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Monument Valley.....


chicagochris
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Does anyone know a good way to go, or has tips on going to Monument Valley? I am a avid photographer hobbiest, and will have a video camera as well. I want to take panorama photos and video....The time I have reserved off of work is late August to early September.

 

Thanks, and tips as far as lodging, balloon rides, etc...guides tours, and places to take photos would be great!

 

Chris

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Does anyone know a good way to go, or has tips on going to Monument Valley? I am a avid photographer hobbiest, and will have a video camera as well. I want to take panorama photos and video....The time I have reserved off of work is late August to early September.

 

Thanks, and tips as far as lodging, balloon rides, etc...guides tours, and places to take photos would be great!

 

Chris

 

US 163 runs right through the heart of Monument Valley. Just north of the AZ/UT line is the junction of 163 and Navajo route 42. To the right (when traveling S to N), 42 is the entry to the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. It's a must-stop. The backroad loop through the park, which is just back across the AZ state line, is sandy and unpaved, but accessible in dry weather. It will get you much closer to several of the iconic Monument Valley 'monuments'--the Left and Right Mittens, etc. The park loop road encircles the Totem Pole formation. There is a fee charged, and as it is a Navajo park, NPS passes will NOT get you in free.

Turning left on route 42 takes you to THE iconic place to stay in the area: Goulding's Monument Valley Lodge, Trading Post, and Museum. This is simply the place to stay in the Valley. The original trading post is now a great museum with scads of John Ford western motion picture relics and ephemera. Note that since one is in the middle of the Navajo Nation (reservation), alcohol is neither sold nor permitted at the lodge or anywhere in the area.

Continuing west on route 42 from the lodge area, you can do a backroads loop on 42 to the village of Oljeto and back, crossing the AZ/UT state line several times. This loop gets you up close and personal with Hat Rock, and you will see lots of traditional Navajo ways, including plenty of hogans. Part of this loop is unpaved, but, like the park loop, is passable in dry weather.

Since you are planning to go in late summer, I strongly advise you to do these off-pavement drives early in the day, as the summer monsoon storms build up as the day progresses and you are much more likely to get caught in a thunderstorm in the afternoon.

Also please note that the Navajos, for whatever reason, are not big on road signage. Carry along an accurate map!

And please don't photograph any person of their dwelling without their permission--it is simply rude!

I've truly enjoyed exploring Monument Valley and much of the rest of Navajoland--I hope you will too.

Have a great trip!

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I received the current issue of the AAA Arizona magazine ("Highroads") today, and learned something new: Since my last Monument Valley jaunt (2004), there is a new lodging option right in the heart of the area. According to the magazine, which ranked MV as the #3 Arizona scenic attraction (behind only the Grand Canyon and Canon de Chelly, and notwithstanding the fact that a good chunk of Monument Valley is actually in Utah!), a Navajo-owned hotel called The View opened in 2009.

My sentimental choice would probably still be Goulding's, due to the John Ford/John Wayne/classic film connection that pervades it, but the "chicagochris" might like to know that "(The View) affords a rare photo opportunity when the sun rises between the formations."

The article does not specify, but I would assume that The View is probably located within the boundary of the Tribal Park.

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