Things to Do in Monument Valley
The one thing everyone should do in Monument Valley is drive the 17-mile Valley Drive — a rough dirt loop, 4WD recommended, that winds past the iconic Mittens, Merrick Butte, and John Ford’s Point over about 2 to 3 hours. Beyond that loop, the must-dos are catching sunrise or sunset over the buttes from The View, taking a Navajo-guided tour into the backcountry that the self-drive road never reaches, and stopping at Forrest Gump Point on Highway 163 for the most photographed road view in the Southwest. Entry to the Navajo Tribal Park runs about $8 to $10 per person as of the January 2026 fee increase.
Prefer a guided trip? Navajo-led tours are the only way into the backcountry beyond the Valley Drive:
Drive the 17-mile Valley Drive
The self-guided Valley Drive is the classic Monument Valley experience and the only part of the park you can explore without a Navajo guide. It’s a 17-mile unpaved loop starting behind the visitor center, and it is genuinely rough — deep sand, washboard ruts, and steep dips mean a high-clearance or 4WD vehicle is strongly recommended, though careful drivers in a regular car often make it in dry weather. Budget 2 to 3 hours to hit all 11 marked stops, including Elephant Butte, the Three Sisters, and John Ford’s Point, the overlook named for the director who shot nine Westerns here.
Watch the light change from The View
The Mittens and Merrick Butte are the postcard shot, and the best free vantage is the terrace at the visitor center and The View Hotel, which sits right on the rim facing east. That east-facing angle means sunrise is the signature moment — the low sun sets the sandstone on fire — but sunset light raking across the buttes is nearly as good. The View is the only hotel inside the park, so staying a night gets you both the sunrise and the dark-sky stargazing after the day-trippers leave.
Take a Navajo-guided backcountry tour
The single-road Valley Drive only scratches the surface. The most striking parts of Monument Valley — Mystery Valley’s arches and ruins, the Totem Pole spire, Hunts Mesa, and the ancient petroglyph panels — are all in restricted backcountry that you can only enter with a licensed Navajo guide. Guided trips run roughly $65 for a 1.5-hour loop tour up to $95 or more for half-day highlights tours with backcountry access, and they double as a cultural walk, since the guides are Diné who live on the land and explain its meaning firsthand.
Stop at Forrest Gump Point
About 13 miles north of the park on U.S. Highway 163, near mile marker 13 on the Utah side, is the dead-straight stretch of road where Tom Hanks stops running in Forrest Gump. It’s free, it’s a quick roadside pull-off, and it delivers the valley-framed-by-highway shot that’s become one of the most recognizable images of the American West. Go early — it’s a narrow shoulder on a live highway and it gets crowded by mid-morning.
What most people get wrong: it’s not a national park
The biggest misconception is that Monument Valley is a national park. It’s the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, owned and run by the Navajo Nation — so your America the Beautiful pass does not work here, you pay the tribal entry fee instead, and the park sets its own hours (shorter in winter). The second mistake is thinking the self-drive loop shows you everything. It doesn’t. The most photogenic formations are off-limits without a Navajo guide, so if you have only an hour and skip the guided tour, you’re seeing maybe a third of what makes this place extraordinary.
How long do you need at Monument Valley?
Plan on at least 2 to 3 hours to drive the full 17-mile Valley Drive with photo stops. To add a guided backcountry tour and catch sunrise or sunset, stay overnight at The View or in nearby Kayenta or Mexican Hat.
Can you drive through Monument Valley yourself?
Yes — the 17-mile Valley Drive is a self-guided dirt loop open to visitors. It’s rough and sandy, so a high-clearance or 4WD vehicle is recommended. The backcountry beyond the loop requires a licensed Navajo guide.
Is Monument Valley worth visiting?
For most travelers, yes. The buttes are among the most iconic landscapes on Earth, and even a couple of hours on the Valley Drive plus a stop at Forrest Gump Point is memorable. It’s a natural add-on to a Utah–Arizona road trip near Bryce, Lake Powell, and the Grand Canyon.
How much does it cost to enter Monument Valley?
Entry to the Navajo Tribal Park is roughly $8 to $10 per person as of the January 2026 fee increase, separate from any guided tour cost. It’s a tribal fee, so national park passes are not accepted.
Is Monument Valley in Utah or Arizona?
Both — it straddles the state line. The visitor center and The View Hotel are on the Arizona side, while Forrest Gump Point and the town of Oljato-Monument Valley sit just across in Utah.
Keep planning your trip: 7-Day Utah Road Trip
