Monument Valley

And so we entered the Navajo Reservation on UT 163 and came closer to the towering monoliths.

We weren’t sure whether this park was part of the NPS system or whether it was private.

We soon discovered that it is a tribal park, owned by the Navajo. National Parks and Golden Age passes cannot be used. Fee for entry is $5 per person with children under 9 yrs of age, free. There is a visitors center, museum, hotel and a restaurant. The park is open year round.

The park road is a 17 mile bumpy dirt road with a steep incline back up to the visitor’s center. We needed our 4wd. We did see visitors use cars/trucks/jeeps of various types, but the Navajo run tours for those who do not wish to drive… and they sure looked like they were having fun.

The map was great and extremely helpful.

There are Navajo houses called Hogans. They are made with natural materials and are still used today by Navajo elders for ceremonial purposes. This is a female Hogan, mainly because of its shape.