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| Above, the Mittens and Merrick Butte. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Right now is a good time to pay a visit to the famous Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park that straddles the border of Arizona and Utah.
Monument Valley was made famous by director John Ford and actor John Wayne beginning with Stagecoach (1939).
From the Goulding's Lodge website:
When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, the Navajo Reservation suffered immensely. Harry heard of a movie production company scouting out locations in the Southwest to use in films. He believed that bringing movie production to Monument Valley would help the local Navajos with much-needed income.
So Harry and Mike set out on a journey to Hollywood, California with their last $60. By luck and perseverance, Harry met the famous director John Ford. When Ford saw Harry’s photos of Monument Valley, he knew it was the perfect location for his next movie. The Gouldings received an advanced payment, and in a few days, John Ford and his crew began filming Stagecoach starring John Wayne.
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| Above, yours truly bundled up during the van tour. |
The temperature during the day is in the 70s and the nighttime temperature is in the 40s. I went in November 2016 and the daytime temperature was rather brisk with nighttime temperatures dipping down into the 20s.
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| Above, the Goulding's Tours tour van in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
There are numerous places to see in the tribal park and there are tours available to see them. Tripadvisor has posted a list of the ten best Monument Valley tours and excursions. I took a van tour from Goulding's Lodge (they do pick up passengers at the campground). To access their list, go here.
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| Above, my RV at Goulding's Lodge Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Along with tours, there are several places to stay in the Monument Valley vicinity. They include hotels and campgrounds. I stayed at Goulding's Lodge Campground in 2016. Tripadvisor lists them here.
Since the best time to visit Monument Valley is in September-October, I am going there next week.
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