Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, August 2003

Monument Valley is not a US National Park but under the jurisdiction of the Navajo Nation. For me, it is one of the most beautiful and definitely the most spiritual place on earth. I visited Monument Valley twice before in 1994 and 1998, but I had no clue about a Midwestern weather phenomenon called Monsoon. Who would expect that much rain in the desert? So, when I took my daughter and my niece there in 2003, we were off to a weird start . . .

Rain and sand combined to a perfect mud storm and all we saw was this . . .	. . . and this.

So, really all we could do was sit and wait and have a cup of tea...

But even a couple of hours later, there was no end of the storm in sight and so we tried to set up our tent in the middle of a mud-storm. Finally, after more than one hour - and with the help of three French guys and seven heavy rocks - we succeeded.

Next morning at 6AM

The next morning, there was no reminiscence of the storm and we woke up to the most amazing sunrise in the universe. Monument Valley is famous for its sunrise. No matter what the weather is like and no matter what time of year you are there, the sunrise is always spectacular! (Check my sunrise links page.) It is an experience absolutely not to be missed!

Touring the Valley

One can explore parts of the valley alone, but the most interesting sites (including Anasazi Petroglyphs) can be visited only with a Navajo guide. Several local enterprises offer jeep- and horseback-tours, ranging from a 90 minute tour for $20 to overnight tours for $100 and more. I strongly recommend a guided tour, otherwise you miss a lot. (See here and here.) Never forget you are visiting one of the most sacred places of the Navajo nation. Please treat the place and its people with respect. We took a 2 ½ hour tour and got to see a lot more than can be put on a web page.

West Butte and Merrick Butte at the gateway to the valley.

"Three Sisters".

"The Hogan".

Anasazi petroglyphs. The Anasazi lived here between 1000 BC and 1300 AD and disappeared 100 years before the Navajo settled in the area.

"Ear of the Wind".

One of the monoliths is called "Elephant." But after a while, they all look like elephants . . .

	More about Monument Valley Navajo National Parks Other good descriptions of the Valley can be found at Desert USA, American Southwest and Seattle Pi. More about the Navajo Nation Official Website More information about the Navajo Nation is at Desert USA, Amerika West, Crystalinks and Crossing America.

Julia and Mandy at the End of the world

Good bye to a great place - but we will be back.

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