Monument Valley

(Navajo Nation, Southwestern USA)

Hello, inquisitive people. Wander Woman here. Some months ago, I had the opportunity to visit an iconic American destination that I’d wanted to see since childhood: Monument Valley, home to some of the most breathtaking landmarks and vistas in the American Southwest. Many people (including me before my trip) think that Monument Valley is a United States National Park, but that is not true. Monument Valley belongs to and is administered by the Navajo Nation. The Navajos are one of North America’s indigenous peoples, and the nation spans approximately 24,000 square miles of the American southwest. 

For my visit to Monument Valley, I secured lodgings in nearby Kayenta, Arizona. I booked a tour with a Navajo guide to see the valley itself. There is an admission price to enter the valley, and there is a loop that cars can drive for that admission fee to see the highlights and major landmarks. However, there is much more to the valley than can be seen from that loop, and that’s where the Navajo guides come in. They are granted access to parts of the valley that ordinary tourists are not, and they can take you off the beaten path to see much more than is visible from the self-guided car loop. Our guide took us to incredible rock formations, spires, and arches and told us old Navajo stories and legends as we went. It was getting dark as the tour concluded, and we were treated to a campfire, a dinner of Navajo fry bread tacos, and a traditional Navajo music and dance performance. Our whole experience was rich with this ancient and beautiful culture and the stunning vistas of the valley itself.