Monument Valley

Where to stay near Monument Valley: the 3 areas to know in 2026

Two of our three members give the same advice, and it bears precisely on the night. « You have to spend an evening there to see the sunset, then find the will to see the sunrise (very different and even more beautiful) the next day », writes the first. The second names the place: « To make the most of the sunrise, I stayed at The View, the only hotel inside the park, on the cliff edge. I really do recommend spending a night there. »

The regulations prove them right, and this is the fact no brochure lines up: the scenic drive closes at 5pm in winter, with a last entry at 2.30pm, and at 7pm in summer. So the sunset is not watched from the track, but from the rim of the plateau. Three areas share the nights: the plateau itself, Mexican Hat 40 kilometres away and Kayenta at 45.

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The two ways to stay near Monument Valley

It all comes down to two moments: the evening light and the one at dawn, which our members put before everything else and which the track, closed at those hours, does not show.

What changes On the plateau In Mexican Hat or Kayenta
The sunset From the rim, on foot On the road, or missed
The sunrise Without leaving the plateau 38 to 45 minutes of road before dawn
To the start of the drive 9 kilometres, 15 minutes From 40 to 45 kilometres
How many bookable addresses One only Three, across two townships
The scores we recorded 8.5, location 9.4 From 7.6 to 8.3
Dinner The lodge table, and that is all The signs of the crossroads, in Kayenta
The rest of the trip Your choice, north or south Moab to the north, Page and the canyon to the south
Who it suits Anyone coming for the two lights Anyone passing through and stopping a night

How long to the entrance, area by area?

These distances are BY ROAD and counted from the visitor centre, where the drive begins: the record for the place itself points at a spot on Route 163, 8.6 kilometres away in a straight line.

From Time How
The park plateau, and Goulding's opposite 9 km, 15 min car
The park hotel, for its part, stands on the rim itself, and no comparison site sells it.
Mexican Hat and the road to Utah 40 km, 38 min Route 163
The road then runs on towards Utah and the country around Moab.
Kayenta, the gateway town of the south 45 km, 45 min Routes 163 and 160
The crossroads you arrive by when you come from Page or the Grand Canyon.

At a glance: our picks by traveller type

Pick the profile that fits you and go straight to the recommended area.

Seeing both lights of the day The rim of the plateau, without getting back in the car. Going for the best rated location Location rated 9.4, on more than 10,400 reviews, 9 kilometres out. Paying as little as possible A roadside stop in a hamlet of 31 inhabitants. Arriving from the Grand Canyon in the evening The crossroads of Routes 160 and 163, 45 minutes out. Dining somewhere other than the lodge table The only town of the area, 5,189 inhabitants.

Map of the areas near Monument Valley

See how the areas sit relative to one another before choosing your base. Click a name to jump to its description.

1

The park plateau, and Goulding's opposite On the rim, facing the Mitten Buttes

Anyone coming for the sunset and the sunrise

This is the only area that gives both the lights our members talk about, and it is tiny: the park hotel, set on the cliff edge, and the old Goulding's trading post, 9 kilometres and 15 minutes from the visitor centre, on the other side of the Utah line. The second is the one we can open for you: 8.5 on average on more than 10,400 reviews, with a location rated 9.4, the highest figure on these pages.

To make the most of the sunrise, I stayed at The View, the only hotel inside the park, on the cliff edge

Where to stay in this area

Goulding's Lodge Mid-range

8.5 on more than 10,400 reviews, location 9.4 and comfort 8.7: an old trading post turned lodge, 9 kilometres and 15 minutes from the visitor centre.

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Pros

  • Both lights, the evening one and the morning one
  • Nine kilometres from the start of the drive
  • The best rated location on these pages, 9.4

Cons

  • One bookable address only here
  • Nothing around, beyond the park and its trading post
2

Mexican Hat and the road to Utah 40 kilometres north, 31 inhabitants

Anyone coming down from the north and heading back to Moab

Thirty-one inhabitants, a balancing rock that gives the hamlet its name, and Route 163 running north: this is the area for those who arrive from Utah or leave for it. The visitor centre is 40 kilometres and 38 minutes away, which puts the sunrise out of reach without an hour of road in the dark. In exchange, this is the only stop in the north before the valley, and the simplest room this guide offers.

Where to stay in this area

Mexican Hat Lodge Budget

7.6 on more than 600 reviews, and nothing goes lower here: a roadside stop 40 kilometres and 38 minutes from the visitor centre.

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Pros

  • The only stop between the valley and Utah
  • Route 163 and its cinema perspectives
  • Hamlet rates, not listed-site rates

Cons

  • Thirty-eight minutes in the dark before dawn
  • Thirty-one inhabitants, so next to nothing
3

Kayenta, the gateway town of the south 45 kilometres out, where the 160 and 163 cross

Anyone arriving from the Grand Canyon or Page

With 5,189 inhabitants, Kayenta is the only real town in the area, and the junction you arrive by when you come from the Grand Canyon or Page. The visitor centre is 45 kilometres and 45 minutes away, that is three quarters of an hour before sunrise if you are after the first light. Our two addresses are there, and they have the advantage of numbers: more than 5,600 reviews between them, against a handful for some houses on the plateau.

