A Visit To Monument Valley

Above, "Ear of the Wind" arch. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Monument Valley is familiar to fans of westerns in the U.S. There are also fans of classic westerns from other countries.

An article on Monument Valley has been posted in The South African. Here. the writer describes what visits will see and facilities that are available.

It begins with:

It was originally shown to the world by Director John Ford who used the location for a number of his best-known films. Now it is a popular feature of Instagram. So, is it worthwhile to visit? My answer is definitely, yes. 

It is located on the Arizona-Utah border in the USA and lies within the territory of the Navajo Nation Reservation. Because of this it is not officially a National Park but the area that is most visited by tourists is known as Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. The main features are clusters of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching 300 m above the valley floor.

Monument Valley isn’t close to anything. The nearest airport is in Flagstaff some 300 km away but most international visitors end up renting a car from Las Vegas (640 km away) or Phoenix (500 km away) and driving to the Valley. Access to the Tribal Park is from US163 and you need to pay an entrance fee. 

This gives you access to the Visitor Centre and the View Hotel and also allows you to drive Valley Drive. Organised tours, which you pay extra for, provide access to other parts of the park.

Above, The Mittens and Merrick Butte. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here.