Monument Valley

The drive to Monument Valley was slowed by some uncertainty over truck routes, but once we turned north on Highway 98, every bend in the road opened onto another vista of mountains, mesas, and open desert.

The Valley

Monument Valley stretches northeast from Kayenta into Utah. At an elevation of roughly 5,500 feet, the landscape is an enormous, arid expanse soaring red buttes, eroded mesas, deep canyons, and naturally sculpted rock formations, once populated by Ancestral Puebloan people (more popularly known by the Navajo word “Anasazi,” meaning both “ancient ones” and “ancient enemies”) and home to generations of Navajo farmers over the last few centuries. It’s easy to enjoy from the road on a leisurely drive.

Goulding’s Campground

As we turned east toward the Tribal Park, the first of the stone monuments began to appear — El Capitan, also known as Agathlan, was our introduction to the valley. Even pulling into the RV park was spectacular.

Goulding’s turned out to be a great place to stop: well-maintained blacktop roads, level stone pads that made setup easy, an indoor pool, and a laundry and bathhouse that looked very clean.

Green space for walking the dogs was scarce, but I could still take Zoey along the campground roads or follow a path toward great views of the park and a natural arch. Caroline had an end site with a view straight down the canyon great spot, especially for the sunrises. A walking path from the campground also led to a natural bridge and another good view of the park; we took the dogs along, and they handled it well.

There is very little green space that I could find. I could walk Zoey on the drives or up a path leading to great views of the Park and an arch. Caroline had the end spot that looked straight down the canyon to the park and great sunrises. There is a walking path that will take you to a natural bridge and a great view of the park. We took the dogs and walked this path. They handled it well, I thought.

The Morning Deluxe Tour Of Monument Valley

Our second morning was cold, really cold. We had a tour of the park planned, and by the time we headed to the pickup site, I had on my long johns and just about everything else I could find to stay warm.

The tour bus was open-air, with only a piece of plexiglass at the front. Our driver, Don, was a member of the tribe who knew the area well, and Caroline had already figured out we needed the left side of the bus for the best views. She was right.

It was about 35 degrees that morning, and the wind off the open bus made it feel colder still, but once we got into the park we forgot about the temperature. Monument Valley was beyond anything pictures could capture; every turn brought back another memory of the spaghetti westerns filmed here, as we’d driven straight into one of them.

The tour also took us into backcountry areas restricted to tour buses, dirt and stone roads the whole way, and I was glad we weren’t attempting it with the truck. I’d have hated to take it down those roads and then have to bring it back out. I’d highly recommend the bus tour over trying to drive the route yourself.

The tour covered the basic 17-mile loop, with stops at the East and West Mitten viewpoints, John Ford’s Point, Three Sisters, the Totem Pole, Artist’s Point, and North Window, plus several restricted backcountry stops at the Sun’s Eye and Ear of the Wind hidden arches and formations offering a different perspective than the main loop. It also included a stop at an authentic Navajo hogan at a local family residence, where we watched a rug-weaving demonstration. The tour ran about 3.5 hours and cost $75 per person plus tip.

Navajo Family Compound

One of the most memorable stops was Don’s family compound, where we got a demonstration of weaving and a look at everyday life on the reservation, with water carried in, no electricity unless it’s solar or generated. As we continued riding around, we came across some remarkable natural bridges and formations, including the “Eye in the Sky.” It was hard to capture the right perspective with a camera — these formations rise nine and ten stories high, and standing beneath them made us look like ants. This is the kind of place that would reward staying a few extra days to explore.

That evening the winds picked up again, and our RV park’s spot in the canyon west of the valley only intensified them. We held on through the night; they finally calmed around 10 pm, and we woke to a beautiful sunrise.

Off to St. George and Las Vegas

We packed up and headed for St. George. The drive was spectacular once again, though fuel stops remained a challenge; traveling with the truck and RV meant always keeping an eye on it, but we managed to find what we needed along the way toward St. George and, eventually, Las Vegas.