Boondocking In Monument Valley?

Above, Totem Pole (left) and Yei Bi Chei (center) in Monument Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In my last blog post, I mentioned that an article on boondocking (dry camping) included a photo of Monument Valley had a caption that boondocking is allowed in the Navajo Tribal Park.

I did some checking and this is what I found, courtesy of Truck Camper Adventure:

For RV owners, Monument Valley has pretty decent accommodations though boondocking is prohibited on the reservation. This basically leaves you with two choices on where you can set up camp for the night: Goulding’s RV Park, located a mile outside the park, or at a brand new primitive campground within the Tribal Park called The View. This campground doesn’t offer any hookups or much in the way of services, just trash, restrooms, and showers, but the views of the Mittens and Merrick Butte from The View are hard to beat. At an outrageous $41 a night, however, be prepared to pay for that view. We saw very few RV’s when we were there, probably due to the price. A far better option is at Goulding’s, located about a mile west of the park. The price to stay at Goulding’s is less for full hookups, plus you get free wifi, and laundry. Goulding’s is nestled in a small canyon, and it’s also one of the few RV parks where I’ve stayed where some of the roads and sites are terraced. Pretty cool!

There is a third choice. There is a KOA Kampground that opened near Monument Valley in recent years. I haven't stayed there (yet).

Above, The Beast at Gouldings Lodge Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

But I have stayed at Gouldings Lodge Campground and I highly recommend it. Their campground website even features The Beast in their campsite reservation section!

So, on the question of boondocking at Monument Valley, the answer is NYET!