In the ancient times before mankind, giants battled for control of our Earth. In northern Arizona lie a few remains of this great battle – great hands that were parts of one of the giants that were dismembered and scattered around the land of the Navajo in what is now northern Arizona.

This is the story of Monument Valley – the Navajo Tribal Park that is located in northern Arizona and southern Utah. Monument Valley Tribal Park entrance is about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of US 163. The closest town with good lodging is Kayenta, Arizona at the intersection of US Highway 163 and US Highway 160.

I took the long way from the Salt Lake metro area to get here, going south on US 89 through Kanab, Utah, then east over to Page, Arizona and then east again on Arizona 98 and US 160 to Kayenta. Kayenta is a small town on the Navajo Nation, and there are some major hotels in town with some pretty good food too.

I stayed in the Hampton Inn there, and it was quite nice. There is a hotel in the Navajo Monument Valley Tribal Park, but it books up really quickly. It is a beautiful building and was actually filmed in the James Bond Movie “Quantum of Solace”.

Why the long way around? Well, I just wanted to do some sight seeing in a part of the southwest where I have never been. Here are a few things you should know about Monument Valley Tribal Park before we get farther into the story. First, there is no alcohol on this part of the Navajo Nation.

Second, as the Navajo Nation spans parts Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, the Navajo observe Mountain Time, and Mountain Daylight time during the daylight savings time portion of the year. Arizona, does NOT OBSERVE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME. So, your phone never knows what time it is.

This time fact is important because large parts of the Tribal Monument can only be seen with a Navajo guide, and they all function on Mountain Daylight Time like New Mexico and Utah. That is one hour later than Mountain Standard Time, like Arizona.

Third, the road through the Monument is dirt, and can become pretty ugly in the rains. So, if you are coming in a two wheel drive passenger car, van, etc. check the weather first. You will have to pay and wait a long time to get towed out if you get stuck.

OK, so now let’s get to our story. This place is huge! It’s awesome! Monument Valley is the proverbial “Wild West” landscape. Northwest of the park entrance on US 163 in Utah is the place where “Forest Gump” decided that he had run far enough. There is a pull-off  for the tourist snapshot of the “Forest Gump” scene.

Most of the bluffs and “monuments” are sandstone. The desert winds and rains have sculpted these incredible rock formations over many, many thousand years into what we see today. The deep red, rust colored sandstone gets its coloration from lots of iron in the rock and soil.

I cannot really describe this place except that it gives you this awesome feeling of the power of Nature and a great respect for the beauty of our planet. 

This is sacred land to our Navajo brethren, and I will highly recommend paying to get a guided tour. The tours (at least the one I had) not only show you many things that you cannot see from the public part of the park, but our guide gave us an incredible insight into the Navajo history and culture.

The tour I took was a two and a half hour “Jeep” tour through the park with a Navajo guide named “John” – his American name. John was an Army vet, and had grown up right in the same area on the reservation. He spoke fluent Navajo as well as English and was well versed in the behavior of the various tourists from all over the world.

He told us lots of stories about how to tell if someone was from France, Italy or Germany without even hearing them speak their native language. For instance, many folks from the northern part of Germany think that the indigenous Americans went extinct in the wild west days. And according to John, Italian men are known for their high fashion dressing even in the summer heat on a desert trail. I don’t know if this is true; it’s just what John told us.

Of course he also told us about his “crazy uncle” who was telling John’s son that he only needs a drivers license if he gets caught. Ha ha! Not good advice for a teenage boy learning to drive. (See, I told you the tour was fun.)

The Navajo culture is a strongly matriarchal society. The females are boss, and they own the land. Navajo people take their names from their mothers, their mother’s mothers, their father’s mothers and one more that I cannot recall. Every Navajo is identifiable as a descendent of these matriarchal clans.

In the children’s teenage years they go through a type of puberty ceremony where they enter into the beginnings of adulthood. Even today, the young ladies and boys go into these separate ceremonies where they enter into adulthood. The young men in the tribe must prove their ability to provide for their families in traditional hunting ceremonies as well.

John grew up in a very traditional Navajo family, and was fortunate to learn the language and culture from his mother, grandmother and other elders. He knows the land and the plants in that area intimately. The Navajo know how to live in harmony with nature, and know how to use what nature provides to survive.

He pulled over one place and asked me to pick some tiny leaves off of one plant. He then told me to rub the leaves together and mash them up. The leaves had a very pleasant odor, kind of like menthol or mint in a way. He told us that this plant’s leaves are wonderful to heal skin disorders – rashes, inflammation, etc.

I get a bit of a rash on my arms occasionally – kind of a contact allergy that I have never pinned down in over 7 years. I rubbed a bit of this plant oil onto my arm where I had a rash bump, and by the later that day it was gone. And that spot still has not returned.

The Navajo believe that part of the reason for our prolonged drought in the Southwestern US is due to some of their people giving way ancient tribal secrets to us – the white people. Their “gods” are punishing them for this cultural betrayal. True? Who knows? Maybe because our culture doesn’t generally seem to know how to live in harmony with nature we are all being punished.

All I know is that one cannot go into this land without coming out with a really deep appreciation of the wonders of our planet and nature.

So, here are some more photos of my trip.

I would like to emphasize one thing before you finish this post. This area belongs to the Navajo, and they are kind enough to share the beauty and wonders of their land with us. So, please remember if you visit here, you are a guest in their land. Please act respectful and courteous to our hosts, and please leave things as you found them. This is home to many wonderful people.

Here is a link to the tour that I took of Monument Valley: https://www.viator.com/tours/Monument-Valley/Scenic-Tour-2/d24945-32307P2.

I visited Monument Valley Tribal Park in mid-March. It was shirt-sleeve weather with chilly evenings and mornings. If you visit in the warmer months, bring plenty of water – lots! The summer Arizona sun is hot.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my virtual tour of Monument Valley Tribal Park. Have a wonderful time out there, and enjoy what nature has given us.