Monument Valley
Day Two - Best of the Southwest - 2023
A quick stop at Goosenecks State Park before heading to perhaps the crown jewel of the American Southwest - Monument Valley.
1. Goosenecks State Park #1
(Click here to view a full-size version of this panorama.)
At Goosenecks State Park in Utah, the San Juan River forms incised meanders 1,000 feet / 300 meters deep.
The second day of the Best of the Southwest Road Trip began with a quick drive from Farmington, New Mexico, to the Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park (where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet). This was my second visit to the site, and perhaps one day I will post photos from that road trip in 2015, but -honestly- I didn’t even think to take a photograph this time around (my travel companion had not visited before, hence the stop).
Afterwards, we made our way to another one of my favorite locations: Goosenecks State Park in Utah. This is one of the most picturesque parts of the United States, nearby to such sites as Natural Bridges National Monument, the Moki Dugway, Valley of the Gods, and Monument Valley (which, as I’m sure you guessed, I will get to shortly.) The first time I came to Goosenecks, it was practically night; the second, the winter sun was blazing down and made all my photographs very washed out. So this was my time to get it right.
Photographer’s Comment: It is pretty much impossible to get the full meanders of the San Juan River in one shot, so the above panorama (taken from a spot just below the parking lot) is about as good as you will get. This is, perhaps, why Goosenecks is not as popular an attraction as, say, Horseshoe Bend in Arizona.
2. Goosenecks State Park #2
Rafting is a popular activity on the San Juan River.
Early 2023 was one of the driest periods in recent memory in the American Southwest, but unexpectedly plentiful spring rains coupled with a significantly deep thawing snowpack in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado meant that rivers such as the Colorado and San Juan were surging and running extremely brown, almost like chocolate milk. This brought out many water sports enthusiasts during the course of the trip, including these rafters meandering about the Goosenecks.
3. Goosenecks State Park #3
Goosenecks State Park is an enclave within Bears Ears National Monument.
If you are visiting Monument Valley or the surrounding area, definitely consider a quick stop at Goosenecks - I guarantee you much more quiet and peace than a visit to Horseshoe Bend in Page!
4. Rainstorm Over the Valley of the Gods
Valley of the Gods is a 17-mile / 27-kilometer one-way gravel and sand driving route past vast buttes, mesas, and sandstone towers.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to visit Valley of the Gods this trip as I had planned due to the unexpected rainfall as I feared my rental vehicle might get stuck in some fierce desert mud (hence the visit to Goosenecks, instead). My instincts were validated as a significant rainstorm fell right as we would be halfway through the valley. I also wouldn’t have been able to get this epic photo!
5. Where Forrest Gump Stopped Running
The location where Forrest Gump stopped running after three years, two months, fourteen days, and sixteen hours in the 1994 film of the same name is now a scenic pullover along U.S. Scenic Highway 163 called “Forrest Gump Point.”
I love everything about the concept of Forrest Gump Point. And not just the amazing view or the fact that it is an easily accessible filming location from one of the most popular films of all time. What I truly love is how this fictional movie about coincidences became memorialized in the real world -and along this stretch of road- to begin with. Follow me, I’m going somewhere with this, I promise.
First things first: to get those up-to-speed if you don’t know, there is a scene in the movie where Forrest Gump decides to run back-and-forth across the United States; ultimately Forrest decides to stop running exactly on this spot, just north of Monument Valley in Utah. What’s significant about this is that this whole “run across America” bit doesn’t happen in the novel upon which the movie is based. This idea was conceptualized by Eric Roth in his screenplay adaptation; however, his screenplay only notes the scene taking place along “ANOTHER ROAD, SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S.” This means someone on the production staff (Director Robert Zemeckis? Cinematographer Don Burgess? Some rando whose name is lost to history?") suggested the Monument Valley location. It is worth noting that the scene-in-question features dozens of extras and, as best I can tell, takes place nowhere near any other scene in the movie, which means whoever selected the site really wanted to expense tons of money to film here, so my assumption is that some random occurrence earlier in their life (A family road trip? One too many John Ford westerns? Zemeckis’ previous experience filming Back to the Future Part III?) compelled them to film this one specific scene here.
So what does this mean in the grand scheme of things. Well, best I can figure it, a random decision about adding a scene, and a random decision about filming that scene near Monument Valley, and a random decision about filming this specific scene along this part of U.S. Scenic Highway 163 has forever memorialized this movie about extreme happenstance altering the history of a fictionalized reality has in the exact same way altered our actual reality permanently. Gotta love it!
