What We Wish We Knew Before Visiting Monument Valley

Monument Valley is located in a pretty remote area by the Utah-Arizona state line, near the four corners area. We wished we knew more before we visited. In this video, we share with you things we learned about food, tours, and other general information.

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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:38 Food
2:11 Lodging
6:20 One road & two hikes
8:00 Tours
9:34 Pros of tours
13:59 Cons of tours
15:50 Other helpful tips

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[francestoddy]

As far as food, there are other places to eat nearby in Kayenta which is a small community on Navajo land. I am Dineh/Navajo & I like to eat in Kayenta. They have small restaurants, cafe. So, the View is not the only place to eat. I am still wowed by Monument Valley no matter how many times I go there. It is a special place for my people especially those who live there.

[rebeccaswilling]

When my son and I were there a year ago, we were pelted by the wind and sand but we were still glad to be there

[TOADZSALZA]

Stay im Kayenta, AZ Very nice motels/hotel's & places to eat.. & not that far to drive back to Monument Valley either.

[sammichaels]

I’ve seen a few of your videos. Not many, but I love how you are like the rest of us everyday folks… you don’t praise absolutely everything and give us false hope. You sugar coat the inconveniences and that’s what makes your videos great. Thank you.

[lindas]

Great video giving specific little details that makes a big difference in a visit there. Thank you!

[rvvanlife]

I love your honest, reality approach to your travel videos.
This was needed. Thank you

[joanneclarke]

Thank you SO much for this! We are staying in The View cabins in September, traveling from Liverpool UK, the info you have provided is invaluable!! THANK YOU X

[PapaBear]

We took the Sunset Tour, and were very impressed. Besides the incredible scenery, we heard about and were shown Navajo life direct from our guide. It wasn’t the ‘sunset’ aspects as much as the landscape and culture. Two thumbs up, highly recommend.

[gamagram]

Thanks heaps. You guys are so great, you're sweet! Your comments on sunset & sunrise helped a lot as I am trying to plan which time to do the tour. I will now visit the Navajo national Monument! Brillaint. Thanks so much.

[ra]

Hi guys, great video, very informative. I visited Monument Valley just before you in August last year, after I'd been to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks as well as Antelope Canyon. I'd previously left a comment on a video you did regarding Angels Landing, and in regard to that I am pleased to say I was successful in climbing it! Getting back to Monument Valley, I agree with you that it is expensive, however you go there for the experience, and in my view, it is definitely worth it. I stayed at the View Hotel for 1 night, went on a Sunset tour which went off the loop road to areas only allowed by the authorized tour operators, and had dinner at the View Hotel. The total cost for my 1 night experience was well over Australian $700.00 (over USD500.00), and I was there for less than 14 hours. Whilst it was expensive for me (I was traveling by myself), I treated it as a "one-off" (as I was visiting from Australia) and therefore I was prepared to pay for the experience. Yes, there are cheaper options, however as you know, the views from the View Hotel of sunset and sunrise were "priceless". For anyone thinking of visiting Monument Valley, DO IT!!

[robbridgemusic]

Guys, Thanks very much for an excellent VLOG. My wife and I are due for a road trip starting in September and so we have been trawling all the you tube reviews. We both love yours! We are starting in Phoenix then Tombstone, Roswell, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Four Corners, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Vegas and Death Valley. Its all a bit different from our home in the UK and we really appreciated your no bullshit, honest (not sponsored!) information. Great, thanks again.

[barbaram]

Great tips, Matt and Cheryl. We visited Monument Valley many years ago and stayed at Gouldings which was great. In addition to the gorgeous views, the thing I most remember is that we were SO glad that we didn’t drive the road on our own with the car we drove from the east coast (Ford Escort, remember them!) We took a tour from Gouldings and it was the 17-mile drive and loved it. I’d like to visit the park again.

