A Monumental Time in Monument Valley!

Leg 9 – Monument Valley

06/11/2023 – 06/17/2023

Our travels are going to take us east just a bit so we can visit Monument Valley before heading up to Moab. This “monumental” valley is located in Navajo Nation and straddles the Arizona and Utah state line. It is an iconic symbol of the west and has been featured as a backdrop in over 50 movies. Can you name a few?

I was extremely excited to finally visit Monument Valley. I have seen several movies and many photographs with these magnificent buttes, spires and mesas and could not wait to see them with my own eyes. As we left Kayenta and headed north on US-163 I waited, with great anticipation, to get my first peek of this infamous landscape. The road consisted of long straight-aways with a turn every now and then. When we reached the next turn in the road, I was looking and wondering, “Is this the turn that will reveal what we have travelled so far to see?” They finally came into view and WOW!

Goosenecks State Park

We continued on to Goosenecks State Park where we planned to spend the week camping on the side of a cliff with a view of the San Juan River below. The main reason I chose Goosenecks was because when you are “out west” the thing to do is boondock. I saw all these fabulous pictures of fellow RVers raving about the views and awesomeness of this park. It was also close to Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods. All the boxes were checked.  We disconnected the jeep, drove along the rim to scout the perfect spot and then set up camp with awesome 360º views! I got the mat and chairs out preparing to sit outside and soak it all in.

And then the wind…

That’s when the winds started… I’m talking about what must have been 50+ mph winds. The chairs blew over, the mat blew away and MORE dust was being blown into the coach. ☹ So… the chairs and mat were folded up and put under the coach. We went inside, closed all the windows and waited for the winds to die down. We waited…. And waited…. And waited. They continued all night. The coach was shaking back and forth pretty good. As I was trying to go to sleep, I got this crazy idea that these raging winds would roll our home over the side of the cliff. LOL Obviously that didn’t happen, but the winds were that crazy!

The next morning, we went out for a ride and on the way back in we asked the ranger if those types of winds were normal? Yes, yes they are. Hmmm, this may not be such a great place for us to camp. Even though the views were great, we could not really be outside to enjoy them. By the third day I was going stir crazy. I could not go outside because of the wind and dust. There was no sewing because we did not have shore power. The blog was current. I finished my book and was tired of reading. Basically all I could do was sit and work on a crochet project. Borrrrrring… I was sooooo tired of sitting inside and so was Bill. What do we do? We’ll get to that in a little bit… Meanwhile let’s see what we did in Monument Valley.

Monument Valley Area

Monument Valley is located in Navajo Nation. Navajo Nation is the largest land area held by a Native American Tribe in the US. It is about 30,000 square miles, covers about 1/3 of the Colorado Plateau and is home to almost 174,000 Navajo tribe members. It spreads across parts of NE Arizona, NW New Mexico and SE Utah.

Monument Valley

The day finally arrives where we get to see and experience the fabulous landscape up close. My excitement level is at a 10! Before we reached the park though, we had to stop at Forrest Gump Hill and snap a pic from that famous scene in the movie.

Forrest Gump Hill

There are numerous pull-outs along US-163 that offer fabulous views of this iconic scene with signs cautioning against stepping into the center of the well-travelled road to capture the perfect shot. I wanted to be satisfied with the picture from the side of the road but my inner perfectionist would not accept it. A long stretch of straight road with a reduced speed limit of 45MPH? I decided to risk it and go to the middle of the highway and get my shot. What do you think? The risk was minimal and it was totally worth it. 😉

Monument Valley Tribal Park

Driving out to the park, we crossed back over into Arizona. While the “monuments” are in both Utah and Arizona, the park and scenic drive are in Arizona. There are several ways to see and experience the Monument Valley Tribal Park: by car on the 15-mile scenic drive or by guided tour where you are taken into restricted areas of the park only accessible by the Navajo. We opted for the scenic drive that could be completed in approximately 2 hours. There are also two hikes; one around West Mitten and another to Mitchell Mesa.

Before starting the drive, we stopped into the visitor center and admired the beautiful Native American art, pottery and jewelry. There was also a small museum that gave us a glimpse of Navajo life and a larger display dedicated to the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII.

Navajo Code Talkers

The Navajo worked with the Marines to develop over 200 terms for the English alphabet, general vocabulary, equipment, ranks of officers, countries, etc. This code was the most sophisticated, accurate and secure means of military communication during WWII. Without the ability to send these cryptic communications, the US efforts in the Pacific would have been greatly hindered.

Windtalkers, a movie made in 2002, told the story of the Navajo Code Talkers. Bill and I watched the movie the night before we drove to Monument. The main character in the movie is Ben Yazzie. He was part of the 382^nd Platoon, the first all-Native American, all Navajo platoon in the history of the Marines. This is a picture of the real men who made up that platoon. We believe Ben is 3rd from the left on the 2nd row.