6. Monument Valley #1
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park straddles the Arizona-Utah border and is explored via a well-maintained 17 mile / 27 kilometer dirt loop road.
I love Monument Valley. It is one of the most picturesque places in the entire world, and -no matter how many times I’ve been there- I will always want to go back. No sight is, in my opinion, as emblematic of the American Southwest as it.
Right off the bat, you get this amazing view of The Mittens and Merrick Butte from the appropriately-named Monument Valley View which is located next to the appropriately-name The View Hotel. I stayed at The View Hotel in 2015, and let me say it is worth every cent (I’ll write about that experience on this website one of these days, I promise.) On this day, however, we were just planning on doing a 3-4 hour scenic drive.
I won’t provide much commentary on the next 17 photographs as they mostly speak for themselves.
7. Monument Valley #2
Once you begin down the gravel road on the Monument Valley Loop Drive, the first major stop you come to is an overlook of The Mittens and Merrick Butte, three of Monument Valley's most famous formations.
The Mittens, in particular, are the result of three different geologic layers having been weathered at different rates over time. This gives them their distinctive hand-and-thumb appearances.
Access to Monument Valley Loop Drive is included in your ticket to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park; however, high-clearance 4x4 or AWD vehicles are strongly recommended. Rolling up in your rent-a-car sub-compact? No worries - there are plenty of tour operators in the parking lot of The View hotel who will gladly shuttle you around for a reasonable fee.
Two more photographs of The Mittens and Merrick Butte follow.
8. Monument Valley #3
9. Monument Valley #4
10. Monument Valley #5
Another famous site within the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is The Three Sisters, three spires which rise to the sky near the end of Mitchell Mesa. There are several viewpoints from which you can see The Three Sisters, so be sure to remember to look behind you as you drive around the park's driving loop!
One more photograph of The Three Sisters follows.
11. Monument Valley #6
12. Monument Valley #7
At the south end of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park driving loop, you will see the Rain God Mesa to your north, as well as Totem Pole and Yei Bei Chei to the southeast.
If you want a close-up view of Totem Pole and Yei Bei Chei, be sure to head to the Sand Springs stop off the loop road. This spur road's deep sand was turned to mud due to recent rainfall, so I declined the option on this trip, instead admiring these sites from afar.
13. Monument Valley #8
Totem Pole and Yei Bei Chei.
14. Monument Valley #9
Looking back towards Rain God Mesa.
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15. Monument Valley #10
At the far east end of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is Artist's Point, perhaps my favorite spot in all of the park. It gives a wonderful view north over the valley and has been featured in many movies over the years.
Two more photographs from Artist’s Point follow.
16. Monument Valley #11
17. Monument Valley #12
18. Monument Valley #13
Nearby to Artist’s Point is a rock formation called The Thumb. Maybe it is just me, but I think it looks more like a boot, myself….
19. Monument Valley #14
Just north of The Thumb is the amazing North Window. The views are spectacular and worth the detour, so don’t miss the small turnoff!
If the view looks familiar, it has featured in many films in recent years, including "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs", "The Lone Ranger", and "A Million Ways to Die in the West".
Another photograph from the North Window follows.
20. Monument Valley #15
21. Monument Valley #16
Saving perhaps the best known viewpoint for last, we ended our Monument Valley journey at John Ford's Point.
Named after filmmaker John Ford -who extensively used Monument Valley as a backdrop in his American Western films- this site featured prominently in his 1956 film, "The Searchers".
No doubt John Ford's films (and their subsequent homages by other filmmakers) had an indelible effect on people's perceptions of the American West, firmly establishing Monument Valley as the landscape representative of the region.
The view truly speaks for itself. Two more photos from John Ford’s Point follow.
22. Monument Valley #17
23. Monument Valley #18
After departing John Ford’s Point, we made our way back to the Visitor’s Center for a quick pit and souvenir stop before heading out. Perhaps due to lingering COVID-19 restrictions (the Navajo were hit especially hard by the virus), perhaps due to it being the shoulder season, the restaurants at The View were all closed. We made our way through a brief but eerie whiteout snowstorm to Kayenta, Arizona, for lunch before punching all the way to Kanab, Utah, for the evening.
