covered all areas when it comes to visiting Monument Valley. The only thing I’ve not mentioned is where to eat and to be honest, it’s very limited choices. There is restaurants at the hotels and nearby towns of Kayenta, Mexican Hat and Bluff. It’s also worth noting that at the restaurants at Monument Valley they do not serve alcohol as you are on Navajo land. Consuming alcohol is quite limited in Utah also. 

A trip to Monument Valley is really a bucket list item. It will truly blow you away with how much of a magical place it is. Hopefully this guide will help anyone wanting to visit Monument Valley for the first time. 

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XOXO