Sorry for borrowing your lyrics Jon Bon Jovi. I have wanted to visit Monument Valley for years, but on each trip to the USA, I have skirted around the Navajo Park without actually visiting. This time it was the main destination.
Yes, you can drive through the valley if you want, but be warned, the roads are not great (so maybe have a 4WD), you cannot get access to all of the valley without a Navajo guide (known as the back country), and without said guide you cannot access the valley until the park officially opens (6am during peak season, 8am during off-peak). I did not know none of this until our Navajo guide told us, luckily we did not regret paying for the tour operated by Blackwater Tours.
We were booked on the earliest tour that you can during the spring, and even though we arrived in the dark watching the sunrise was epic. It was one of the most magical experiences I’ve had travelling and you totally forget how cold it is.
If you grew up with the the old western movies filmed in Monument Valley take the chance to visit Gouldings Museum, located over the road at Gouldings Lodge, not only does it have movie memorabilia but has some history about the valley itself. For the younger folk you’ll be amazed at the more recent movies filmed in the area.
The Wayfarers Lens 