Entry fee
$10/person + $15/vehicle (Valley Drive loop)
National Park Pass
NOT accepted: Navajo Tribal Park
Peak season hours
Apr 1–Sep 30: 7 am–6 pm
Off-season hours
Oct 1–Mar 31: 8 am–4 pm
Self-drive loop
17 miles, dirt road, 2–3 hours
Only self-guided hike
Wildcat Trail, 4-mile loop
Jeep tours from
~$65/adult (1.5 hr) to ~$180+ (full day)
From Page AZ
90 miles, 1h 45min via US-160 and US-163
From Las Vegas
175 miles, 2h 45min via US-93 and US-160
Alcohol
Prohibited throughout Navajo Nation
What is Monument Valley?
Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park on the Arizona-Utah border, owned and operated by the Navajo Nation. Its sandstone buttes (the Mitten Buttes, Merrick Butte, the Three Sisters) rise 400–1,000 feet above a flat red desert floor. It is the most filmed landscape in the American West and sits 90 miles southeast of Page, Arizona.
The park covers 91,696 acres of the Colorado Plateau and is administered by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation department. It is not a National Park, not a National Monument, and not managed by the US federal government. The Navajo people have lived in this valley for centuries; the sandstone buttes are sacred landmarks as well as geological formations.
Director John Ford shot six Westerns here, including Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). The viewpoint above the Mittens is still called John Ford's Point. The landscape has since appeared in films by Sergio Leone, Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg, and in commercials for every product you can imagine. You will recognise it immediately, and it will still surprise you with its scale.
The formations are Cutler Formation sandstone, roughly 270 million years old. They survived erosion because their rock is harder than the surrounding desert floor, which has worn away to leave the buttes standing as isolated towers. The red colour comes from iron oxide (rust) in the sandstone.
Is Monument Valley worth visiting?
Yes: for almost every category of visitor. Even the self-drive loop gives you views that no photo fully prepares you for. The guided jeep tours are worth the extra cost for the first visit: they get you among the buttes instead of just looking at them from the rim.
The honest case against: if you have done Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend and have limited time, Monument Valley is a further 90 miles from Page and adds 2–4 hours to a day that is already full. Some visitors find the formations overfamiliar from film; they feel they have already seen it. That reaction typically lasts about five minutes once you are standing in front of the Mittens in real life.
The honest case for: the scale of the valley is genuinely hard to convey in photos. The 17-mile loop takes you through a landscape that feels like a different planet. If you add a guided tour, you see angles and formations the self-drive loop never reaches. Sunrise and sunset here are legitimately among the best light shows in the American Southwest.
How to get to Monument Valley
Monument Valley sits at the junction of US-163 and US-160 on the Arizona-Utah border. The approach from the south on US-163 gives the classic movie shot, the road running straight toward the Mitten Buttes. From Page AZ it is 90 miles (1h 45min). From Las Vegas it is 175 miles (2h 45min) taking US-93 east to Kingman then US-93 to Flagstaff and north on US-89, or more directly via I-15 through Utah.
| From | Distance | Drive time | Best route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page, AZ | 90 miles | 1h 45min | US-160 W to US-163 N |
| Las Vegas, NV | 175 miles | 2h 45min | I-15 N to UT-9, then US-163 S |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 175 miles | 2h 30min | US-89 N to US-160 E to US-163 N |
| Phoenix, AZ | 310 miles | 4h 30min | I-17 N to US-89 to US-160 to US-163 |
| Sedona, AZ | 200 miles | 3h | AZ-89A N to US-89 to US-160 to US-163 |
| Moab, UT | 140 miles | 2h 15min | US-191 S to US-163 S |
The nearest commercial airport is Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG), 175 miles south. Most visitors fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX, 310 miles) or Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS, 175 miles) and rent a car. A high-clearance vehicle is helpful for the dirt Valley Drive but not required; standard rental cars complete the loop if driven carefully.
