Monument valley sunset12/28/2023 It's about 2.5 hours from Moab, Utah, and about 2 hours from Page, Arizona. Highway 163 in Utah, between the small towns of Mexican Hat and Kayenta. WHERE: The only entrance to Monument Valley is off U.S. Want to visit Monument Valley yourself? Here are some tips: But this story isn't unique to Monument Valley this is just one of many examples of how Native Americans have been marginalized and denied opportunities, sometimes even on their own land. I realize that we were only hearing Loyal's side of the story and that I can't fully understand the politics going on there since I'm a white girl from Ohio. Called simply The View, the project was controversial from the start.Įven though the hotel (and then visitor center) were supported by native bodies, the project was really the brainchild of Art Ortega, whose family owns a “trading post” empire that includes gas stations, souvenir shops, and jewelry stores throughout the Southwest.Īrt Ortega is not Navajo, and the fact that the biggest business in Monument Valley is now technically out of Navajo hands does not sit well with many of the locals who have been trying to build businesses here for decades. In 2008, the first hotel opened within Monument Valley. The Marlborough Man famously stood in front of that tree. ![]() Highway 163, I made him stop a couple times for the iconic “Monument Valley road shot” – you may also recognize this as where Forrest Gump ended his cross-country run. Masks are required to be worn by all visitors.Įlliot and I added Monument Valley to our Southwest road trip itinerary, wedging it neatly between Moab, Utah, and Page, Arizona.ĭriving towards the valley on U.S. Please check the official Monument Valley website if you're planning a trip. ![]() Tribal parks are once again open (as of January 2022), but this is subject to change. Note: Indigenous communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and the Navajo Nation closed its lands to all visitors through mid-July 2021. ![]() By now, countless movies, TV shows, and even commercials have utilized the valley's iconic sandstone buttes as backdrops. This is now known as “John Ford Point” because he used to like to direct from here.įord ended up shooting seven different Westerns in Monument Valley, including Stagecoach in 1939, which propelled John Wayne to stardom and popularized the Western genre.īefore long, Monument Valley became “the West” in many Americans' minds.
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