The Manual Monument Valley View

New Year's Eve, 1994. I was Roadtripping from Flagstaff, Arizona to Moab, Utah. I'd spent the day before at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The day before that I was in Las Vegas. Before that Southern California.

I was driving my, then new, GMC Safari Van. As I drove along, enjoying the Painted Desert I looked up to see a scene that seemed real familiar. I pulled off the road and got out my van's manual.

The cover of the manual was the view I was looking at through my windshield, which you are looking at in the photo.

This was south of the turn off from Highway 163 that takes you to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

New Year's Eve, 1994 started off on Highway 89 out of Flagstaff. Then east on Highway 160. About 10 miles on to Highway 160 I got off the highway in Tuba City and went to one of the most unique McDonald's I've seen. Since I was in the Navajo Nation it should have come as no surprise to find the McDonald's Navajo themed.

Back on the road the next stop was in Kayenta at a Burger King. I'm sounding like a fast food addict. I had a good reason to stop at the Kayenta Burger King. I'd read there was an interesting museum there. And there was. It was dedicated to the Navajo Code Talkers. A story that had not been widely told at that point in time. This lapse has since been fixed. It was the first I'd learned of how the Navajo Nation had helped America win WWII .

At Kayenta I left Highway 160 behind and head north on 163. It was on 163 I saw my van's manual cover staring at me.

Shortly after leaving the Navajo Nation I came to a bridge across the San Juan River and saw the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat for the first time. I wished I'd stayed there for the night, rather than continuing on to Moab. I didn't make that mistake the next time I was in the area, staying at the San Juan Inn the day I got off a Lake Powell Houseboat.

Daydreaming a Roadtrip to Moab, the Slickrock Trail, Porcupine Rim, Arches, Canyonlands & Mexican Hat

This morning I found myself with no one to talk to, so, I asked myself, of the places I have enjoyed Roadtripping to, where would I go right now, if I could teleport myself to a destination.

Moab was my answer.

In the picture that is me on the left, Big Ed on the right, in the area of the Slickrock Trail.

Moab appeals to me for several reasons. One being the setting. Redrock canyon walls hover over Moab.

I don't know what it is about redrock, but just seeing it makes me very happy.

Moab at night is fun. There are a lot of shops to explore. And very good restaurants. And a brew pub, or two.

Unlike some tourist attractions, casinos in Reno and Las Vegas come to mind, Moab attracts a very healthy bunch of tourists. From all over the world people come to Moab to ride the world famous bike trails, like the Slickrock Trail and Porcupine Rim Trail.

I have mountain biked both the Slickrock Trail and Porcupine Rim Trail. Porcupine Rim Trail is the hardest I have ever biked. Exhausting. Incredible. But exhausting.

I am not alone in appreciating the charms of Moab. I read a book called Ghostrider by Neal Peart of the Canadian rock band, Rush. He waxed poetic about Moab being one of those rare tourist towns that you can't help but love.

The entry to Arches National Park is just a short distance north of Moab, Canyonlands National Park's Islands in the Sky district is a short distance further. A little further, to the south, is my favorite place to stay in Utah, the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat. From Mexican Hat it is a short distance further south, to Arizona and Monument Valley. The treacherous Moki Dugway is just a short distance north and west of Mexican Hat.

In other words, Moab is close to a lot of my favorite places on the planet.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

I've Roadtripped to Monument Valley three times, with 2 of those roadtrippings entering Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Both times the weather was stormy. So, my pictures of Monument Valley do not have that turquoise sky contrasting with redrock look that most Monument Valley pictures have.

There are a lot of pictures of Monument Valley. It's one of the most photographed locations on the planet with some of the most iconic images, made famous in movies, like Stagecoach and in a lot of commercials.

Both visits to the Navajo Tribal Park were during roadtrips that included Houseboating on Lake Powell. The San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat was where we stayed the night before both visits. On the first visit, after Monument Valley, the roadtrip went on to Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite, then home. The direction was different after the second visit to Monument Valley, we went north to Moab and Arches National Park, then to Colorado and a night in Silverton, then on to Taos, eventually ending up in Vegas, again.

The Monument Valley scenery is good as you drive Highway 163. It was on my first roadtrip through Monument Valley that I did not exit 163 to enter Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which is sort of a Navajo Nation National Park, to visit the visitors center and drive the scenic drive and see the iconic images up close.

At the Monument Valley exit from Highway 163 you'll find both sides of the road lined with Navajo selling some pretty interesting stuff, much of it handmade. The Navajo Trading Posts are a fun stop all over this zone.

To enter Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park there is an entry fee of $5 per person, kids under 9 free. You pay an additional fee for a camping or hiking permit. If you are a Native American you get in for free.
You can drive yourself on the scenic drive through the park. The drive is a slow 17 miles over some rough dirt road. If you don't want to drive there are several tour options available. The drive yourself option seems funner to me. As you drive the drive you come upon hogans occupied by Navajo, living as they always have.

The Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park's Visitor Center is very well done, part museum, part viewing platform, part snack bar, part souvenir stand.

The Navajo Nation has built a new lodging option, called The View Hotel. The view from The View Hotel is the classic iconic Monument Valley scene.