Monument Valley is a cornerstone of any trip to the Southwest and a uniquely American icon. There is something magical about the towering buttes dotted across the desert landscape. Most people visit as part of a longer trip, but how many days should you allot for Monument Valley?
One day is enough to see Monument Valley, but it is best if you can catch a sunrise and a sunset because there isn’t anywhere else that compares. In one day, you can drive the Monument Valley 17-mile Loop Road, check out the visitor center and viewpoint, hike the Wildcat Trail, and visit Goulding’s.
I’m Cheryl, and my husband, Matt, and I spend 70 days a year exploring the West and writing guides to make trip planning easy for fellow travelers. We have a guide for Monument Valley, and today we want to share with you the exact itinerary we give our friends and family.
IMPORTANT: The North Rim of the Grand Canyon recently experienced extensive damage due to a forest fire and will remain closed throughout the 2025 travel season. Visit the NPS Site for more up-to-date information.
Monument Valley straddles the Utah-Arizona border. It’s fairly small and located in the flat desert – some great viewpoints are located outside the park. It’s located on Highway 163 and is most often visited by travelers moving between Page, Arizona (home of Antelope Canyon), and Moab, Utah (home of Arches & Canyonlands National Parks). It’s also part of the Four Corners region, which has several Native American national park sites, such as Canyon de Chelly (1.5 hrs away) and Mesa Verde National Park (2 hrs away).
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This is a small park with one entrance road, one self-guided scenic loop drive, one self-guided hike, and one restaurant. The View Hotel, the visitor center, and the Trading Post are all in one building. All these attractions are within walking distance of one another, and one parking lot serves the whole area.
TO AVOID CONFUSION: The official name of the area is Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, managed by the Navajo Nation. The main attraction, a scenic drive through the park, is known as the Monument Valley 17-Mile Loop Drive. For simplicity, in this blog post, we’ll refer to the entire area as Monument Valley and the scenic route as The Loop Drive.
Monument Valley is almost always visited as part of a larger Southwest trip. The Grand Circle is a wonderful 11 to 17-day road trip and includes the Grand Canyon, Utah’s national parks, and Monument Valley.
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This itinerary is written for the first-time visitor who wants to see the park properly and enjoys a bit of variety as well. We’ll also share where we like to eat and stay, and give you a few insider tips that only regulars know.
Because there are so many cool things to do near Monument Valley, we’ll recommend a few other outside-the-park things to do.
BEST ACTIVITY: Monument Valley 17-mile Loop Drive
BEST PLACE TO STAY: The View Hotel and Cabins
BEST PLACE TO EAT: San Juan Cafe in Mexican Hat, UT
BEST HISTORIC SITE: Goulding’s
BEST OUTSIDE THE PARK ACTIVITY: Navajo National Monument
We really hope that your one day in Monument Valley includes a one-night stay because the sunrises and sunsets are some of the prettiest we have ever seen. We’ll lay this out starting in the morning, but you can switch the order if you arrive the night before.
Watch a sunrise from the observation deck at the visitor center. It is the best place in the park to see it! You’ll see buttes, mittens, and expansive desert scenery. You may even see a wild horse roaming around. It really is magical!
After the sunrise, spend a few minutes checking out the displays inside the visitor center. There is also a Trading Post there that has all sorts of Navajo crafts. We bought a Kachina Warrior and love it.
Hike the Wildcat Trail. 4 miles round trip, easy. This trail will take you among the cool rock formations and you get to hike around East Mitten Butte. We enjoy a good desert hike in the morning and liked this hike. It’s important to know that the trail is exposed and really sandy. If you enjoy hiking, go for it. If you don’t, it’s ok to skip it. Remember, the best views of Monument Valley are from the observation deck at the visitor center.
Loop Drive. Now you get to experience the reason you came to Monument Valley, to drive among the buttes and mittens on the 17-mile scenic drive. The scenery will not disappoint. It’s the most memorable activity to do here, and I can’t wait to drive it again.
