What do the movies Stagecoach,
National Lampoon’s Vacation, Back to the Future III, and Forrest Gump have in common? They all have scenes filmed in Utah’s
Monument Valley. If you haven’t been to
Monument Valley, it’s possible you haven’t even noticed how often this famous
Utah landscape is featured in movies and commercials. But once you’ve seen these red buttes and
spires jutting up from an otherwise flat landscape in person, you’ll understand
why Monument Valley became a favorite of John Ford for shooting westerns,
catapulting it into the famous landmark it is today.
We visited Monument Valley during a road trip through
Arizona. While we spent just under 24
hours in Utah, Monument Valley’s close proximity to the Arizona border provided
too much of a travel temptation to pass up.
Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park. The monuments are natural sculptures created
by erosion. I’m not a geologist and I’m
not going to even try to explain how these formations were created millions of
years ago, but the short story is they are made of orange-red sandstone which has
been eroded by water, wind, and ice over time.
Visitors to Monument Valley can use their own vehicles and
drive the 17-mile unpaved valley drive.
The valley drive passes West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte, Merrick
Butte, Elephant Butte, Three Sisters, Camel Butte, Rain God Mesa, Thunderbird
Mesa, Spearhead Mesa, and City Butte.
The names come from what the formations look like. Some are pretty literal, like the mitten
buttes, but some are a little more imaginative, like Three Sisters which is
supposed to look like a Catholic nun facing her two pupils. Kind of like staring at clouds as a kid
looking for animal shapes.
Guided tours will take visitors even farther into the
valley, past Thunderbird Mesa.
Additional monuments seen on the guided tour are Sleeping Dragon, Suns
Eye, The Submarine Rock, Ear of the Wind, Yei Bi Chei, and Totem Pole.
We spent a little over two hours driving the self-guided
valley road through Monument Valley, but we could have taken even longer. The formations and their bright color are
fascinating and it seems there is always a better angle or a better viewpoint
from which to take a picture.
Beware because the wind can really pick up while driving
around the valley, causing orange dust clouds.
When this happens it’s easy to see how the wind could help these towers
of rock gain their form.
Another view you must see if possible is that of the sun
rising over Monument Valley. There are
two hotels that offer this view. The
first is the View Hotel, the only hotel within the Monument Valley Navajo
Tribal Park. All guestrooms have private
balconies so guests can enjoy the sunrise and a view of the valley.
The other option is nearby Goulding’s Lodge, where we chose
to stay and which also offers private balconied rooms with views of the
monuments and sunrise. The best thing
about the sunrise view is you can watch it in your pajamas then fall back into
bed for some more shuteye.
The main reason we chose Goulding’s Lodge is its pet
friendly policy. But a close second was because Goulding’s Lodge is all about Hollywood kitsch. On site is the Goulding’s Trading Post
Museum, which showcases not only Hollywood history, where you get a reminder of
just how many movies Monument Valley has played a starring role, but also
trading and tourism history. The “Movie
Room,” now filled with movie memorabilia, was originally built to serve as a
mess hall for The Harvey Girls’ crew. “John Wayne’s Cabin” or “Captain Nathan
Brittles’ Cabin” was originally used in filming She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.
After driving through Monument Valley and watching the sun
rise over the monuments, there’s still one more view and one more picture movie
lovers need to find. Remember when
Forrest Gump was running back and forth across the country? Remember when he decided he was tired and
ready to go home? This famous scene
occurred at mile marker 13 of US Highway 163 heading northeast from Monument
Valley. It takes a little while to get
there, and Rome kept thinking I was crazy, but I promise once you get there you
will see it, and if you are anything like me, you will be giddy. Sometimes you’ve just got to be dumb while
traveling.
For the perfect mix of stunning nature, Hollywood, and
history, head on over to Utah’s Monument Valley.
