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Tips for Visiting Monument Valley With Kids

Chances are you’ve seen this distinctive landscape as a symbol of the American Wild West and as a backdrop to many western and contemporary movies. We visited Monument Valley one Spring Break and found there was so much more to these rock formations than what road trippers see along the highway. Read on for our guide and tips for visiting Monument Valley with kids.

Monument Valley Highway 163

Navajo Nation Land

Come along with us on our self-guided drive around this Navajo Tribal Park and see why it’s been called “Where the Earth Meets the Sky”. Many people see this popular and spectacular view along Highway 163. The tribal park is actually within the sovereign Navajo Nation land.

The Navajo Nation is one of the largest North American Indian tribes with a reservation that extends through three states. Monument Valley is over 91,000 acres and covers parts of Arizona and Utah.

The Navajo people considered this area a sacred place. The rock formations were like altars for worshipping and where they left gifts.

They have their native names but were given English names over the years to make it easier for visitors. Millions of years of wind and water erosion created Monument Valley’s unique sandstone rock formations.

Monument Valley

Do a Self Guided Drive

The most popular way to see the valley is through a self-guided drive tour through a 17-mile (27 km) loop. We also did a very interesting safari and cultural tour with one of the Navajo guides the following day and went to some areas not accessible to the public.

It took a bit of an imagination to see images and understand the names of these rock formations. But, look closely and you may see something else. My kids loved staring into these formations and trying to figure out what they resembled.

East and West Mitten Buttes were two of the first formations that we saw from our drive. They looked like hands and mittens. Buttes (pronounced byo͞ots) are rock towers with flat tops.

Monument Valley Mitten Buttes

We also became well-acquainted with the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. This was our view from our hotel room balcony.

Monument Valley Mitten Buttes

We stayed for one night at the aptly named The View Hotel where all of its 95 rooms had balconies facing the valley and this panorama. We loved hanging out in our balcony and just taking in this incredible beauty and especially the sunrise. This is the best hotel to stay when visiting this area.

Monument Valley Sunrise

Doing the Scenic Monument Valley Drive

The road through the valley was an unpaved red dirt road that started by the Visitor Center parking lot. Many reviews I’ve read recommended to have a 4×4 car and/or an elevated car. But, we also saw many regular sedans and passenger cars touring.

We had a VW Passat rental car and drove fine here. Just make sure you stay on the designated roads and drive slowly.

Monument Valley road

One of the most prominent monuments here was Elephant Butte. This one took us awhile to get and needed the help of our Navajo guide the following day. Can you see a huge elephant here?

Monument Valley Elephant Butte

The Three Sisters formation was supposed to look like a Catholic nun facing two students.

Monument Valley Three Sisters

John Ford’s Point was a small lookout area with Navajo people selling jewelry and souvenirs. It had a great vantage point of one portion of the valley.

We were lucky enough to catch one of the natives on horseback reminiscent of an American western movie scene. They named this area for director, John Ford, who made many of these western movies.

Monument Valley cowboy John Ford's POint

Rain God Mesa

We had to drive around the Rain God Mesa, a massive rock formation. It reminded us of those giant monoliths inside Zion National Park. I’ve always found it fascinating how these rock surfaces looked so smooth.

They named mesas (Spanish for table) because of their wide and almost flat appearance. The first stages of erosion resulted in mesas, which further eroded to become buttes.

Monument Valley Rainbow God Mesa

My kids desperatedly wanted to walk on this sand dune but it was too far away. But, they did get their chance the next day.

Monument Valley Sand dunes

When butte rock formations undergo further erosion, they transform into tall, narrow formations called spires. We saw the Totem Pole spire from a distance standing tall.

Monument Valley Totem Poles

Artist Point

One of our favorite stops was at Artist’s Point. This was such a great area to really see the almost otherworldly landscape of Monument Valley.

We spent some time here where one could really feel the valley’s serenity and clearly understood why the Native Americans revered this land. I could almost picture an artist sitting here capturing this scenery.

Monument Valley Artist Point

Dramatic landscapes and sceneries like this always inspire my kids to do these jump shots.

Monument Valley with kids

The North Window

Our last stop on our drive was North Window. This was the spot to see the valley’s northern view. From afar, this area really looked like a window between two large buttes of rock.

Monument Valley North View

Don’t miss the Hogan Village near the visitor’s center. There were a few Hogans (Navajo homes) here for visitors to explore. The cone and round-shaped structures were made of cedar branches and other natural materials and covered with red-orange mud.

It was very interesting to see how these structures were made. The kids loved exploring the interior. Many of these are still around and mainly used for ceremonial purposes.

Monument Valley Hogan

The Forrest Gump Road

For anyone who has ever seen the very popular Forrest Gump movie, Monument Valley provided a lovely backdrop for the main character’s run. There is a small made-up marker outside the park near Mile 13 on Highway 163 heading from Arizona to Utah. It showed where Forrest Gump ended his run including some running shoes as a tribute.