There is no public transit to Monument Valley. A car is essential. If you plan to combine Monument Valley with Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, Page AZ makes the best base; it is 90 miles north and puts all three within a single day's drive.
Entrance fees and park hours (2026)
Entry to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is $10 per person plus $15 per vehicle for the 17-mile Valley Drive. The park is open daily except Thanksgiving, Navajo Nation Family Day (typically early August), Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. The National Parks Annual Pass is not valid here.
- Valley Drive (self-guided): $10/person + $15/vehicle
- Guided jeep tour: from ~$65/adult (1.5 hr), entry fee typically included
- Visitor center overlook only: free (you can see the Mittens from the rim without paying)
Peak season (Apr 1–Sep 30): 7 am–6 pm daily. Off-season (Oct 1–Mar 31): 8 am–4 pm daily. The park operates on Mountain Standard Time year-round, with no daylight saving adjustment. This means the park is in the same time zone as Arizona (which also doesn't observe daylight saving), but one hour behind Utah in summer.
Tickets can be purchased at the visitor center on arrival. Guided tour operators typically collect payment separately. Bring cash as a backup: while the visitor center takes cards, some smaller tour operators work cash only.
What to do: self-drive, tours and hiking
Self-drive Valley Drive loop
The 17-mile Valley Drive is an unpaved dirt road with three designated pullout viewpoints. Pay at the visitor center, then drive at your own pace. At a relaxed pace with stops at all three viewpoints, allow 2–3 hours. High-clearance vehicles are recommended (the road has washboard sections), but passenger cars complete it daily if driven slowly. Check with the visitor center after rain: sections can flood and close temporarily.
The three viewpoints are: the John Ford's Point overlook (the most famous angle on the Mittens), the Merrick Butte viewpoint, and the Three Sisters spires. You stay on the rim road; getting among the formations requires a guide.
Navajo-guided jeep tours
Guided tours are the only way to access formations beyond the three main viewpoints and to get among the buttes rather than looking at them from the road. All guides are Navajo Nation-certified. Open-top 4x4 vehicles carry 8–12 passengers. Tours range from 1.5 hours (highlights only) to full-day mystery valley expeditions (7 hours) that include Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and petroglyph panels.
Monument Valley: 3-Hour Navajo Spirit Group Tour
Open-top 4x4 covers all major formations: Mitten Buttes, Merrick Butte, Three Sisters and John Ford's Point. Entry fee included. Free cancellation.
See the full breakdown of tour types, operators ranked, and Mystery Valley tours in our detailed guides:
Wildcat Trail hike
The Wildcat Trail is the only self-guided hike in the park, no guide required. It is a 4-mile loop that circles around West Mitten Butte, departing from the visitor center parking area. The trail has 380 feet of elevation gain over sandy and rocky terrain. Allow 2–3 hours. It is the best hike in the park for photographers: you get ground-level views of the Mitten from angles the road never provides.
Go early or late: midday in summer means full sun with no shade whatsoever and temperatures above 95°F. Bring at least 2 litres of water. The trail is well-marked with cairns.
Sunrise and sunset
Monument Valley is one of the best sunrise and sunset landscapes in the American Southwest. At low light angles the buttes turn deep red-orange and cast long shadows across the desert floor. The Mitten Buttes face slightly east, which makes sunrise slightly more dramatic than sunset from the visitor center rim. Both directions are excellent. Multiple tour operators run dedicated golden-hour tours that position you among the formations as the light changes.
