Lavelle-Kessler Red Rock Trip: Monument Valley AZ

Monument Valley is like no place on earth. Period. Below are some pictures to set the stage for this unique location.

Monument Valley (Navajo: Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, meaning valley of the rocks) is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. It is located on the Arizona-Utah state line (around 36°59′N 110°6′W), near the Four Corners area. The valley lies within the range of the Navajo Nation Reservation, and is accessible from U.S. Highway 163.

Director John Ford used the location for a number of his best known films, and thus, in the words of critic Keith Phipps, "its five square miles have defined what decades of moviegoers think of when they imagine the American West."^[1]

The area is part of the Colorado Plateau. The floor is largely siltstone of the Cutler Formation, or sand derived from it, deposited by the meandering rivers that carved the valley. The valley's vivid red color comes from iron oxide exposed in the weathered siltstone. The darker, blue-gray rocks in the valley get their color from manganese oxide.

The buttes are clearly stratified, with three principal layers. The lowest layer is Organ Rock shale, the middle de Chelly sandstone and the top layer is Moenkopi shale capped by Shinarump siltstone. The valley includes large stone structures including the famed Eye of the Sun.

The views are as grand as those below.

Welcome to the Navajo Nation's Monument Valley Park. You are experiencing one of the most majestic - and most photographed - points on earth. This great valley boasts sandstone masterpieces that tower at heights of 400 to 1,000 feet. framed by scenic clouds casting shadows that graciously roam the desert floor.

The angle of the sun accents these graceful formations, providing scenery that is simply spellbinding.

The landscape overwhelms, not just by its beauty but also by its size. The fragile pinnacles of rock are surrounded by miles of mesas and buttes, shrubs, trees and windblown sand, all comprising the magnificent colors of the valley. All of this harmoniously combines to make Monument Valley a truly wondrous experience. Enjoy this beautiful land.

Navajo Name: Tse'Bii'Ndzisgaii Elevation: 5,564' above sea level
Size: 91,696 acres (extends into Arizona & Utah)

This is where Forest Gump finally stopped running. Can you see him? Try here.

Arriving at Monument Valley

Leaving Blanding we made our way to Monument Valley via Natural Bridges. When we came to the edge of Monument Valley – we were literally at a precipice where even the road map shows an incredible number of roadway switchbacks to reach the valley floor. The valley extends as far as the eye can see.

We were driving along on seemingly flat land then BOOM – we had to stop just to take in the several thousand feet drop to the valley floor. But it was more than that. As far as the eye could see, the valley went on and on with a monument or two popping up here and there – I’m talking hundreds of miles – something had happened to the land millions of years ago. Where (in the world) did it all go? So the monuments were made of sturdier material – fine. But for heavens sake where did all that other dirt go to? Mexico? If so you can’t see it from the road. It’s as though a huge shovel, with a blade about 100 miles wide, just reached onto the earth and starting moving dirt.