[timbarnes]

First off....my wife and I are big fans of your site. We just retired and are going to be spending a lot of time traveling around the western side of the US including of course the Rockies. We are just now completing a 2 week trip from Phx up through Durango, Denver, Arches, Monument Valley and back to Phx and referenced your site along they way. Park and Red Rocks Amphitheater concerts were amazing.) We're certainly not "foodies" either but we were actually pleasantly surprised (after listening to your not-so-favorable observations) with the quality of the food and the service at the Goulding's Stagecoach restaurant. We were close to driving down the road, but decided to give the Goulding site a try. We did both breakfast and dinner and were very happy with what we got. Other than one couple that sent back their biscuits and gravy (it didn't look too good to us either) everyone else seemed to also be happy with their meals. So, to folks that don't want to cook their own food or drive 30 mins down the road, we'd say that you might want to give the Goulding's restaurant a try. Keep up the great vids. We're looking for more great places in the Rockies to check out.

[bjclassic]

I love your videos they are always filled with info many others don’t include. We tried 3 yrs ago to Monument valley and there was a bad winter storm moving in with lots of snow so we didn’t go. Headed south. Then the C came along and the park was closed and surrounding things on the Rez and lockdowns. The Navaho President just recently told the people to take off the masks and let’s get things all open again. The tribe had to endure the stores closing really early. Gas stations closed up and you could only get fuel if you had a credit card after hours as they left the pumps on. This was really sad for the kids in school and all the sporting events got cancelled. By the way there’s a few things one should see in Chinle. There’s a visitors center there and a gorgeous Canyon too see and you drive it yourself and there’s lots of pullovers to stop and see the views and some story boards here and there. So again, thank you for the inside info and prayerfully I will make it to Monument Valley and four corners this year!

[tggonzales]

Good video to set expectations for the bilagaana. This is not disneyland, nor is it a “national park” or “national monument”; it is the Navajo Nation, a sovereign nation. Tourists are visitors there, not entitled citizens. Yes, the accommodations and facilities would be considered sparse and limited by many “ first world” folks, but understand this is a civilization has lived rather modestly for centuries. Having your expectations in check before going is good, and having an appreciation for basking in the glory of their sacred land will serve you well. Leave the attitude at home, and you will be treated similarly.

[mikesanders]

Thank you, great job. Good info & photos. Im planning on my 1st visit soon. From FL.

[rwagenveldqmesnl]

Thanks for this, we are planning to visit Monument Valley in June so this was really useful information

[janetmccann]

Monument Valley is in no way a National Park. This is sacred Navajo land. They have the hotel and promote local tour guides for income to live. The tours are reasonable. They have wear and tear on their vehicles, the tours are out for extended time and bring you to places you are either not allowed to go with your car or unable to navigate the terrain with your car. They are not there to hold tourist's hands. I would not want to see a million signs warning people to take care of themselves. It is the high desert. There is cold, there is snow in the winter. On the food situation. The View does have the restaurant for lunch or dinner. It is a little pricey but the food was very good. The View also provides a great complimentary continental breakfast. Linda's off site does deliver meals for dinner (order ahead) to a central pickup point for View guests. (order form in rooms) Every room has a refrigerator and microwave as well as coffee maker. There is a grocery store at Goulding's a few miles straight out of Monument Valley. (just past the gas station at Gouldings) Hiking is not really the point of this area. It is stunningly beautiful rock formations. To see them you really need a higher car/suv or take one of many many different tours by many many different companies. Oh boy ok that is it for me. Just do your research. Oh just one more thing. The town of Kayenta on the way from the south (south of the valley) has a Burger King with a wonderful exhibit of the WWII Navajo Code Talkers. These men used the Navajo unwritten language to make an unbreakable code which was instrumental in winning Iwo Jima. Def worthwhile seeing.

[aniruddhavidwans]

Thank you very much for making this video. It was very helpful in my planning of visit to MV in a month.

[karenwilliams]

Your videos are so nice with so much to know and learn from you guys, thanks.❤