On our drive from Flagstaff to Moab, we stopped at Monument Valley, which spreads across the Navajo Reservation in northeast Arizona into southeast Utah. Ten minutes after rolling in to our KOA and unhooking the rig, we were ready to hit the road for some more exploring. On the way out of the campground, we ran into some friends from Maryland who were just getting checked in! Our one night in Monument Valley was shaping up to be a fun one! Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is completely run by the Navajo Nation. There is a charge of $8 per person for entry. The park has a hotel, restaurant, and large gift shop with native crafts and souvenirs. Upon entry, it's clear that the park doesn't have the conveniences of national parks, but I respect that the Navajo do things their own way. They welcome outsiders to this spectacular piece of land, but expect that rules be respected and followed. Since the Navajo Nation was hit particularly hard with COVID, one of these rules includes wearing a mask both indoors and outdoors while on the reservation. Tribal members offer guided tours by Jeep, which would be very beneficial. Since we blew our budget already this month, we elected to do the self-guided driving tour on the 17 mile dirt road loop. The problem with the self-guided tour was that we didn't have a map. The visitor center had run out of them and suggested you take a picture of their map. Numbers on the map suggested there were viewpoints, but there wasn't a key to name or explain any of the viewpoints. Lack of explanations left my knowledge cup feeling a little dry, but after I got over it and started to just enjoy the scenery, the drive was absolutely beautiful with rock formations and vegetation that can only be found in Monument Valley. If we did it all over again, we probably would have opted for the tour so we could learn more about what this land means to the Navajo people. After returning back to the RV, we spent the evening sitting by the campfire catching up with friends. Banana got her canine fix, playing with their two dogs, while Brickhead had us on the edge of our seats with a horror story he's been working on the last week. It was nice to have a bit of familiarity while out in the middle of nowhere in strange lands! The next day we took off for Natural Bridges, but not before making a quick trip to Forest Gump Hill. Here, the Navajo had to put in a speed limit reduction, flashing lights and pedestrian crossing signs on the main highway to protect all the crazy tourists who stand in the middle of the road for the iconic photograph of where Tom Hanks, posing as Forrest Gump, stops in the middle of the road and says, "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now." The multiple pull-offs can be filled with vehicles all hours of the day. There are two ways you can travel to Natural Bridges from Monument Valley. Rt. 261 is a dirt road with a 10,000 lb weight limit. If you're pulling a trailer, you need to take 191 to 95 through Bears Ears National Monument. Thankfully we saw the signs before any major mishaps! We dropped our trailer at the Blanding Visitor Center and just took the truck the 35 miles to the monument. Bears Ears National Monument deserves a shout out while we're at it. According to Wiki, this national monument was made official by President Obama in 2016, but President Trump reduced the 1 million+ acres by some 200,000+ in 2017, later to be returned to government property by President Biden in 2021. The land is co-managed by the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and a coalition of five Native tribes. The park boasts some 100,000 archeological sites, some of which are 3,500 years old. Aside from driving through, we didn't get to do any exploring. I don't believe it's a very established park at this time (likely due to political drama), so visitors would likely have to plan accordingly. We'd be interested in coming back another time, with a tour guide if possible. Natural Bridges National MonumentNatural Bridges became Utah's first national monument back in 1908. These bridges were formed by water cutting through rock, which is different from the arches formed at Arches National Park, which have been eroded away by wind over time. Our visit there is best told in pictures, but I will note a few details:
The Visitor Center is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in winter. Winter hours begin November 1 according to their website, but due to staffing shortages, winter came early. They were closed on October 18 when we arrived. We're finding this to be a common trend as we travel. The scenic drive is a nine mile, one-way loop with several short hikes and one long loop hike connecting all the bridges. The hike to Horse Collar Rim led to a 700 year old Puebloan cliff dwelling. You could hardly see the structures from the lookout point. How people lived there is a wonder in itself!
1 Comment
10/23/2022 01:20:08 pm
Love these excursions. Feel like I have been there. Keep on enjoying.
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