If, when you think of Wild West, you picture desolate desert of red sand, littered with weathered rocks of all shapes and sizes you are picturing Southern Utah. On a weeklong trip to this part of Utah in March of 2016, we visited Arches national park, Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley.
The valley is littered with amazing rock formations but the three most recognisable & famous rocks are called the three Mittens due to the mitten-like shape; they are pictured above. I feel pictures do not do justice to how magnificent they look in person. I took so many pictures from different angles!
Monument Valley is not a National Park but the ancestral home of Navajo tribe and continues to be for many tribesmen even today. Therefore, parts of the valley are off limits but most can be seen via a 17 miles bumpy and rocky road. I heeded good advice and rented an SUV with high clearance. I found that common sense driving was sufficient to navigate the ill-kept road but no real experience in off-road driving was necessary.
Another good advice I received was to stay at the ‘View’ hotel – the only hotel on the property. We paid extra for a room with a view of the three mittens and it was money well spent. At sunset, right from our room, we watched mitten change into shades of orange. Then at night, when the hotel lights were turned off, the mittens were lit up by moonlight and finally, if not for the cloudy morning, we ‘almost’ saw the Sun rise behind the mitten. So maybe, seek advice on the weather before you go.
The entire area surrounding Monument valley is precipitated with rocky formations of Utah’s Wild West. More of them in the next blog.
My Pravas 