Monument Valley Custom Private Tour
Through the Painted Desert and Navajo Indian Lands

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This special tour to the awe-inspiring Monument Valley follows a route through portions of the Painted Desert and the Navajo Indian Reservation.   At Monument Valley one sees huge animal shapes, castles, and high pinnacles at every turn of the road. The desolation and expanse of this place gives you a strong feeling of time standing still.  Many artists, photographers and movies starring actors like John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and, most recently, Tom Hanks as Forest Gump, have captured the beauty of Monument Valley.  As we approach the famous Goulding Lodge you will begin to see massive sandstone sculptures rise from the desert floor.  The otherworldly experience of Monument Valley is one you'll treasure for years to come.

Your adventure includes a 17-mile tour through the valley with stops at all the historic and scenic views.

Optional four-wheel drive tours are available with a Navajo guide into the back country where you can see Petroglyphs and ancient Anasazi dwellings only accessible on this guided tour.  Another option available is a horseback ride into Monument Valley, also with a Navajo guide.  Longer trail rides and back country photo tours are also available if you have more than one day available for a tour to Monument Valley.

Click HERE for CUSTOM PRIVATE TOUR PRICE information

Monument Valley Photo One of "The Mittens" These are the actual vibrant colors you can see at Monument Valley. Photo © copyright by Josiah Davidson.  All Rights Reserved--To Purchase or Trade for Website use: call 1-800-825-1797 Contact The Franklin Gallery to BUY prints of this photo See more photos of Monument Valley

Our Monument Valley Tour usually stops at the Cameron Trading Post and Museum. You will want to browse this historic and authentic trading post to see or purchase quality Southwest Indian art from their gift shop or Art Gallery. The dining room features a view of the Little Colorado River Gorge and displays fine Indian arts and crafts. Breakfast, lunch or dinner is available.

One of our stops usually includes a view into the Little Colorado River Gorge. Also at this location, Native American Navajo artisans display a variety of their original crafts including rugs, pottery, and jewelry. They will gladly pose for photographs along with their works. The Gorge itself will literally take your breath away as you look hundreds of feet down to the river winding its way along the bottom of the steep, narrow canyon.

Our tour travels through parts of the Painted Desert where blue, gray, green, pink, and red soils paint an ever-changing landscape.  The Painted Desert is made up of many clays found in the Chinle Formation.

Painted Desert Formation Photo One can easily see the many clay and mineral Chinle layers in this photograph of Painted Desert type formations. Photo © copyright 2002 by David F Menne.  All Rights Reserved--To Purchase or Trade for Website use: call 1-800-825-1797 Contact The Franklin Gallery to BUY prints of this photo Click here to see more photos of Monument Valley

NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT, PETROGLYPHS, DINOSAUR TRACKS, PETRIFIED FOREST

Depending on time and activities selected while at Monument Valley, there are a number of interesting places we could visit on our return trip. Some of the available options include:

• Breakfast or Dinner at the historic Cameron Trading Post, Art Gallery and Museum
• Little Colorado River Gorge
• Painted Desert
• Navajo Lands and Reservation
• Navajo Artist open-air booths
• The Navajo National Monument
• The location of one of the largest collections of petroglyphs
• Dinosaur tracks
• A seldom seen petrified forest with one of the largest petrified logs ever discovered

TIME

This custom private tour can take from 10 to 15 hours, depending on the number of sites visited and the time spent at each site.