The Scenic Drive

It is now time to take that scenic drive. “Scenic” is an understatement. Breathtaking, spectacular, dramatic… all could be used to describe this 15-mile drive. The dirt road winds down from the visitor center to the valley floor. The first pull-out is a view of the West and East Mitten Buttes. The road then continues to John Ford’s Point, named after the famous director who filmed many of his movies here including Stagecoach, the movie that made John Wayne famous. After John Ford’s Point, the road becomes one way and we make our way around the Rain God Mesa then back to the Totem Poles and out to the Code Talker Outpost. It ends with a view through the North Window Overlook and “The Thumb”. We literally felt like we were riding through a post card. I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

This place should be on everyone’s list of “must-see” destinations!

Lunch?

When we were driving through Kayenta earlier in the week, on our way to Monument Valley, I noticed a little café with a sign saying “The World Famous Amigo Cafe” and we had a little giggle over it. The place was deserted and looked a little run down from the highway. Well, while I was avoiding the winds out at Goosenecks, I started reading some blogs on Monument Valley. A couple of those blogs listed the Amigo Café as a place you must try out. That’s all I needed, a good review and some mouthwatering pictures.

I googled the restaurant to look at their menu and that’s when I discovered that Robert Irvine did an episode of Restaurants Impossible here last fall. Even better! After we finished the scenic drive, I slyly asked Bill if he wanted to go get a Navajo taco. It didn’t matter that it was 30 miles in the opposite direction, which Bill did not realize until we were over halfway there. Hahahaha.

The trip to Kayenta for Navajo tacos was SO worth it! It seems they were closed the day we drove by because today the parking lot was full! The inside of the restaurant was fresh and lively. The staff was very friendly and the food was excellent! We ordered the Elote Dip with freshly made chicharrons and each of us had a Navajo taco. Let’s just say we did not need dinner that evening.

Check out their Facebook page and if you are ever in Kayenta stop in at the Amigo Cafe for a bite to eat. You will not be disappointed.

Valley of the Gods

How lucky are we? Located just a short 15-minute drive from camp is Valley of the Gods. Valley of the Gods is like a mini-Monument Valley. It is on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land and just north of Mexican Hat UT. There is a 17-mile loop through the valley and several hiking trails. The road conditions are good and accessible by passenger car when dry but worsen with rain. But hey, we got a jeep, we can go anywhere. LOL

The loop travels through a valley and passes by many sandstone monoliths and pinnacles. The views are AMAZING in every direction and the vibrant yellow wildflowers were an added treat. If you like dispersed camping, this would be an excellent place to do it. Our coach would not make it back here, but we saw many travel trailers and fifth wheels enjoying the awesomeness of this area.

Finding Formations in the Rocks

Since the valley was so close to camp, we drove through it twice, once in the late afternoon and once in the early morning. It is crazy how different some of the formations looked when they were lit with the morning sun vs. the afternoon sun and and viewed from a different angle. For example, on the afternoon drive this formation looked like a hand coming out of the ground but on the morning drive it looked like a llama.

We had a great time studying the formations and coming up with our own names for them, kind of like looking at the sky and finding images in the cloud formations. These are our some of our named formations:

Two, however, we thought were named appropriately. LOL

Monument Valley is checked off the bucket list and it was unforgettable! We have had our fill of wind and dust and have decided to head an hour north to the Manti-La Sal National Forest for some cooler temps and a change of scenery.  (We will also be one hour closer to Moab!!)

A Change of Scenery

After spending the last two weeks in the hot sun and dust, it was nice to be parked under the shady trees at Devils Canyon Campground in the Manti-La Sal National Forest which is located right off US-191 between Blanding and Monticello UT. The drive up was another gorgeous ride. I have to say, Utah has probably become one of my favorite states. Everywhere we have been so far has been phenomenal! And we haven’t even been to Zion or Bryce yet! Devils Canyon will be our home for the next 3 days. While here we will visit Natural Bridges National Monument and The Needles section of Canyonlands National Park.

Natural Bridges National Monument

The Natural Bridges National Monument is located about 40 miles east of Blanding on highway 95 and just an hour from camp. The park features three natural bridges; Sipapu, Kachina and Owachomo, which are visible from the 9-mile Bridge View Drive. If you want a better view and are feeling adventurous, there are hikes to the bottom of the canyon. Several factors kept us from making those hikes: the park sits at an elevation of 6500’, the elevation gain on each of the hikes is at least 400’ using wooden ladders and metal stairs and only those with experience in canyon hiking are encouraged to go. Yeah, I’ll enjoy the views from the canyon viewpoints, thank you very much.

