Exploring Monument Valley with Kids
Our daughter at Monument Valley on the Utah/Arizona border
Let your family live out their wild west dreams by visiting Monument Valley with kids!
Located deep in the American Southwest, Monument Valley is an iconic location that needs to be a part of your next family road trip.
Here, you and your kids can learn about otherworldly geological formations, the Navajo Nation’s spiritual ties to this place, and the valley’s place in American cinematic history.
Plus, all of it is accessible by car, and Monument Valley’s high points can be done in a day.
We took our kids here, and it was an instant hit. Whenever we head back to Utah, we will be making a return trip for sure!
What to Know before Visiting Monument Valley with Kids
Monument Valley is remote.
Really remote.
As in, the closest big box store in any direction is over 2 hours.
While you will find a small grocery store or convenience store along Highway 163 (the road that runs alongside Monument Valley), they are small and far apart.
Stock up on extra water, groceries, snacks, and anything else you might need before you head over.
Depending which way you’re visiting Monument Valley from, you’ll find bigger grocery store chains in Page, Arizona; Moab, Utah, or along Route 66 in Arizona (Holbrook, Winslow, etc.).
Remember, much of the surrounding area either belongs to a Native American reservation, or is a national park, national forest, or BLM land.
…But there are a few amenities near the entrance to Monument Valley.
There’s a small but friendly grocery store, Golding’s, that’s just across Highway 163 from the entrance to Monument Valley.
You’ll also find 1 restaurant, Linda’s Red Trailer, which serves us both Mexican staples and traditional Navajo meals like fry bread.
Stay a night or two in the area.
Doing so will allow you and your family more time at the property.
Monument Valley isn’t something you’ll want to cram onto a travel day!
Luckily, there are 2 RV parks within a mile of the entrance. One is Golding’s RV Resort (next to the only grocery store in town), and the other is the Monument Valley KOA.
If you’d prefer a hotel, you can stay at the pricey (and often booked up) View Hotel on the Monument Valley property.
As an alternative, you can try the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, which is less than 5 miles down the road.
The yurts in Mexican Hat come highly recommended!
Or, you can try one of the adorable yurts on the San Juan river in Mexican Hat, which come highly recommended.
Book through the San Juan Inn website.
These are located just north of the town of Mexican Hat and are on the San Juan River.
Each comes with a double bed, kitchenette, and bathroom.
>> Be prepared for your stay with my complete yurt camping list! <<
Gooseneck State Park is another excellent choice for campers who’d prefer to be slightly off the beaten path while visiting this area.
Monument Valley is a great stop on a Grand Canyon to Moab, Utah road trip.
We did this path and got to see so many incredible landscapes along the way.
I think it’s completely worth the extra effort to go through Monument Valley as you make your way from Arizona to Utah.
>> Read my guide to visiting the Grand Canyon with kids! <<
It also makes for a great stop on a larger road trip exploring more of the incredible places in Utah and Arizona.
We’ve suggested Monument Valley as a day trip on our Utah to Arizona road trip itinerary, which covers 7 national parks over 2 states!
You’ll want to provide some background on the valley’s ties with American film.
If Monument Valley looks familiar, it’s because you’ve definitely seen it before.
Perhaps not in real life, but definitely in the movies!
If you’re a fan of John Wayne’s Westerns like 3 Godfathers, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance, and Stagecoach, you’ve likely seen the area in and around Monument Valley.
John Wayne’s long time director, friend, and creative partner, John Ford, gravitated to this part of the American southwest thanks to its remoteness.
You’ve also seen Monument Valley in Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump, as its where Forrest decides to abruptly end his cross country run.
Most younger kids (and many older ones!) likely aren’t familiar with these movies, so you can help prepare them for their visit by showing them relevant clips featuring Monument Valley.
The older Camping Kiddo at John Ford Point inside Monument Valley, named after the famous director
You don’t need to pay to see Monument Valley.
Monument Valley from Highway 163
If all you’re after is a few photos of the iconic spires, there are several places you can pull over on Highway 163.
TIP: the best views from the road are from the side leading to Mexican Hat!
However, if you want to get closer to this incredible landscape, you’ll want to pay the admission to enter the tribal park.
This way, you’ll be able to learn about Navajo culture in this area, get even more panoramas, and fully explore the valley.
What to Do in Monument Valley with Kids
Begin your adventure at the Visitors Center.
Once you go through the fee collection area, you’ll take the main road directly towards the visitors center.
Here, you’ll be able to grab snacks and drinks, pick up a book about the park, or purchase one of the many Navajo made souvenirs.
Definitely stop here before you go any further in the park—if only to do one more restroom stop for the kids! (These are the only bathrooms in the park. You’ve been warned.)
Drive the loop road inside of the Monument Valley Tribal Park.
The start of the drive near the visitors center is paved, but some parts are hard packed dirt.
This 17 mile loop takes you through the heart of Monument Valley, and allows you to drive right at the base of many of the buttes, mesas, and spires.
While you might think, “There’s no way that a 17 mile loop is kid-friendly,” I’m here to reassure you that it is.
There are many, many places to pull off the road so your kids can run, jump, and explore each area of the valley.
We were surprised at how much our older kid wanted to keep going on the loop.
She quickly realized that there were amazing things long the road!
TIP: if possible, do the loop road on dry day and in a vehicle that has high clearance.
That being said, we managed it in a rented Toyota Avalon sedan, so anything’s possible if you go slowly and carefully!
Learn about the geology of the area.
Our daughter playing with rocks during one of our stops
The geology along the Utah/Arizona border is fascinating!
For families like mine, who aren’t from this area, the towering spires, mounds of red sand, and massive mesas feel as if they’re from another planet.
