# Monument Valley {#monument-valley .reader-title}
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| Monument Valley |
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| [*Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii*]{title="Navajo-language text"} |
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| {file-width="5811" file-height="3874" |
| height="183" width="275"} |
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| View of West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte, and Merrick Butte in northeastern Arizona |
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| Highest point |
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| Elevation | 5,000 to 6,000 ft (1,500 to 1,800 m) |
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| Coordinates | {height="17" |
| | width="17"}[36°59′N 110°6′W]{title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"} / [36.983°N |
| | 110.100°W]{title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"} |
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| Naming |
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| Native name | [*Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii*]{title="Navajo-language text"} (Navajo) |
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| Geography |
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| [{file-width="270" file-height="240" height="14" width="16"}]{title="Monument Valley"} |
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| Monument Valley |
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| Arizona, United States |
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| Show map of ArizonaShow map of the United StatesShow both |
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| Geology |
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| Mountain type | Butte |
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| Rock type | Siltstone |
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{.moz-reader-block-img
file-width="6000" file-height="3750" height="194" width="310"}
<figure>
<img
src="file:///home/geoff/Documents/wikipedia%20extra/Monument%20Valley%20-%20Wikipedia_files/The_View_Hotel_in_the_Monument_Valley_Arizona.JPG"
class="moz-reader-block-img" data-file-width="7360"
data-file-height="4912" width="310" height="207"
alt="The Monument Valley View Hotel." />
<figcaption>Mitchell Mesa from the View Hotel.</figcaption>
</figure>
'Monument Valley' (Navajo: '*[*Tsé Biiʼ
Ndzisgaii*]{title="Navajo-language text"}'*, pronounced [\[tsʰépìːʔ
ǹtsɪ̀skɑ̀ìː\]]{lang="nv-Latn-fonipa"}, meaning \"valley of the rocks\") is
a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone
buttes, with the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley
floor.^\[1\]^ The most famous butte formations are located in
northeastern Arizona along the Utah--Arizona state line. The valley is
considered sacred by the Navajo Nation, the Native American people
within whose reservation it lies.^\[2\]^
Monument Valley has been featured in many forms of media since the
1930s. Famed director John Ford used the location for a number of his
Westerns. Film critic Keith Phipps wrote that \"its five square miles
\[13 km^2^\] have defined what decades of moviegoers think of when they
imagine the American West\".^\[3\]^
<div>
# Geography and geology {#Geography_and_geology}
</div>
Monument Valley is part of the Colorado Plateau. The elevation of the
valley floor ranges from 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1,500 to 1,800 m) above
sea level. The floor is largely siltstone of the Cutler Group, or sand
derived from it, deposited by the meandering rivers that carved the
valley. The valley\'s vivid red coloration comes from iron oxide exposed
in the weathered siltstone. The darker, blue-gray rocks in the valley
get their color from manganese oxide.
The buttes arising from the valley floor are clearly stratified, with
three principal layers. The lowest layer is the Organ Rock Shale, the
middle is de Chelly Sandstone, and the top layer is the Moenkopi
Formation capped by Shinarump Conglomerate. Major rock formations
include West and East Mitten Buttes, Merrick Butte, Hunts Mesa, Eagle
Mesa, Sentinel Mesa, Brighams Tomb, Castle Rock, Stagecoach, Big Indian,
Rain God Mesa, Spearhead Mesa, Mitchell Mesa, Mitchell Butte, Gray
Whiskers, Elephant Butte, Camel Butte, Cly Butte, King-on-his-Throne,
Rooster Rock, and Setting Hen. Another notable formation is Totem Pole,
a highly eroded butte remanent. The valley also includes large stone
structures, such as the \"Eye of the Sun\".
Between 1945 and 1967, the southern extent of the Monument Upwarp was
mined for uranium, which occurs in scattered areas of the Shinarump
Conglomerate; vanadium and copper are associated with uranium in some
deposits.^\[4\]^
{.moz-reader-block-img
file-width="2100" file-height="1395" height="166" width="250"}
Monument Valley includes much of the area surrounding Monument Valley
Navajo Tribal Park, a Navajo Nation equivalent to a national park.