Where to stay near Monument Valley
The View Hotel is the only accommodation inside the park and has the most dramatic location: rooms face directly toward the Mitten Buttes. Goulding's Lodge (4 miles from the park) is the next best option. Budget travellers stay in Kayenta AZ, 25 miles south, where Hampton Inn and a few independents provide standard options at lower prices.
| Property | Location | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The View Hotel | Inside the park | 4.6★ | Views, sunrises, in-park access |
| Goulding's Lodge | 4 miles from park | 4.4★ | History, restaurant, full service |
| Hampton Inn Kayenta | Kayenta AZ (25 mi) | 4.3★ | Budget, reliable, pool |
| Kayenta Monument Valley Inn | Kayenta AZ (25 mi) | 3.5★ | Budget baseline |
See our full Monument Valley hotel comparison →
Best time to visit Monument Valley
Spring (March-May) and fall (September-October) offer the best combination of comfortable temperatures and ideal light for photography. Mid-March and mid-September are the Mitten Shadow dates, a rare alignment worth planning around. Summer is hot but not unbearable at this elevation; winter brings potential snow closures and near-empty crowds.
| Season | Temp range | Crowds | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar–May) | 50–80°F | Moderate | Best all-round. Mitten Shadow mid-March. Wildflowers possible. |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 75–100°F | Peak | Monsoon storms Jul–Aug (dramatic skies, occasional road closures). Sunrise/sunset tours outstanding. |
| Fall (Sep–Oct) | 55–85°F | Moderate | Best photography. Mitten Shadow mid-September. Storm clouds possible. |
| Winter (Nov–Feb) | 25–60°F | Very low | Possible snow: spectacular but Valley Drive may close. Crisp light, no crowds. |
Monument Valley sits at 5,564 feet (1,696m) elevation, which keeps summer temperatures more manageable than Phoenix or Las Vegas. July daytime highs rarely exceed 100°F. Nights cool dramatically year-round; even in summer, after-midnight temperatures drop to the 60s°F. The monsoon season (July-August) brings brief afternoon thunderstorms that add dramatic storm light to the formations, but can close the Valley Drive temporarily.
The formations: what you're looking at
Monument Valley contains eight named formations visible from the Valley Drive. The most iconic are the East and West Mitten Buttes, paired towers that resemble a pair of mittens from the visitor center viewpoint. Merrick Butte, the Three Sisters, John Ford's Point, Elephant Butte, Camel Butte, and Totem Pole complete the main formations.
- East and West Mitten Buttes: the two most photographed formations, flat-topped sandstone towers with a thumb-like extension on the west side. Together they frame the classic Monument Valley shot from the visitor center and from US-163.
- Merrick Butte: named after James Merrick, a silver prospector killed in the valley in 1880. It sits directly south of the Mittens and is part of the standard Valley Drive loop.
- The Three Sisters: three tall, thin sandstone spires clustered together. Best viewed from a specific angle on the Valley Drive loop. Navajo guides explain the cultural significance: each spire has a name in Diné.
- John Ford's Point: the overlook where director John Ford positioned his camera for six Westerns between 1939 and 1964. The viewpoint gives an elevated angle above the Mittens and is often staffed by Navajo horseback riders offering photos for tips.
- Elephant Butte: a broader, lower formation that resembles an elephant's back. It is the largest butte in the park by volume.
- Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei: slender, isolated spires in the eastern section of the park, only accessible via guided tour. The Totem Pole is a single sandstone needle roughly 1,000 feet tall and just a few feet wide at its base.
Practical tips
Alcohol policy
Alcohol is strictly prohibited throughout the Navajo Nation: this includes Monument Valley, Kayenta, and the surrounding roads. The nearest place to buy alcohol is Mexican Hat, Utah (30 miles north) or Flagstaff, AZ (175 miles south). Plan accordingly if alcohol is part of your trip.
Photography
Photography from the visitor center rim and the Valley Drive pullouts is unrestricted and free. To photograph the formations up close (at ground level, from inside the valley floor) you need to hire a Navajo guide. Some photographers hire a private guide for a 1-1 sunrise or sunset session; operators arrange this directly, typically for $150–$250 for a 2-hour private session.
Drones are strictly prohibited inside the Tribal Park. Enforcement is active.
