As for Yellowstone, describing
Monument Valley is a very difficult undertaking. As the name implies, Monument
Valley is truly "monumental". It is one of the undisputed symbols of
the western United States. The vast desert plain is actually of river origin
(Colorado Plateau) and is located on the border between Utah and Arizona in a
fairly isolated area, how extensive, which is more than 70 km from the nearest
town: Kayenta. The territory is mainly flat except for the fact that the plain
is sprinkled with small
isolated hills with flat tops and sloping sides called
butte or mesas according to their conformation. The most famous (that you can see in the photo above) is the Mittens and Merrick's Butte: natural
buildings formed by rock and sand with the shape of reddish towers (caused by
iron oxide) with the flat top more or less horizontal. The area is part of the
Navajo Nation Reservation, where a tribe still live, and is entirely and
solely managed by native Indians including the View Hotel, inaugurated in 2009
and built-in place of the essential campsite that had existed for 40 years. It
is necessary to make a premise: the Monument Valley is practically and
completely unpaved, with considerable holes along the way. Impossible to go
with your Harley. With the motorbike, you can safely enter the park but you will
inevitably have to stop at the Hotel square and continue the visit with
organized tours. If you are with a rental car, you can try to take the Scenic
Valley Drive which is the only road you can access independently, without
a native guide. For the above reasons and, to allow you to fully enjoy this
wonder, I recommend you to book tours with local guides. Several
Navajo providers offer horseback or jeep rides both on the internet and on-site. We have decided to try them both.
HORSEBACK RIDING TOUR
I think the horseback riding tour
is truly unmissable. I am not a great horse lover, much less a great
horsewoman. To be on the safe side, having never been mounted on horseback
before, I decided to train by taking a few walks here in Italy to get a
little familiar. I think I have done a wise thing. Let me say that the natives are
a little "easygoing" in the sense that they are a little disorganized
and tend to take many things for granted, including your ability to ride. Don't
be alarmed, there is nothing to fear, just pay attention and be aware if there
is something wrong with you.
We booked from Italy a
guided tour with Roy Black's Guided Tour lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes. As I
said many providers that offer more or less the same excursions. The
guide will pick you up with a jeep on the main square and will lead you, in a
rather reckless way (get ready!) to the ranch where you will ride the horses.
Since the organization is not their strong point, be prepared to wait patiently in
the sun. Bring a hat or a bandana, glasses, and sunscreen and, above all, water,
since there is no infrastructure. The Navajos have no facilities for
guests, not even water.
It's time to
leave. The tour is truly exciting. In the immense silence of the desert, in the
most enveloping heat, the clogs that sink into the bright red sand, you will
see and enjoy a unique landscape of its kind. The guide will show you the most
picturesque corners and point out the particular shapes that the rocks assume,
naming them one by one. You will go up and down through sandy slopes, you will
skirt cliffs and continue to turn your head left and right trying to capture
every single frame to be imprinted in your memory. There are no words
that can describe this experience that will be truly memorable.