Here are a few things you need to know before you get started:
Along the way, there are a few stops you can make. There are several spur roads that lead to viewpoints. They are all great! There are also a few roadside shops that sell souvenirs and snacks. The biggest stop is
John Ford Point. This is a viewpoint named after the famed movie director, John Ford, who filmed several movies here. It’s a cool ledge to walk out on, providing great photo ops. You can pay $10 to get your photo taken on the horse named John Wayne Spirit. It’s certainly cheesy, but Matt just had to do it!
Goulding’s Lodge is your next stop. This is outside the park, just 5 minutes outside the park entrance. There is a free museum that has exhibits about the area’s filmmaking history. It’s fun to see all the different movies filmed here and pictures of famous actors. There is also a building called the John Wayne Cabin. It’s not named that because he stayed there. It was featured in one of his movies as his home. You can walk inside to learn about it.
GOOD TO KNOW: You can grab a Navajo Taco (Indian frybread) from the Stagecoach Restaurant onsite if you are hungry (but we like them better at the San Juan Cafe).
Forrest Gump Viewpoint. This is the famous spot where Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) decides he’s finally done running and starts to walk home in the movie Forrest Gump. As you drive on Highway 163, signs mark the location of the viewpoint, with a pullout for parking. Be careful here as both a driver and photographer – people run into the road to get that famous picture.
13 done‑for‑you road trip itineraries across the West so you know exactly where to go, how long to stay, and what to see.
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The big thing to do tonight is to watch a sunset. The next activities listed are optional and may be better to do on your way into or out of the park. Check the sunset times and make sure you are back half an hour before the sun sets so you have time to enjoy.
San Juan Cafe. Drive 30 minutes north to Mexican Hat, UT, where you can get the BEST Navajo Taco in the area. It has great views of the San Juan River, too.
FUN FACT: The town of Mexican Hat gets its name from a sombrero-shaped rock formation on the edge of town. The rock formation is 60 feet wide and perfectly balanced.
Muley Point Overlook. This is seriously one of the best overlooks we’ve ever seen. You’ll see Monument Valley far in the distance and a spectacular winding canyon right in front of you. The landscape is surprisingly green, at least when we visited (September). It’s about 35 minutes northwest of Mexican Hat. To get there, take Route 163 North and up the Moki Dugway (these are some awesome switchbacks with great views), and drive on a dirt road (it should be passable for cars). There are actually two viewpoints – we thought the second one was a little better. Just keep driving to the end, and you can’t miss it.
Sunset. We are sure that Muley Point would be an awesome sunset spot, but our favorite is just the observation deck at the visitor center. Other good options include the deck and dining room at the View Hotel (go for the views, not the food).
Although we didn’t mention tours in the itinerary, we did want to mention that Monument Valley has some wonderful tours available. Jeep tours, horseback riding tours, photography tours, and cultural tours are all offered. These tours will take you on the Loop Drive but will also take you to places that visitors aren’t allowed to go without a tour.
All tours are given by members of the Navajo Nation. You can book them on their website. We used Dineh Bekeyah Tours and had a wonderful experience (we paid for the tour on our dime- our opinions are our own!) We traveled in an open-air truck with really comfy seats (much smoother than when we drove it in our Sequoia). We saw arches and hidden coves along the way, and she took us to some special places, including a Navajo village with Hogans (mud houses). The highlight was when she took us to the Bird’s Eye (a cool rock formation) and played the flute for us.
It was ~$85 per adult and lasted ~4 hours. We enjoyed hearing about the Navajo culture from an actual member of the tribe. We didn’t love the mandatory shopping stop. This tour was a sunset tour, and we were expecting to go to some magical place to watch the sunset. She brought us back to the parking lot, where she picked us up for the tour, because that really is the best spot to watch it.
The Monument Valley area has many other cool things to do! One of our favorites is Navajo National Monument. It’s an hour outside the park, a short detour if you are coming from or heading to Page, AZ. This is a wonderful national park site preserving ancient cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloans. These are some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the Southwest. The monument features three main ruins: Betatakin, Keet Seel, and Inscription House, though only Betatakin and Keet Seel are accessible to visitors. Read more at How to Visit the Cliff Dwellings at Navajo National Monument.