Oljato, for example, is also within the area designated as Monument
Valley.^\[*[citation\ needed]{title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (April 2022)"}*\]^
Visitors may pay an access fee and drive through the park on a 17-mile
(27 km) dirt road. Parts of Monument Valley, such as Mystery Valley and
Hunts Mesa, are accessible only by guided tour.
Monument Valley experiences a desert climate with cold winters and hot
summers. While the summers may be hot, the heat is tempered by the
region\'s high altitude. Although the valley experiences an average of
54 days above 90 °F (32 °C) annually, summer highs rarely exceed 100 °F
(38 °C). Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop
quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually
above freezing. Even in the winter, temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) are
uncommon, although possible. Monument Valley receives an occasional
light snowfall in the winter, but it usually melts within a day or
two.^\[*[citation\ needed]{title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2025)"}*\]^
<div>
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Climate data for Monument Valley, Arizona |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Record high °F | 60\ | 69\ | 77\ | 90\ | 99\ | 101\ | 107\ | 100\ | 97\ | 86\ | 73\ | 62\ | 107\ |
| (°C) | (16) | (21) | (25) | (32) | (37) | (38) | (42) | (38) | (36) | (30) | (23) | (17) | (42) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Mean maximum °F | 52.07\ | 59.41\ | 70.37\ | 80.04\ | 88.27\ | 96.64\ | 99.44\ | 96.13\ | 90.48\ | 80.36\ | 65.18\ | 51.89\ | 100.17\ |
| (°C) | (11.15) | (15.23) | (21.32) | (26.69) | (31.26) | (35.91) | (37.47) | (35.63) | (32.49) | (26.87) | (18.43) | (11.05) | (37.87) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Mean daily | 40.6\ | 47.3\ | 58.2\ | 67.3\ | 77.6\ | 88.1\ | 92.0\ | 88.8\ | 80.6\ | 67.9\ | 51.5\ | 40.9\ | 66.7\ |
| maximum °F (°C) | (4.8) | (8.5) | (14.6) | (19.6) | (25.3) | (31.2) | (33.3) | (31.6) | (27.0) | (19.9) | (10.8) | (4.9) | (19.3) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Mean daily | 24.3\ | 28.2\ | 35.5\ | 42.4\ | 52.3\ | 63.1\ | 67.0\ | 63.9\ | 57.3\ | 45.1\ | 32.9\ | 24.6\ | 44.7\ |
| minimum °F (°C) | (−4.3) | (−2.1) | (1.9) | (5.8) | (11.3) | (17.3) | (19.4) | (17.7) | (14.1) | (7.3) | (0.5) | (−4.1) | (7.1) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Mean minimum °F | 12.25\ | 15.25\ | 22.04\ | 28.69\ | 35.24\ | 47.08\ | 57.58\ | 54.73\ | 44.72\ | 32.61\ | 18.75\ | 12.78\ | 11.50\ |
| (°C) | (−10.97) | (−9.31) | (−5.53) | (−1.84) | (1.80) | (8.38) | (14.21) | (12.63) | (7.07) | (0.34) | (−7.36) | (−10.68) | (−11.39) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Record low °F | −8\ | −4\ | 9\ | 15\ | 20\ | 31\ | 49\ | 38\ | 33\ | 22\ | 6\ | −9\ | −9\ |
| (°C) | (−22) | (−20) | (−13) | (−9) | (−7) | (−1) | (9) | (3) | (1) | (−6) | (−14) | (−23) | (−23) |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Average | 0.26\ | 0.19\ | 0.19\ | 0.24\ | 0.30\ | 0.10\ | 0.54\ | 0.79\ | 0.73\ | 0.68\ | 0.32\ | 0.19\ | 4.54\ |
| precipitation | (6.6) | (4.8) | (4.8) | (6.1) | (7.6) | (2.5) | (14) | (20) | (19) | (17) | (8.1) | (4.8) | (115) |
| inches (mm) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+
| Source: The Western Regional Climate Center^\[5\]^ |
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</div>
<figure>
<img
src="file:///home/geoff/Documents/wikipedia%20extra/Monument%20Valley%20-%20Wikipedia_files/Monument_Valley_2.jpg"
class="moz-reader-block-img" data-file-width="1600"
data-file-height="1022" width="250" height="160"
