The Mittens
Twin buttes by the centre.
Chris06 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · m01229 from USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · au_ears — CC BY-SA 2.0 · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Vulcano — CC0
Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau known for its cluster of red sandstone buttes, the largest rising 300 m above the valley floor. It lies on the Arizona-Utah line within the Navajo reservation. The Navajo consider it sacred and call it Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, «valley of the rocks». It has appeared in the media since the 1930s, and the director John Ford filmed a number of Westerns here, until its outline became what people imagine the American West to be. One film critic says its small area has defined that image for decades of moviegoers. The park is run by the Navajo Nation, not the National Park Service. The best known formations stand near the visitor centre, including the twin Mittens, slender rock spires and red plains. A 27 km dirt road loops among the formations and can be driven yourself. Parts such as Mystery Valley and Hunts Mesa can be visited only with a guide, and Navajo communities still live in the valley. It is 121 km in a straight line from Page and longer by road, so allow a full day. The dirt road is rough, and sources say a standard car can manage it when dry, so ask at the centre. Ask permission before photographing people, and respect residents. The light is finest at sunrise and sunset, and do not leave the permitted roads.
Twin buttes by the centre.
A loop among the formations.
Long shadows on the plain.
Monument Valley Tribal Park, Navajo Nation, Arizona-Utah border
No, it is a Navajo tribal park with its own fee.
Yes on the valley road, though it is rough, and some parts need a guide.