Other cool things to see in the area include
GOOD TO KNOW: We cover all of these sites in our Monument Valley Itinerary
There are very few places to stay when visiting Monument Valley. Here’s what you need to know:
Monument Valley. If you can, stay at The View Hotel or Cabins. You have incredible views from your room. It’s within walking distance to everything in the park. We stayed in the cabins and loved it. One of my favorite memories was waking up in the morning and sitting on our private deck to watch the sunrise. Our cabin also had a full kitchen, so we could prepare our own food. It was a bit pricey ~$300 a night, but it was worth it. You can book your stay at monumentvalleyview.com. They also have an RV park.
Goulding’s (book here). Located just 5 minutes outside of Monument Valley, this is a good backup option. You’ll see the buttes in the distance, and it has more amenities, such as a pool.
San Juan Inn (book here). Located in Mexican Hat, 30 minutes outside of Monument Valley, is a basic hotel that’s a little older, but it’s clean and located in a cool spot between the San Juan River and a tall red rock cliff. The San Juan Cafe is next door.
Blanding, Utah. Blanding has a few small hotels and motels that will do for a night if needed, as you transition through this region. It’s 1 hr 20 minutes from Monument Valley.
Kayenta, Arizona. Kayenta is located 30 minutes south of Monument Valley and offers several chain hotel options.
Get our done‑for‑you, 11‑17 day route with exact drives, maps, and must‑see stops so you don’t waste time in traffic or miss the best views.
Inside the guide:
*Day‑by‑day plan for the Grand Canyon, Utah’s Parks, and
Monument Valley
*Exact times, routes, and photo stops
*Includes audio stories to listen to as you drive
*Best Friend Guarantee: Love it or get your money back
You visit Monument Valley for the views, not the food. None of it is terrible, but we prepared our own food when we could. The View Hotel has a restaurant that gets poor reviews. We had the breakfast buffet there and thought it was ok and we enjoyed the views.
Gouldings has the Stage Coach Restaurant, which gets higher reviews. Our kids enjoyed the chicken strips.
Kayenta, AZ and Blanding, UT also have a few places to choose from.
Our top pick is the San Juan Cafe in Mexican Hat, UT. Get the Navajo Taco- it’s really good!
Monument Valley is open year-round, but the best times to visit are spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) when the weather is mild. Summer can be very hot (over 100 degrees!), but mornings and evenings are pleasant. Winter visits are less crowded but can be cold and windy.
–What to Wear. It will most likely be hot when you visit. A hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses are a must! We found we were most comfortable in flip-flops (unless hiking) because of all the sand. Bring a jacket after the sun sets. It gets cool in the desert.
–What to Bring. A good water bottle and your camera. This is one of
the most scenic places in the world! Check out our recommended gear.
–For Your Safety. Bring salty sacks too! It’s amazing how much you sweat in
the desert and your electrolytes need to be replenished, too.
–Road Conditions. The only paved road in Monument Valley is the road leading into the park. Though regular vehicles are allowed, a high-clearance,
4-wheel drive vehicle would be the most comfortable.
–Cell Phone Service. This is a remote area. Don’t count on
having great reception or any at all!
–Services Within the Park. There is a gift shop and a restaurant. There are no gas stations.
The closest international airports to Monument Valley are Durango–La Plata County Airport (DRO)– Durango, Colorado; Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) – Salt Lake City, Utah; or the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – Phoenix, Arizona.
Most people visit Monument Valley as part of a larger road trip. It’s common to see Monument Valley between Page, AZ (home to Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Lake Powell) and Moab, UT (home to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks). You can either take Route 191 from Moab, UT (~2.5 hr drive) or Route 98/160 from Page, AZ (~2 hr drive).
Monument Valley is truly incredible. We hope that this blog post has been a good resource to help you start planning your trip.
If you want to make planning your trip to Monument Valley or the Grand Circle (Grand Canyon, Utah’s National Parks, and Monument Valley) a breeze, check out our easy-to-follow, step-by-step itinerary.
Itinerary includes:
Grand Canyon Beginner’s Guide: Itinerary + Lodging & Tips
Zion National Park Trip Planner
22 Absolute Best Things To Do in Kanab Utah (+ Where to Eat & Stay)
How to Visit the Four Corners: Perfect 7-Day Itinerary
One Perfect Day in Petrified Forest National Park
How to Visit Canyon De Chelly National Monument: One-Day Itinerary
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