Where to stay in this area

Hampton Inn Kayenta Monument Valley Mid-range

8.3 on more than 1,550 reviews, the second figure in this guide: the chain address of the junction, 45 kilometres and 45 minutes from the visitor centre.

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Wetherill Inn Budget

7.8 on more than 4,100 reviews, location 8.3: a motel on the main street, whose cleanliness and comfort both hold 8.2.

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Pros

  • The only town in the area, 5,189 inhabitants
  • The crossing of Routes 160 and 163
  • Two addresses instead of one

Cons

  • Forty-five minutes before the first light
  • No view of the valley from the town

Our tips for booking the right place

  • The track closes before the evening light, and your room follows from that: From 17 October, the visitor centre viewpoint and the scenic track open from 8am to 5pm, with a last entry at 2.30pm; from May to September the park runs from 6am to 8pm and the track from 7am to 7pm, with a last entry an hour and a half later, at 4.30pm. The light our members speak of therefore falls outside those windows, or right at their edge: you watch it from the rim of the plateau, never from the track. That is why one of them slept inside the park, and why the 38 to 45 minutes of road from the other areas count double at dawn.
  • An hour's difference with the rest of Arizona, in summer: Here is the trap nobody will tell you about: the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time, Arizona does not. From March to November, Monument Valley is therefore an hour ahead of Page, of the Grand Canyon and of Phoenix, where most visitors come from. One hour set wrong means the last entry to the drive missed, and the sunset with it. Check the time shown at the park entrance, not the one on your phone if it has settled on Arizona.
  • The tracks shake, and our member does not mince her words: The drive is 17 miles, that is 27 kilometres, and the Navajo administration describes it as rough terrain with deep sand dunes; motorcycles are forbidden on it for that reason. Our member confirms: « bring a good vehicle, because the uneven tracks are rough and shake a lot. This is far from the tarmac of the Grand Canyon. » She counts about two hours for the loop, with stops at the East and West Mitten Buttes, at the Three Sisters and at John Ford's Point, her favourite. As for walking, there is a single official trail, the Wildcat Trail, 1.5 miles, with compulsory sign-in at the visitor centre.
Where not to stay near Monument Valley
  • Waiting for the evening light from the scenic track: the last entry is set at 2.30pm in winter and 4.30pm in summer.
  • Trusting Arizona time in summer: the Navajo Nation is an hour ahead, and a missed last entry cannot be made up.
  • Taking a low car on the 17 miles of track: our member speaks of tracks that « shake a lot », and motorcycles are forbidden there.

FAQ: where to stay near Monument Valley

Does sleeping on site change anything?
Our two most enthusiastic members say it does, and the park regulations confirm it. The scenic drive closes at 5pm in winter and 7pm in summer, so the evening light and the one at dawn are watched from the rim of the plateau, not from the track. A single establishment stands within the grounds themselves, and no comparison site sells it; the nearest bookable address is 9 kilometres and 15 minutes from the visitor centre. Otherwise count 38 minutes from Mexican Hat and 45 from Kayenta, in the dark, both ways.
How much does entry cost?
$10* per person per day, or $15* per vehicle: this is a Navajo tribal park, not a national park. A pleasant consequence for a European visitor: the $100* per person that eleven national parks have charged since January 2026 to anyone who is neither a citizen nor a resident of the United States is not owed here.
What vehicle do you need for the drive?
A high one, and our member insists: « bring a good vehicle, because the uneven tracks are rough and shake a lot. This is far from the tarmac of the Grand Canyon. » The Navajo administration describes rough terrain with deep sand dunes and forbids motorcycles for that reason. The loop is 17 miles, that is 27 kilometres, and our member counts about two hours with the stops.
Can you walk in the valley?
There is a single official trail, the Wildcat Trail, 1.5 miles long, that is 2.4 kilometres, with compulsory sign-in and sign-out at the visitor centre; backcountry permits are taken at the same desk. Our member states for her part that the trails close in summer, and says she did not attempt the walk « in the heat »: the official page does not mention that closure, but the heat is not open to debate.
What does the scenic track show?
Our members name the same stops. The East and West Mitten Buttes and the Three Sisters first, then John Ford's Point, « with its famous promontory that offers a remarkable panorama over the valley », which one of them prefers to everything else. Another sums up the effect: « spaces so vast they give the impression of standing still even when you are driving at 110 ». A short walk at the foot of the buttes is possible, the ones in the foreground of the photographs.
Is there anything else to do?
One of our members finished with a ride on horseback « alongside the Navajo », and her judgement is honest: « it is not the best way to discover the landscapes, but it is very pleasant if you like riding ». For the rest, the area is empty: 674 inhabitants in the township of Monument Valley, 31 in Mexican Hat, and you have to go down to Kayenta and its 5,189 inhabitants to find any shops.

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