clint f. Loc: Priest Lake Idaho, Spokane Wa

When I was there I found the entrance fee had to be paid in cash-no credit cards. We had none so had to drive a considerable distance to use a cash machine. Thought about just blowing it off but decided it might be worth it as we didn’t think we’d be in the area for a while. Drove the road in the Honda, rough but no problem. I have a 20x24 print from a scanned medium format negative and a 46” wide panorama from that trip. Of the thousands of scenes I’ve photographed those two are the ones I chose to display in my living room. If you can stay a little longer do it. Don’t forget to bring some cash.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Thank you!

Kpfresno

Just got back from my second trip to MV. Stayed at the View, fantastic view of the monuments. Took two tours from Navajo Spirits. Will was the guide and a photographer in his own right. Tour across the road to teardrop arch is good, great view of the monuments through an arch. One of the iconic Monument Valley shots. Second tour was through the valley. Get to the sand dunes for sunrise if at all possible. If you have time, try to get out to the Goosenecks State Park. Not far from MV and worth the drive.

Cheryl Schindler

We took the tour with the Navajo woman, Linda, who was wonderful! absolutely worth it. However, there were only a few chances for photos, and most chances were quick. Loved where we went, loved her stories and her love for her country.

sgtpreston Loc: El Paso, Texas

I was there in January of this year. I used Phillps Photograpy Tours. The guide was very professional, offered excellent sugestions for locations , shots, very knowledgable of the area and the history.

sgtpreston Loc: El Paso, Texas

we used Phillips Photography Tours, very knowledgable, Professional, helpful

Ratelliott

I stayed overnight at the View last fall. Took this shot outside the gift shop at sunset and did the standard drive with my own vehicle the next morning. The clouds moved in overnight and the astro shots and sunrise were a bust, but I had nice soft light for the drive through the valley the next morning. It was beautiful and you will love it.

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SteveR Loc: Michigan

I do not have the shot on this computer, so I can't share it, but my best MV shot was taken after we'd finished the loop and the sun had set. We were in the parking lot and the clouds shone a beautiful red behind a couple of monuments. The monuments were, essentially, in silhouette. It's odd where your best photos come from.

Look for the same in the evening just as the sun sets.

Arca

I also recommend taking the Navajo guided tour to 'Teardrop Arch'. It is NOT in Monument Valley itself. It is across the street on the west side of the highway. Through the arch, you can get views of the red monuments, green sagebrush and the blue and white sky. And that highway is beneath you, so it is not in the photograph. This is best done at sunset as the red in the foreground of the arch will really pop. I took a wonderful 4 by 5 of it on Fuji Velvia in 2006, at about 6:30 PM on July 3rd. We hired the same tour guide that evening for the next morning and he told us to get there at 6:00 AM, way before the park opened and he would meet us. He was there and we had a wonderful tour to ourselves in the park in very early light, and I was able to get another beautiful shot of 'Yei Bi Chei' at 6:30 AM, with only animal footprints in the foreground.

Things may have changed since 2006, but at that time, the tour guides did anticipate a gratuity in cash. Our tour guide was not 'pushy' nor 'shy' about inquiring or mentioning the gratuity. He was in the middle. Also, since 'Teardrop Arch' is on private land, there was a gratuity paid to the owner of that property, to allow trucks to use the land to drive on to get a good picture. That was a rough road and at times, it was not a road at all, more like off-road four-wheeling.

Hunt's Mesa is another iconic vantage point in Monument Valley. However, this is best done in early morning light, almost requiring an overnight in the park on that mesa.

You can get most of the park within 24 hours. However, the idea is that it is so beautiful, so peaceful, so unusual, you would not want to leave in only 24 hours. I live in Phoenix, and have been there four times and each time, I wish I could stay longer, if only just to 'be'. Meditation, calmness, relaxation, and the realization that all of this was once underwater millions of years ago makes one dig deep into the psyche and/or the soul.

The trails within Monument Valley are not so much rocky, but sandy, and twice, on their tours, we have gotten stuck in the sand. Fortunately, on their tours, they use their 'Suburbans'. So I do not recommend you use your vehicle in any circumstance.

