Traveling in the Off-Season: Monument Valley
Taking this road trip in January/February has a lot of benefits, namely lower prices and few crowds. Monument Valley was no exception: in spring/summer, one has to pay ~$200 per night to stay in the valley, and ~$100 for a full-day tour. I found a great winter package for $255 through Goulding's Lodge, including 2 nights hotel and an all-day tour for 2 people. I loved Monument Valley (and Mystery Valley which was part of the all-day tour), but the package itself was a mixed bag:
Pros:
- Stay in the valley, at Goulding's which is the where John Ford and his crew stayed back when it was tents. It has a restaurant, John Ford movies screening nightly, and other amenities.
- Great value; at least $70 savings vs. buying everything a la carte.
- Goulding's restaurant is a great value! Surprising since it's one of the few eating options in the valley itself; you can have a full dinner including soup and salad for under $10.
Cons:
- Staff sometimes not friendly
- Tour guide was just okay; gave very, very little information about Monument Valley or Mystery Valley.
A redeeming feature of the guide was that he led us onto and through many of the arches of Mystery Valley. Does everyone get to do this?
My favorite overall was Skull Rock. See how high we are from the valley floor! And from the foot prints, you can see that my sister and I, and the tour guide are the only ones here.
It was pretty steep going up. You can see why this one's called Skull Rock.
View from/through the top!