River erosion created these natural bridges. As a stream forms its path, it meanders around obstacles and sometimes as it loops around it almost circles back on itself. Over time, water from rain and snowmelt erode the sandstone between the stream paths and create a natural bridge. The three bridges in this park represent natural bridges in various stages of life. Owachomo is the oldest and most fragile. Kachina is the middle child with floodwaters still at work on it and Sipau is the youngest.

Spotting the Bridges

It was funny, when we came upon the first bridge overlook we were standing at the viewpoint searching and looking but didn’t see any bridges. It was camouflaged, sort of like one of the optical illusion pictures. It’s hard to spot, but once you see it… you see it. Do you see them?

If you have a couple of hours and are in the area, the park is a nice stop. Would I go out of my way to come here? Probably not. Don’t get me wrong, it is beautiful but it is a little off the beaten path.

Bears Ears

We enjoyed our short time at the park. As we headed back to camp, we thought about driving out to Bears Ears but couldn’t help but notice the storm moving our way. One thing we respect is rain in the desert. We’ve seen some of the washes from flash floods and DO NOT want to get caught up in any of that. The view was enjoyed from a distance.

Bears Ears are the two large buttes in the distance. Navajo tell the story of an Indian maiden who was very beautiful and desired by many men but she would have nothing to do with them. However, one trickster, persuaded her to marry him even though her brothers warned her the union would bring evil.

The Indian maiden began to transform into a bear and began to kill the people living nearby, even her own brothers. It was realized the only way to save her was to change her back to her true form and in a long fight the youngest brother prevailed and her severed head became the Bears Ears. Makes for a nice campfire story, don’t you think?

Seen from as far away as Mesa Verde and Monument Valley, the Bears Ears are important landmarks for travelers in the Four Corners Region.

Mule Canyon Ruin

Also along Highway 95 is Mule Canyon Ruin, an open Anasazi habitation that is made up of both above and below ground structures. This site was first occupied by the Pueblo in AD 750 but the main occupation occurred during AD 1000-1150. It consisted of a kiva, a 12 room L-shaped building, which you can see behind the kiva, and a tower all accessible by two crawlways. The kiva looked as if it were just recently built. Incredible.

The Needles, Canyonlands National Park

Saturday has arrived and we get to go out and play ALL day! Canyonlands National Park is divided into three districts, The Needles district, The Island in the Sky and The Maze. Today we are going to explore The Needles. The Needles district is made up of sculpted rock spires, arches and canyons. The majority of the sights, however, are only accessible by 4WD or hiking in the backcountry.  

To prepare for our week in Moab, we watched several YouTube videos on some of the trails and one of the YouTubers recommended a book, Guide to Moab UT Backroads and 4WD Trails. I purchased the book and wanted to try it out before actually getting to Moab and out on the trails with our son and his family. Needles allowed us to do this.

Getting to Canyonlands

We took highway 211 off of US-191 out to The Needles and dare I say… it was another GORGEOUS ride. The road took us by some petroglyphs, called Newspaper Rock and through what I called “The Valley of the Mesas”. I’m betting in a million years, this will be the next Monument Valley.

Colorado River Overlook Trail

I picked the Colorado River Overlook trail for us to try out the guidebook with. The trail is rated as an intermediate or moderate trail that an SUV as well as a jeep could handle. This would give us a good idea about what the author considers “moderate” and what an SUV can handle. (Jefferey, our son, has a built-up Durango.) Also provided by the guidebook was an overview of the trail, length and approximate time it would take to complete it. It also included a detailed map with a mileage log and what to expect and see along the way.

The trail was located right off the Visitor Center parking lot and began on a mostly sandy road. We passed some giant rock columns, crossed a couple of washes and passed some beautiful overlooks. About 3 miles in, the trail became rockier but still fairly easy.

At mile 6 we arrived at the part of the trail where it becomes more difficult, the road narrows and there are some ledges to climb and rocks to maneuver. We finally made it to the overlook and walked out to a fabulous view of the Colorado River.

We came, we saw, we did and now it’s time to make our way back. Bill usually does the driving but every once in a while, I like to get behind the wheel. I drove the trail back to the parking lot and it was a lot of fun! I need to do this a little more often 😉

The Needles Scenic Drive

The park contains a 10-mile paved scenic drive which we completed in about 30 minutes. I saw a little gravel road off the drive and thought we should check it out. It was a nice little drive through the Big Spring Canyon out to Elephant Hill. This is one of the entry points to the backcountry area and several hiking trails. We did not have one of the special permits required to access the backcountry 4×4 trails. Oh darn. We’ll have to save this for next time and come with a buddy. LOL

Our day in The Needles was fantastic! I am very happy we made the drive up here, checked out an off-road trail and got a good feel for the new guidebook.

What’s Next?

MOAB!!!!!!