Another individual recommended 'Toroweap Overlook' on the Arizona strip. This is nowhere close to Monument Valley by way of vehicle, or even as the crow flies, as it were. However, if you can go there, do so. It is the only spot along the 276 miles of the Grand Canyon where there is a straight 3,000' drop to the river. Everywhere else along the gorge, it is a gradual descent to the Colorado River. This means you must be exceptionally careful that you don't drop anything on the ground close to the edge, i.e. lens covers, filters or filter cases, etc. Going south from St. George, Utah, 'Toroweap' is a 90 mile gravel road which goes up to about 8500 feet in elevation at 'Mt. Turnbull. You do not need four-wheel drive, but you do need a high clearance vehicle, and try to bring TWO spare tires, not one. I have been there four times and once I saw the same 'Dodge Ram Truck' stuck with two flat tires on the same day. Don't worry about cell telephone coverage. It does NOT, NOT, NOT exist, period. So you can't call for a tow truck. You would have to rely on the good graces of a fellow traveler to bring you into town, to a tire store, and then another fellow traveler to take you back to your vehicle. My wife and I have not experienced any tire trouble in our visits to 'Toroweap. But there are very few travelers who venture out to that remote, not unsafe but somewhat risky area, and we have seen three vehicles with tire troubles in those four visits. So percentage-wise, there are a lot of flat tires, due to sidewalls hitting sharp edges of rocks. The longer road, 90 miles, has fewer of these jagged rocks and has been better kept and graded over that distance. The shorter road is about 60 miles and is more dangerous in terms of sharp rocks. There are no services, such as fast food places or gas stations. The campground has pit toilets and is in good condition. The campsites are nice too, but it was very hard to get to due to steep rocks, a very primitive driveway to the campground which precludes regular cars from entering.

You should bring very good (high number) sun tan lotion, as the Arizona sun with high elevation, 7,000 feet, fewer clouds and less humidity allows the sun to burn you much sooner than you would anticipate. I lived in Florida for a couple of years during graduate school in Melbourne, and the Arizona sun is more intense than in Florida, IMHO.

Also, bring very strong footwear, as you will be in wilderness in these areas. Last but certainly not least, as stated before, bring plenty of water, much more than you think you will need, precisely because it is the high desert and, as we all know, deserts are typically hot and dry and this one is no exception. You won't notice yourself becoming dehydrated, and may not feel thirsty. That is what lulls people into thinking they do not need to drink. Then they begin urinating pink because the kidneys are breaking down red blood cells to re-hydrate. I believe that is the correct physiopathological course of events. So drink water even when you are NOT thirsty, so as to prevent thirst.

Enjoy yourself and be safe.

Arca

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

"So drink water even when you are NOT thirsty, so as to prevent thirst."
Boy, Howdy!! I have driven 100's of thousands of miles in the south west. Dehydration can easily sneak up on you particularly when you're driving with the air on! You're driving through arid country but the A/C lulls you into a sense of comfort and you think all's well. Well, its not. The dry air of the area is "aided and abetted" by the A/C in sucking the moisture out of you. It isn't the long and sometimes boring drive that is making you sleepy. Do yourselves a favor and keep a case of bottled water in the car. And discipline yourself to drink regularly.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

We have 4 wheel drive on our car and I wanted to be able to stop when I wanted to and not be exposed to the sand as we would have been in those open air suburbans. I had no problem navigating the road, which had many gullies, or getting up the final hill, which was steep and very sandy. However, apparently our front tires were put out of alignment because when we made it to San Diego the front tires were worn down to the tread. Being run-flat tires they cost over $800 to replace.

dmc Loc: Montgomery, AL

Our Navajo tour guide was named "Fritz" !! It was well worth the $75 (each) for the tour.
You'll go places, learn more and see things you can't on a self guided tour.

And like Tommy 86 said, "it helps out the local economy".

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carney2

Your stay is too short to be worried about getting a guide. I've been to Monument Valley any number of times and it's my favorite place in the world to shoot. I've done it both ways - with a guide and without. You will get great sunrise and sunset shots from your balcony at The View - no need for a guide; no need to even get dressed. I have a few on my wall that I took in my jammies while my wife slept. A guide can get you to superior locations off the main "road," but with the limited time you have, just do the (12 miles, I think) road - once in the afternoon when you arrive, and again in the morning after sunrise on your balcony. You will be well satisfied with the results.

carl hervol Loc: jacksonville florida

wow look a scene from lord of the rings!

worldcycle Loc: Stateline, Nevada

My suggestion...... Stay on the rim. Walk to the north towards the "campground" just past the road that goes into the valley. Just hang, be patient and work it during the sunset. Move around, get some different angles. If you are lucky, perhaps some of the horses the Navajos let free range will appear in your foreground.