Monument Valley Backcountry Tour

We were fortunate to have Travis as our tour guide. Our original tour, the 17-mile scenic loop among the monuments, was canceled after monsoon rains had caused damage to the roadway. The night before our scheduled tour, the tour operator texted us to let us know of the cancellation of that tour but offered alternatives, including refunding our tour fee, taking a tour that involved some hiking or a tour of the Mystery Valley. We opted to go with the Mystery Valley tour and are so glad that we chose that option. There is so much coverage online of what can be seen on the 17-mile tour but comparatively very little about the Mystery Valley tour. We arrived and waited until Travis pulled into the loading area with the tour vehicle. After making sure everyone was safely buckled in, we headed out to Highway 163 where we headed south to the tribal roadway leading to Mystery Valley. Travis obviously has experience driving the tour routes as there were still many, many places where the regular roadway was covered in water. Sometimes, when it was a significant-sized pool of water, Travis would take us cross-country through the sagebrush to bypass the flooded areas. It was also nice to have fellow tour riders from so many places, including Europe and eastern parts of the U.S. The most enjoyable portions of the tour were the stops where he would explain the Navajo history and culture. In his case, it helped that he had spent considerable time with his grandparents who were very involved in preserving the Navajo history and culture so he was able to learn much of what had led to the current times. Not only did he provide a great education to the group about the Navajo history and culture but he also spent time showing and explaining to us how the monuments were formed with a combination of the freeze-thaw cycle, rain, wind, rock type and other environmental conditions. He created models in the dirt to show how the process evolved, including how arches form. During the latter stops, he sang to us while he played a two-pipe flute and also performed ceremonial drumming and chanting. We can’t thank Travis enough for what he taught us on our tour and would also like to extend our thanks to the Monument Valley Tribal Tours for their excellent communications regarding the closure of our original tour route and providing us with options. Once we realized there was a text message regarding the closure, texts were sent and responded to very quickly.

our guide, chandler, was fabulous! knowledgeble and entertaining!

It’s possible to “see” the Monument Valley independently, but to understand and appreciate the personal and spiritual significance of the landscape requires an informed and committed guide. Sandrea is exactly the key to that clarity. We enjoyed and benefitted from her informed and personal perspective of the deep and beautiful stories behind the spectacular landscape. We highly recommend her and Monument Valley Tribal Tours should you find yourself in the Navajo nation. She will even bless you with a Navajo song and prayer.

Larry is the best Larry I’ve ever Larried with.

I would like to say that the tour was awesome and inspiring, our guide was Larry and his knowledge and history of the journey not to mention his sense of humor was a gift. I encourage anyone considering this tour to experience the sights, sounds and history. Thanks