Monument Valley

25.05. / Wednesday / Monument Valley

We really get up at 5:00 am and sit in the car in the dark at 48°F (9°C). But the sun is coming and we see it slowly rising behind us.

On the way to the sunrise in Monument Valley

We hurry and arrive at the entrance to Monument Valley National Park just before 6:00 am, where no one is there to collect the fee. Next to The View Hotel, we jump out of the car with all our cameras and position ourselves on the terrace, just in time. At 6:02 am, the sun rises behind the “Mitten Butte”. A 'butte' seems to be the term for these lonely, pointed rock formations. The Mitten Butte is the “glove mountain”, which is named that way because one of the peaks could be identified as a thumb.

Minute by minute, it becomes more and more incredible and the few people around us whisper in awe. It is an experience that will not be forgotten for a lifetime.

Fiery red colors, an indescribable blue sky, constantly changing shades, and a clearer picture of the entire valley unfold before us.

We are bundled up as in winter because it is still very cool and windy. It gets warmer as the sun rises higher. Once the sun is higher up, we want to try the 17-mile loop road. Some people had told us that it would be okay to drive with our regular car, while others said it is too low. Rental cars are not covered for driving on unpaved roads, and we do not want to risk any damage.

The first hundred meters are okay, the road is full of stones and potholes, and you have to drive like slalom, but then in a curve there is a steeper, very washed-out section with deep ruts. We don't dare to continue because either we will hit the bottom, or we will get stuck when driving back up. G. walks on the road for half an hour, and I enjoy the 360° panorama from a higher point. The sun shines warmly, but a fleece jacket is still necessary.

We have breakfast at The View Hotel. When we were planning our trip, we had considered staying here, but at $259 per night, we declined. It is also managed by the Indians and therefore very expensive.

The breakfast buffet for $11 is not the best, but we enjoy our spot at the window with the best view of Monument Valley. We watch various cars and RVs attempting to overcome the curve where we gave up. Some succeed, others turn around.

The origin of Monument Valley began several hundred million years ago. It was a lowland basin at that time, covered over the centuries by sediment deposits (mostly limestone and sandstone) from the Rocky Mountains.

About 70 million years ago, this lowland basin was transformed into a rock plateau by pressure from below, reaching a height of 2,100 meters. However, nature, in the form of wind, rain, and extreme temperatures, led to the erosion of the region. Due to the varying stability of the rocks, these plateaus remained, some of which reach a height of up to 300 meters and stand out so prominently from the Colorado Plateau. Like in Australia, the iron oxide in the earth is the reason for the red color of the soil and mountains.

We interrupt the drive back to the hotel at a presumed good lookout point for tonight's sunset. We end up in a small settlement with a church and women's restroom in the middle of nowhere and find our "stock tripod," a white stick that serves as a good makeshift tripod for taking photos when the hand alone is not stable enough.

The loneliest women's restroom in the world

There is also a sweat lodge built by Native Americans here, but since it is filled with junk, it does not seem to be used as such anymore. On the way, we have a great backward panorama of the rock formations of Monument Valley, including the famous Three Sisters.

What a gigantic area - the road on the far right, the 3 sisters on the far left

We spend the afternoon relaxing at the hotel and by the San Juan River in front of the hotel, where whitewater rafting is going on. It gets hot at 30°C, and the air is bone dry, so you don't sweat. We change our hotel in Moab at the Arches National Park to one day earlier because we are still one night ahead due to canceling the second night in Cortez, as planned.

We are back in Monument Valley for the sunset, but now next to The View Hotel, close to our morning location.

We are now much closer to the buttes, which brings a different perspective. However, since we are behind a ledge, the rocks are not illuminated with red for as long as yesterday from a distance. Still a great experience, and I could kick myself for having so much dust on my camera sensor, which can be seen on every picture with a blue sky...

When leaving the national park, we have another gigantic panorama in front of an incredible sky.

In Mexican Hat, we go to our pub, the San Juan Trading Post, to eat again and go to bed at 10:00 pm.