Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
side of the highway, another monolith commands attention—the sandstone needle of Owl
Rock, which soars from the edge of Tyende Mesa.
4. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
EvenifthisisyourfirsttriptotheArizona-Utahbordercountry,youprobablyaren'tseeing
Monument Valley for the first time. Chances are good that a man named John Ford has
already shown it to you. Beginning in 1938 with his landmark film Stagecoach and con-
tinuing a decade later with his cavalry trilogy ( Fort Apache , She Wore a Yellow Ribbon ,
and Rio Grande ),thecelebrated director usedthissetting sooftenthatitcame toepitomize
the rugged terrain of the Old West.
Within this vast tableland—punctuated by spires, buttes, and pillars—lies the
30,000-acre Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Visitors can explore the area on a well-
marked, scenic 17-mile route. (But be forewarned that a guided tour will save your car a
good deal of wear and tear, since the road is unpaved and rutted.)
However you experience it, the valley is a wonder to behold, a harsh yet hauntingly
beautiful landscape. View it in early morning, when shadows lift from rocky marvels with
namessuchasRainGod,Thunderbird,GrayWhiskers,andSpearhead.Admireitinspring-
time,whentinypinkandbluewildflowerssprinklethelandwithjewel-likespecksofcolor.
Try to see it through the eyes of the Navajos, who still herd their sheep and weave their
rugs here.
Spaced grandly apart on a wide-open range, these stark buttes and sculpted pinnacles
form one of the most dramatic assemblages of rock formations to be found anywhere on
Earth. The ingredients of stone, water, and time combine here to form a whole that's infin-
itely greater than the sum of its parts.
5. Goosenecks State Park
This stretch of Rte. 163—called the Trail of the Ancients in honor of the vanished
Anasazis—cuts across Monument Valley at the Utah border on its way to the little town
of Mexican Hat. Named for a rock formation there that resembles an upside-down som-
brero—a whimsical footnote to the magnificence of Monument Valley—Mexican Hat is
the nearest settlement to Goosenecks State Park, just ahead and to the west via Rtes. 261
and 316.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search