Monument Valley isn’t actually a National Park but a National Monument, a slightly lesser designation. The park is located in the middle of the Navajo Nation, the largest of the land areas that was gifted back to the Native Americans by the US Government. Because the park is controlled by the Navajo Tribe the national parks pass is not valid here and you need to pay a $20 entry fee to the tribe upon entry.
Yet again the heat in this place was relentless! When you stepped outside the wind felt like a giant heater blasting into your face. We had one hike in mind which was called the Wildcat Trail, this went down into the valley and around one of the many buttes (pronounced beaut). The butte that we hiked around was known as the west mitten as it, along with another of the buttes, resembles a mitten. The hike wasn’t particularly long in terms of distance, however due to the extreme heat and lack of shade it still took us a while! However for the proximity that the hike gets you to the buttes it is definitely worth the effort.
After we eventually made it back to the visitor centre we sat down for an ice coffee and in true American style it was loaded with sugar and virtually undrinkable. The visitor centre was full of interesting Native American pottery, jewellery, and artifacts. Unfortunately the Native American people here are still quite poor and rely heavily on tourism to make a living. Many of the homes on the Navajo Nation still do not have a working phone or sewer connection, and much of the land they were gifted back is nothing more than barren desert.
We had a little wonder around before heading back to our RV Park, where we got straight into our togs for a very refreshing swim, before it was 5pm aka drinks time!
Monument Valley was definitely worth a visit but in hindsight one night here would have probably sufficed. Apart from the walk and the visitor centre there isn’t much to do here apart from suffer in the heat.
TWO TRAVEL AS ONE 