Monument Valley Forrest Gump sign

We absolutely loved our visit to Monument Valley and highly recommend it. There was such a sense of tranquility and spirituality to this whole area.

There weren’t that many people here on a March weekend but were told it gets pretty crowded during the summer months. So, if you’re road tripping across the American Southwest, be sure to take some time to explore this unique park.

Monument Valley landscape

Visiting Monument Valley Basics and Tips

  • Entrance Fee: $8 per person per day. Children 7 and under are free. 
  • National Park passes are not accepted here since this is not affiliated with the US government Parks and is inside the Navajo Nation land.
  • Hiking is available on the 3.3 mile (5.3 km) loop Wildcat Trail. This walk goes around the West Mitten Butte.
  • Lodging: The View Hotel is the only lodging inside the park. We enjoyed our stay here. There is also a campground and RV parking within the park. Gouldings Lodge by the highway also has lodging.
  • Places to Eat: There aren’t that many restaurants in this area. We ate at The View Restaurant within the hotel and Goulding’s Stagecoach Dining Room which both had great panoramic views. Be sure to try their Navajo Taco and Green Chile Stew.
  • Tours can be booked with a variety of Navajo operators. There’s a stand outside the visitor’s center.
  • Bring snacks and water. There are no concession stands along the drive.
  • The Valley drive loop will take about 1.5 – 2 hours and also dependent on how long one stays at each stop. Since we take a lot of poses and photos, we were here about 2.5 hours.

Have you visited or passed through Monument Valley?

monument valley with kids

38 thoughts on “Tips for Visiting Monument Valley With Kids”

  1. Mary, This is a spot in the U.S. that I haven’t been. As always, your photos definitely inspire me to go! Thanks for linking up with #Wkendtravelinspiration!

  2. Amazing photos! I’ve been living in AZ for the past year and Its been a blast exploring the American Southwest. It’s magical!

    Lo- traveltheunbeatenpath.com

  3. This is such a surreal area. Having seen the landscape in so many western movies I hardly consider it to be real at all. It is truly fantastic. Love the native on horseback shot – that is surreal too! I nearly forgot to mention the fantastic photos you spoil us with every week.

  4. Interesting. I love the Southwest of the US, but only for a time, then the long flat distances seem to feel a bit much. Fantastic shot of your daughter jumping. Thanks for linking up on Weekend Travel Inspiration.

  5. I have looked long and hard at the photo of the Elephant Butte and I just can’t see an elephant!Monument valley is really picturesque, I would love to visit. Fun fact-The Swahili word for table is meza.

  6. I’d love to visit this place. That photo with the horseman really captures the feel of the place. I had no idea that spires come from buttes which come from mesas. You taught me something. The formations really do resemble the names that they’ve been given. I’m looking forward to reading about the guided tour you took.

    1. Thanks Michele! Working on the guided tour post now. I think you’d really like this place. No long road trip here. We flew to Durango, Colorado and drove 3 hours to here – very easy drive. Durango is also 30 min from Mesa Verde NP so it worked out.

  7. I love Monument Valley!! We stayed and ate in nearby Kayenta because we really didn’t plan ahead. Mittens were my favorite rock formation, and Cube.

  8. The desert is the one major kind of landscape that I’ve never explored. These pictures are beautiful, but they hardly seem real to me – it looks like it might as well be on another planet.

  9. This is one part of the U.S. that we have been talking about going to visit and haven’t as of yet. It’s incredible all the different landscape rock formations out there. What a great place to go with the family and take wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

  10. I’ve never been to Monument Valley – now I’m dying to go! Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t believe the wonderful view from your hotel room. Thanks for sharing this adventure.

  11. Sophie @ Sophie's World

    Extraordinary landscape and stunning photos, Mary. This SOunds like a nice and easy road trip. I’ve been in Arizona in July before – unbearable, but the autumn holidays (Sep/Oct) would probably have perfect temperatures, no?

  12. I’d love to have sat with your kids and squinted into the sunlight and take turns to guess what each formation was. What fun! And again your photos kick some butt. Thanks for joining #SundayTraveler again.

  13. Wow! Great pictures! I grew up not too far from Monument Valley and visited often, but I never get tired of seeing that landscape. This post was great, but I’m really looking forward to reading about your experience with the guide. There is so much beauty, meaning and history in the Navajo culture, and a guide will bring all of that to life in what, on the surface, seems to be a desolate place. If anyone reading hasn’t been sure about going…go! You will be amazed. Great post – thanks for sharing!

  14. I have yet to visit and missed it on my trip last week – the closest I’ve been in a while. Fortunately those views aren’t going anywhere. BEAUTIFUL photos.

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