Road Trip from Phoenix to Monument Valley

Monument Valley is about 320 miles north of Phoenix - that's 5 hours of driving, so it's close enough for a long weekend if you take the Friday off.

Two nights is all you need. You get two sunsets and two sunrises in the valley, and plenty of time to do the 17-mile loop drive through the buttes, and time for a Navajo-guided tour into the backcountry you can't reach on your own.

Leave Phoenix in the morning and you'll be there by early afternoon with the whole evening ahead of you. The drive is simple - I-17 to Flagstaff, then north across the Navajo Nation on US-89 and US-160 before turning north onto US-163 at Kayenta

The Grand Canyon and Page for Antelope Canyon are both close to the route if you want to add a day for either.

🚙 EXPLORE MORE: The Best Road Trips From Phoenix

Read this before you leave Phoenix

How many days do you need?

2 nights is perfect for Monument Valley. Staying for 2 nights means you get one full day there between the driving days, allowing plenty of time to do the loop drive, a guided tour or two, and the Wildcat Trail without rushing any of it.

That means you need to take the Friday off to make the most of it - if you try and drive after work on Friday, you'll hit traffic out of Phoenix and, with the time difference, arrive after the front desk closes at the hotel.

You could do it in one night, if you have to, but you'd have to choose between the guided tour and the loop drive, and you'll be tired after the drive there on day 1 and watching the clock on day 2.

Day 1: Phoenix to Monument Valley

🚗 320 miles ⏱️ 5 hours

Leave Phoenix in the morning and you'll be at The View by early afternoon. The perfect way to stretch your legs after the drive is to walk the Wildcat Trail - it's a 2-hour loop right from the hotel. Then settle onto your balcony for your first sunset over the Mittens - only downside is you can't have a glass of wine or a beer (Navajo Nation rules)

Day 2: Monument Valley

Catch sunrise from the rim, then drive the 17-mile loop through the valley while the light is still good. Book a Navajo-guided tour for lunchtime to see the backcountry half of the park you can't reach on your own. Relax in the evening or triple up and do a night tour as well.

Day 3: Drive back to Phoenix

🚗 320 miles ⏱️ 5 hours

Set your alarm to catch the last sunrise - it's worth it. Check out of the hotel and, if you've not had enough, do a morning horseback tour. Then drive back to Phoenix. You'll gain that lost hour back crossing into Arizona, so you don't need to set off too early to get back at a reasonable time.

If you only have one night, skip the guided tour and focus on the loop drive and the sunrise - those are the two things you can't leave without seeing.

The route from Phoenix

If you want to plan your own stops or add detours, you can customize your road trip in the Planner

The drive to Monument Valley starts with taking I-17 north out of Phoenix - you'll climb from the Sonoran Desert into a pine forest in about two hours, topping out at Flagstaff at 7,000 feet.

Remember to stock up on gas, drinks and snacks in Flagstaff because the next three hours will have a lot less in the way of shops.

The alternative route up to Flagstaff through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon on AZ-179 and AZ-89A is pretty and you drive right past the red rocks, but it adds about 30 minutes and you can easily get stuck behind RVs jostling for spaces in parking lots.

From Flagstaff, US-89 and US-160 take you north across the Navajo Nation through Tuba City and on to Kayenta. It's a long, empty stretch with big skies and not much else - the kind of road where you notice when another car drives by.

A few miles past Kayenta you turn north onto US-163 and the buttes appear ahead of you. However big you think they are, they'll look bigger in real life.

Where to stay

The View Hotel is the only accommodation inside the Tribal Park, and it's the reason you want to stay here instead of further out.

The park closes before sunset and doesn't open until after sunrise - but hotel guests are already on the rim. Over two nights, you get four golden hours that day visitors never see: two sunsets and two sunrises with the Mittens right in front of you and nobody else around.

The hotel itself is not the type to win awards - the rooms are functional rather than luxurious, the restaurant is average, and there's no pool or bar (Navajo Nation is dry). But 5 hours from Phoenix, you're not exactly spoiled for choice - the only other hotel is 5 miles further back outside the park boundary.

The reason to stay at The View is... the view. So don't overthink it and book the hotel and go sit on the balcony as the sun goes down.

You'll need to book direct on the hotel's website - The View Hotel is not on the major booking platforms and in peak season it can sell out well in advance, so don't leave it late.

The 17-mile loop drive

The park charges $10 per person per day and $15 per vehicle to enter - your national park pass won't work here, it's Navajo tribal land.

The scenic loop drops down from the visitor center into the valley floor and winds past the viewpoints over about two hours. You drive it yourself, at your own pace, stopping wherever you want.

John Ford's Point is the one most people remember - the classic overlook where you'll usually find a Navajo horseman posing for photos against the valley backdrop. A small tip for the shot is expected - it's a tradition here, not a tourist trap.

The Totem Pole is the narrow spire reaching for the sky - it's taller than it looks and impossibly thin. North Window gets you a view of the Mittens and buttes further away from a slightly elevated position which might be the best view of the valley on the loop.

Drive it in the morning if you can - the light on the red rock is perfect when the sun is still low in the sky. Temperatures are lower as well and you'll have the road mostly to yourself before the day-trippers start arriving from Kayenta and Page.

I mentioned already that the road conditions are rough - bring an SUV or a truck if you have one, and be extra careful after rain.

Navajo-guided tours

The loop drive covers about half the park. The other half - Mystery Valley, the hidden arches, the ancient petroglyphs, and the banks of the San Juan River further out - is backcountry that you can only enter with a Navajo guide.

The tours run from around $85 per person for a couple of hours in a 4x4. What you get depends on which tour you book - a Mystery Valley tour takes you to ancient ruins and rock art, a sunrise or sunset tour puts you in the right place for the best light, and a night tour gets you the valley under a sky with no light pollution for miles.

If you'd rather not be in the back of a truck, some operators run the tours on horseback - slower, quieter, and a completely different way to move through the valley.

The guides grew up here - the difference between driving the loop yourself and going with a guide isn't just access, it's context. The formations have Navajo names and stories behind them that you won't find on any sign along the loop.

Book before you arrive, especially in spring and fall - the official Monument Valley website lists all of the tour operators. Most will have availability a day or two out, but the popular sunrise and sunset slots fill up first.

Wildcat Trail

This is the only trail in Monument Valley you can hike without a guide - a 3.2-mile loop around the base of West Mitten Butte starting right from The View Hotel.

The hike itself is flat and straightforward - no scrambling, no real elevation change, about two hours at a steady pace. The only caveat is you do have to walk on sand for part of the trail - you'll feel it in your calves.

But the point isn't the difficulty, it's the perspective. From the hotel balcony and the loop drive, you see the buttes from a distance. On this trail you're standing at the foot of one, close enough to touch the rock, and you can't quite explain the scale of it when you're looking straight up.

It's fully exposed with zero shade, so do it in the morning or late afternoon and bring plenty of water. The Day 1 afternoon slot in the itinerary works well - you'll have energy from the drive and the sun will be dropping by the time you finish.

This trip combines well with:

If you're still choosing where to go and want to see some other options, check out my Phoenix road trip guide - including drives to Grand Canyon and Moab.