A couple weeks ago, we made a 4-day trip to Navajo country in Southwest Utah, visiting Monument Valley. We took the RV out and traveled with neighbors Randy and Patty and Steve and Debbie. This trip was actually Debbie and Steve's idea. It's a place in the US that we've always wanted to visit but never took the time to do so. We stayed in the Gouldings Monument Valley RV Park for 3-nights. We also took their "Deluxe" Tour.
A Little History
Before human existence, the Park was once a lowland basin. For hundreds of millions of years, materials that eroded from the early Rock Mountains deposited layer upon layer of sediment which cemented a slow and gentle uplift, generated by ceaseless pressure from below the surface, elevating these horizontal strata quite uniformly one to three miles above sea level. What was once a basin becoming a plateau.
Natural forces of wind and water that eroded the land spent the last 50 million years cutting into and peeling away at the surface of the plateau. The simple wearing down of altering layers of soft and hard rock slowly revealed the natural wonders of Monument Valley today.
From the visitor center, you see the world-famous panorama of the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. You can also purchase guided tours from Navajo tour operators, who take you down into the valley in Jeeps for a narrated cruise through these mythical formations. Places such as Ear of the Wind and other landmarks can only be accessed via guided tours.
We greatly enjoyed our weekend outing. It took around 5-hours to drive there. We had a pretty nice full hookup RV site. Of course, we enjoyed "happy hour" with friends. The next day was spent taking the early tour. We enjoyed the tour, but none of us thought it was worth the $89 per person. Since we had a morning tour, the sunlight wasn't in a good position for good photos. Most of our photos came out dark. We were also stuck with the tour's designated stops and schedule. Our tour guide was "okay", but not great. Since we took the "Deluxe" tour, we had an extra hour on the tour which took us to more back country sites, visiting several archeological points that aren't open to the public (only tours). My recommendation would be to drive the 17-mile tour loop yourself. It's only $8 per person. However, the dirt road is in pretty bad shape. I recommend only 4WD, trucks, or a sturdy SUV. You can take your time, get better photo angles, and better sunlight,
Our third day was completely free. Some went on short hikes, others went into the pool, others relaxed around camp. That evening, we enjoyed a Mother's Day dinner at the local restaurant and went to the free movies. We watched the John Ford movie "Stagecoach" with John Wayne, made in 1939. It was the first movie made in Monument Valley. Our final day was another 5-hour drive home. This was after having a good Mother's Day breakfast at the restaurant.
Someday, I'd like to return again.