Monument Valley Custom Tour
Includes the Painted Desert and Navajo Indian Lands
This
spectacular 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 a number of Natural Arches, 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.
 |
|
||
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.
At a number of our stops, Native American Navajo artisans display
a variety of their original crafts including rugs, pottery, and jewelry.
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. |
|
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
TIMEThis custom private tour can take from 9 to 12 hours, depending on the number of sites visited and the time spent at each site. It can also be expanded into a two-day or longer tour.