Mobile signal and offline prep
Mobile signal inside Monument Valley is poor to non-existent. Download Google Maps or Maps.me offline for the Kayenta-Monument Valley-Mexican Hat corridor before you arrive. The visitor center has Wi-Fi, but don't count on streaming navigation once you leave the parking lot.
What to bring
- At least 2 litres of water per person: there is no shade on the Wildcat Trail or Valley Drive
- Sunscreen and a hat: the sun at 5,500 feet is intense even in spring
- Cash as a backup: the visitor center takes cards; some tour stalls are cash only
- A light layer for early morning even in summer, temperatures before sunrise can be in the 50s°F
- High-clearance or AWD helps on the Valley Drive after rain, though not required on dry days
Is Monument Valley in Arizona or Utah?
Both. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park straddles the Arizona-Utah state line. The visitor center and most of the iconic formations are on the Arizona side (Navajo County), but the northern section of the park crosses into Utah. The park is managed by the Navajo Nation, not the state of Arizona or Utah, and not the US National Park Service.
Do you need a National Park Pass for Monument Valley?
No: the America the Beautiful Annual Pass (National Parks Pass) is not accepted at Monument Valley. The park is a Navajo Tribal Park, not federal land. Entry is charged separately: $10 per person plus $15 per vehicle for the 17-mile Valley Drive loop.
Can you visit Monument Valley without a guided tour?
Yes. You can drive the 17-mile Valley Drive loop independently after paying the $10/person entry fee and $15/vehicle charge. The loop has three designated viewpoints. However, getting off the road and among the formations (including closer views of the Mittens, the Three Sisters, and John Ford's Point) requires a licensed Navajo guide. The only self-guided hike is the Wildcat Trail (4-mile loop around West Mitten Butte).
How long does it take to visit Monument Valley?
Allow 2–3 hours for the self-drive loop at a relaxed pace. A 2.5-hour guided jeep tour on top of the loop takes 4–5 hours total. Many visitors combine Monument Valley with Antelope Canyon or Horseshoe Bend as part of a multi-day Arizona road trip, from Page AZ it's only 90 miles (1h 45min).
What is the Mitten Shadow at Monument Valley?
Twice a year, in mid-March and mid-September, the shadow of West Mitten Butte falls exactly across the base of East Mitten Butte at sunrise, creating a perfect mirror shadow. The effect lasts about 15 minutes and is one of Monument Valley's most photographed phenomena. The exact dates shift slightly each year; the Utah's Canyon Country tourism site publishes the specific dates each season.
Is Monument Valley free to enter?
No. The Navajo Tribal Park charges $10 per person for entry plus $15 per vehicle to drive the Valley Drive loop. The visitor center overlook (where you can see the Mittens from the rim) can be reached without paying the loop fee, but access inside the park (self-drive or guided) requires full payment. Guided jeep tours typically include the entry fee in their price; confirm when booking.
Can you hike Monument Valley without a guide?
Only on one trail: the Wildcat Trail, a 4-mile loop that circles around West Mitten Butte. It starts from the visitor center parking area, has 380 feet of elevation gain over sandy and rocky terrain, and takes 2–3 hours. All other hiking (going behind the buttes, into Mystery Valley, or to formation viewpoints not on the loop road) requires a licensed Navajo guide.
What time should I arrive at Monument Valley?
Arrive as early as the park opens (7am in peak season). The Valley Drive lot fills by mid-morning in summer. If you want sunrise photos from the visitor center rim, arrive 30 minutes before first light; the gate is locked overnight, but the rim overlook near the visitor center is sometimes accessible from the road even before the gate opens. Sunset tours are slightly less rushed but book ahead in peak season.
Written by Diego Fresno, Travel writer and independent publisher specialising in the American Southwest. Latest research conducted on location in Page, Arizona during July 2025. Guides are verified quarterly — last review April 2026.. Verified quarterly: last review April 2026. About the author →
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