You’ll get a small pamphlet in the Visitor’s Center that outlines some of the major geological features throughout the tribal park.
You can read these out to your kids as you get to each area for some in-real-time learning.
By the end of our circuit, my kids could tell the difference between a mesa, butte, and spire, and how each of these fits into a predictable life cycle of the landscape.
Hike the Wildcat Trail.
Our daughter in front of Mitten Butte
Your kids will NEED to get out of the car while you’re exploring Monument Valley.
This loop hike is a great way to get their energy out and break up your day of sightseeing.
You can do this hike at the beginning or the end of your drive around the park as its accessible from the Visitors Center.
I’d suggest doing the hike when you arrive at the tribal park first thing in the morning.
First, because it will help settle your kids for the drive.
Secondly, because the trail has little cover, and the temperatures can get hot in late spring into early fall.
The trail is flat and easy, which makes it great for kids, who can run, skip, and jump their way to and around the iconic Mitten Butte. (You know, the one that shows up in every photo of Monument Valley.)
Keep an eye out for one of the many varieties of lizards living in this area, wrens, ravens, cottontail rabbits, and even a scorpion or two.
As with any hike, take plenty of water and stick to the path. I’d also suggest sunscreen and hats to protect from the desert sun.
Get more information on Wildcat Trail here.
Take the iconic shot on Highway 163.
Even if you don’t set foot in the park, you’ll want to pull over on Highway 163 to get a photo of the Monument Valley panorama.
Not only does this allow you to get Mitten Butte and several other rock formation in one picture, but this angle also provides a recreation point for that memorable scene in Forrest Gump where he ends his cross country run.
If you’re interested in the exact place featured in the movie, there’s a large sign on the side of the road.
There are several other pull offs on this road, and you’ll see many other people snapping photos on the highway.
It’s not a super busy highway (we only saw a few cars during our entire visit), but use normal road safety.
If you’d like to get a standing-in-the-middle-of-the-road photo, I’d suggest driving towards the buttes on Highway 163 to get away from a slight hill in the road.
Doing so allows you more time to get out of the way if a car drives in from the direction of Mexican Hat.
If your travels are taking you further west, check out the best national parks on the West Coast!
Kid-Friendly Things to Do Near Monument Valley
After you’ve experienced the beauty of the Monument Valley tribal park, you’ll likely have some time in your agenda before you move onto the next part of your family road trip.
Here are some great ideas on what to do with kids near Monument Valley!
Eating fry bread tacos in Mexican Hat.
Fry bread is a traditional Navajo dish, and you shouldn’t leave this area without trying it!
Dough is flattened into a circle and fried. It is delicious on its own, but we loved it dressed up with our favorite taco fixins.
You can get this meal served up at the Old Bridge Bar and Grill inside of the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat.
The Old Bridge Bar and Grill isn’t fancy, but it has excellent local food that the entire family will enjoy.
Climbing Mexican Hat
Slowly making our way out to Mexican Hat
My kids were astounded at this naturally occurring geological feature!
This stack of rocks looks as if it is a puff of air away from collapsing, but it’s actually been sitting this way for about 250 million years.
Today, it’s an iconic spot in the area, and the small nearby town is named after it.
You can take pictures of this incredible formation from Highway 163, or you can hike the trail to get up close.
The trail is about 0.7 miles each way, and it has no cover (bring lots of water and a hat!).
NOTE: the term “trail” here is used loosely as there’s just a wide expanse of dirt between the parking lot and Mexican Hat.
If you have toddler or younger hikers, note that you’ll have a few areas near the main formation where you’ll need to climb on and over large rocks.
The closer you get to the rocks, the more intense you’ll find the climb.
These aren’t terrible, but they will slow down little and/or inexperienced hikers. You’ll want to use your best judgment on how far you’d like your kids to climb up the actual structure.
The hike is free—just park in the marked dirt parking lot and head out. You can’t miss the destination!
Exploring Goosenecks State Park
At the heart of the park is a beautiful bend in the San Juan River that brings to mind the more famous Horseshoe Bend.
This scenic view requires no hiking, just a short car ride from Monument Valley.
From Mexican Hat, head north on Highway 163, then take Highway 261.
You’ll soon see a turn off on your left for Highway 316. Follow this to its end inside the Goosenecks State Park parking lot.
The scenic overview is on the end of the parking lot.
Visiting the Valley of the Gods
Part of the larger Bears Ears National Monument, Valley of the Gods is known as “mini Monument Valley.”
If your family is interested in seeing more of the formations in Monument Valley—generally without the peak visiting crowds—Valley of the Gods is a good choice.
There’s also a 17 mile loop drive here, but it lacks the visitors center and amenities that Monument Valley does.
Still, if your family is looking for some off-the-beaten-path adventure, Valley of the Gods will make for a great day trip from Monument Valley.
Since there aren’t any visitors pamphlets here, you’ll need to source your own information about what you’re seeing.
This website has some amazing information on the Valley of the Gods, including notes on the buttes, mile markers for interesting formations, and a map of the drive.
Valley of the Gods is about 35 minutes by vehicle north of Monument Valley.
Seeing the Sand Island Petroglyphs
Expose your kids to prehistory with a visit to the Sand Island Petroglyphs.
Here, you’ll be able to see drawings that date back 3 millenia and help tell the stories of the native people of this area.
The Sand Island Petroglyphs are about 45 minutes north of Monument Valley, and are located inside of a campground for easy access.
For added educational fun, have your kids discuss what they think each of the pictures means.
Afterwards, have them draw a recreated version in their nature journal, and see what pictures they would’ve added if they’d been apart of the original artists.
Learn more about the Sand Island Petroglyphs here.
Kick off your road trip from Monument Valley to Petrified Forest! Our itinerary post covers everything you’ll need for an unforgettable experience.
