Top 13 Astonishing Facts about Monument Valley (2024)

Originally published by Cyndi K on March 2022. Edited by Charity K on May 2023.

Monument Valley is a region of the colorado plateau typically characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes. That is isolated hills with steep, often vertical sides and a small flat top.

Monument Valley has the largest of its buttes reaching 300 meters above the valley floor.

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1. Monument Valley experiences a desert climate

Originally published by Cyndi K on March 2022. Edited by Charity K on May 2023.

Usually, the monument valley experiences a desert kind of climate with cold winters and hot summers. While summers are usually hot, the heat in this place is tempered mostly by the region’s high altitude.

Averagely, the valley experiences a temperature of 32 degrees Celsius for 54 days annually. Summers go up to 38 degrees whereby for the summer nights, temperatures usually drop after sunset and are comfortably cool.

Winters are typically cold but daytime temperatures are usually above freezing. Temperatures below -18 degrees Celsius are possible and occasionally there is light snowfall in the winter. However, it melts within a day or two.

2. Earliest people to mark the area were the Anasazi

The Anasazi, better known as ancestral Puebloans, were the earliest people to mark the area by settling there at around 1200 BCE.

Their art and building structures still remain thus exposing the ancient resourcefulness that an ancient community found in a very foreboding desert.

3. The Navajo Culture took root in the area before the Spaniards

The Navajo culture took root in the monument valley area even before the Spaniards entered the area in 1581.

250,000 of their descendants still live on the 16 million-acre of land and are known as the Navajo Nation. The monument valley is a window into what their culture is all about.

4. Monument Valley became famous due to John Ford’s movies

The monument valley managed to capture the attention of a large audience thanks to director John Ford’s Westerns.

The first movie was the 1939’s Stagecoach movie which starred John Wayne. Ford’s movies constantly being shot in the area shaped how much the outside world came to picture the American West.

5. Monument Valley’s Buttes were formed uniquely millions of years ago

The buttes in the monument valley were created through the process of erosion and gradual wearing away of the earth by water, wind, and ice.

The buttes formed millions of years ago as streams cut through a plateau. The hardtop of the buttes which is called a Caprock, resists weathering and erosion but the softer rock that surrounds the caprock was slowly eroded by wind and rainwater.

Typically, the caprock protects the vulnerable rock beneath it and buttes slowly formed into slender spires.

Sometimes when the caprock falls prey to severe weathering and erosion, debris ends up falling to the side of the buttes and these are known as scree or talus.

6. It is considered as America’s great natural wonders

Standing at 1000 feet above the desert floor and being millions of years old, the monument valley’s sandstone pillars are considered one of America’s great natural wonders.

According to Navajo legend, they are the carcasses of defeated monsters. The pillars of monument valley are world-famous, having been ingrained in pop culture and having been considered synonymous with America’s mythic ‘Wild West.’

The pillars are known as the West Mitten Butte, the East Mitten Butte, and the Merrick Butte.

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7. Monument Valley became a symbol of the Wild West

For many years, only the Navajo and Paiute occupied the landscape. In the early 20th century, however, non-indigenous people started visiting the place.

At the start of the 1920s, a sheep herder by the name of Mike Goulding set up a trading post on the side of Utah, and at the time this was just outside the Navajo reservation.

In the 1930s, Monument Valley was affected greatly by drought, the great depression, and the forced reduction of livestock by the government yet that was the major source of income for the Navajo and Paiute people.

Because of this, Mike Goulding tried for many years to draw the world’s attention to the landscape as he believed that tourism could help boost the local economy.

The big break came later however in 1938 when Mike took photos of Monument Valley to Hollywood and got the attention it deserved.

8. During filming at monument valley, the inhabitants were paid an amount that would only get them through winter

When production of Stagecoach came to an end in 1938, the company paid the Navajo locals who had worked as crew and extras an amount of $50,000. This was only enough to get the Navajo and Paiute people through winter.

Luckily, as monument valley’s popularity increased, so did Goulding’s plan to bring tourism to the area. Now, the monument valley sees around 350,000 visitors each year and guests can enjoy Navajo lead tours of its famous buttes.

9. Monument Valley has another identity

The monument Valley is also known for its Navajo identity, ‘Tse Bi Ndzisgaii,’ which means valley of the rocks.

This is among the first issues at Monument Valley and this fact should be remembered always. The word is pronounced as ‘ts-epi-ntsiskai’

10. One can drive around the valley

When one enters Monument Valley, one can have the ability to self-drive across the terrain. With a map in hand and the feeling of exploring and being adventurous, one is assured to have a good time.

However, 4-wheel drives are preferable and suited for a self-drive in the terrain due to how rocky it is. A car like a Porsche is too low for a drive on its rocky roads. In case one doesn’t have a 4-wheel car, one can easily e-book a tour as a substitute for self-driving.

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11. The Monument Valley Is Considered A Spiritual Place

The valley is sacred ground to the Navajo People. They consider it to be the heart of the earth. However, scholars believe that the Navajo people treat the valley as a sacred place because it is the home of traditional Navajo leaders and spiritual healers.

The Navajo people also believe that the valley holds the spirits of the fallen Navajo warriors.

12. The Myth of Monument Valley

The Navajo people share a legend from generation to generation about the formation of the Monument Valley. The myth is that the giant red rock mesas of Monument Valley are the carcasses of defeated monsters who were slain and buried in the sand.

13. The Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

The park receives 350,000 tourists each year. With an entrance fee of $10 per person and $20 per vehicle, which helps the tour guides and locals. Backcountry hiking, filming, camping, and weddings require permits. The park is open to visitors all year-round, however, it is advisable to visit the park during the autumn and spring seasons in order to enjoy the high-desert environment.

The monument valley has been called the most scenic place in America. It keeps on attracting visitors and the interesting history of its earliest inhabitants is most iconic.

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