Monument Valley and Four Corners Monument

Monument Valley was one place on our bucket list becasuse of it’s beauty and majestic views.  We had traveled through Utah before, but didn’t get over to Monument Valley.  In March of 2023, we left on a long 5 1/2 week RV trip.  This was one stop on our way home to California after visiting KY and TN.  We drove the Monument Valley Scenic Drive, saw the iconic view in the Forrest Gump movie, saw Mexican Hat Rock Formation and took two tours.  We took the Hunts Mesa Tour and the Tear Drop Tour.  More information on the tours below.   We stayed at the KOA located right on Highway 163 with a great view of the valley.

View from the top of the Mesa – Hunts Mesa Tour by Navajo Spirits Tours

FORREST GUMP POINT

Not too far from Monument Valley is the Forrest Gump Point.  This is a view from the movie and a tourist attraction.  People stand in the middle of the highway .. as you can see in my photo to get a good picture.  A group of girls were taking an entre photo shoot which was annoying because other people wanted a chance to get “the shot” without them in it.  I just took mine from the safety of the side of the road.

MEXICAN HAT ROCK FORMATION

I think it was worth the drive up to see the Mexican Hat Rock formation.  It gets it name from looking like a Sombreo.  Dirt roads are in the mix to get up close and personal.

VISITING MONUMENT VALLEY

When you visit Monument Valley, first you pay to enter the Park, and park by the Visitor Center.  This is a really nice place with great views and a store filled with fun things to remember your trip by.  Don’t confuse this Visitor Center with the Welcome Center outside of the Park.  A lot of tour groups pick up at the Welcome Center.  When you enter Monument Valley you will receive a nice phamplet showing the road you will follow and what you will see. This is a 17 mile loop.  There was food and drinks at the John Ford’s Point location as well as a few Navajo’s selling their wares.  You can actually pay to sit on a horse … or was it a donkey … at John Ford’s Point.  Everyone was very nice waiting for each person to walk out onto the point so they could get a photo.  You will see our photos in the gallery below.

John Ford’s Point

THE SCENIC DRIVE GALLERY

HUNTS MESA AND TEAR DROP TOURS

We took two tours while we were in Monument Valley.  We booked both of them through Navajo Spirit Tours

The Hunts Mesa Tour –  This was SO great!  My husband and I were the only ones on this tour.  We had to drive about an hour to get to the top of the Mesa.  We 4×4’d up some crazy terrain too!  I was in the front seat and was dying!!  It was completely safe, I’m just a baby when it comes to that.  After we arrived at the top of the Mesa, we had about an hour before sunset (you can ask for a sunset tour) so we took a million photos.  Not kidding .. I just kept taking pictures of the valley.  When the sun starts setting and you see the valley before you changing, you take a million  more photos.  This was a once-in-a-lifetime tour for us and I highly recommend it.

Tear Drop Tour –  When reading about this tour and seeing photos, I knew I wanted to go on it.  I also saw that you could see ancient Navajo ruins, so I made sure to ask about this and we were able to see one.  We hiked to see them.  I would say it is doable for most people.  We then continued on to the Tear Drop.  Standing in different spos and at different angles get you a variety of different photos.

HUNTS MESA TOUR GALLERY

TEAR DROP TOUR GALLERY

THE NAVAJO RUINS GALLERY

MONUMENT VALLEY KOA

The Monument Valley KOA is located right on highway 163.  It’s very convenient to the Scenic Drive in Monument Valley or driving up to see the Mexican Hat Rock Formation.  The only other RV park to stay at is Goulding’s Resort RV & Campground.  That RV Park is located in a canyon so you would be better protected against any winds.  We had quite a dust devil come through the KOA.  Luckily I was able to close the open windows and door and only a small amount of the fine red dirt got in.  But, it did quite a job on our Jeep.  It took forever to get all of the red dust cleaned up.

One thing to keep in mind is the time difference in Utah and Arizona as you go back and forth from the KOA to the Welcome Center and into the valley itself.  One side is Utah and the other is Arizona.

I grabbed this image from Google Maps.  We were in the front row, space 52.  We have a 24ft RV towing a Jeep and we fit fine.

FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT – NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK

Four corners is where four states intersect at one point – Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.  It was a must stop for me!  Click on brochure below to view larger.

FINISHING THIS POST UP WITH SOME WILD FLOWER PHOTOS

Thanks for visiting my site and reading about our trip to Monument Valley and Four Corners.  Please let me know if you have any quetions or leave a comment below – Karen