alt="Monument Valley" />
<figcaption>Monument Valley from the valley floor</figcaption>
</figure>
Monument Valley has been featured in numerous computer games, in print,
and in motion pictures, including multiple Westerns directed by John
Ford that influenced audiences\' view of the American West, such as:
*Stagecoach* (1939), *My Darling Clementine* (1946), *Fort Apache*
(1948), *She Wore a Yellow Ribbon* (1949), and *The Searchers*
(1956).^\[3\]\[6\]\[7\]\[8\]^
Many more recent movies, with other directors, were also filmed in
Monument Valley, including Sergio Leone\'s *Once Upon a Time in the
West* (1968), the first Spaghetti Western to be filmed (in 1967) outside
Europe, and Gore Verbinski\'s *The Lone Ranger* (2013).^\[9\]^
- {file-width="3348"
file-height="2341" height="180" width="258"}
Monument Valley, the Thumb
- {file-width="4674"
file-height="3116" height="180" width="270"}
West, East Mittens and Merrick Butte after sunset
- {file-width="5472"
file-height="2290" height="154" width="370"}
Snow-covered Monument Valley sunrise in January
- {file-width="5760"
file-height="3840" height="154" width="231"}
Monument Valley West and East Butte at 6:00 am
- {file-width="4303"
file-height="3227" height="137" width="183"}
Sandstorm in Monument Valley
- {file-width="5764"
file-height="3843" height="137" width="205"}
Vegetation of Monument Valley
- {file-width="5970"
file-height="3980" height="137" width="205"}
Monument Valley landscape
- {file-width="3840"
file-height="1924" height="142" width="285"}
View on the Monument Valley from Hunts mesa
- {file-width="768"
file-height="1024" height="142" width="107"}
Monument Valley rock formation
- {file-width="2272"
file-height="1603" height="142" width="202"}
Mystery Valley
<div>
{file-width="15787"
file-height="3224" height="190" width="930"}
</div>
<div>
{file-width="17451"
file-height="4202" height="225" width="934"}
</div>
- List of sandstones
- Valley of the Gods
- Uluru
- Goulding\'s Lodge
- Tepui
- List of rock formations in Monument Valley
<!-- -->
- Harvey, Thomas J. (2011). *Rainbow Bridge to Monument Valley: Making
the Modern Old West*. University of Oklahoma Press.
ISBN 978-0806141909.[]{title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Rainbow+Bridge+to+Monument+Valley%3A+Making+the+Modern+Old+West&rft.pub=University+of+Oklahoma+Press&rft.date=2011&rft.isbn=978-0806141909&rft.au=Harvey%2C+Thomas+J.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMonument+Valley"}
- McPherson, Robert S. (1994), \"Monument Valley\", *Utah History
Encyclopedia*, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived
from the original on March 18, 2025, retrieved May 7,
2025[]{title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Monument+Valley&rft.btitle=Utah+History+Encyclopedia&rft.pub=University+of+Utah+Press&rft.date=1994&rft.isbn=9780874804256&rft.aulast=McPherson&rft.aufirst=Robert+S.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uen.org%2Futah_history_encyclopedia%2Fm%2FMONUMENT_VALLEY.shtml&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMonument+Valley"}
<!-- -->
- \"Monument Valley Tours & Tickets\". *Travel
Guide*.[]{title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Travel+Guide&rft.atitle=Monument+Valley+Tours+%26+Tickets&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monument-valley.com&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMonument+Valley"}
- \"Complete Monument Valley Guide: Drive, Hotels, Camping, Seasons\".
*When To Go*. November 12,
2017.[]{title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=When+To+Go&rft.atitle=Complete+Monument+Valley+Guide%3A+Drive%2C+Hotels%2C+Camping%2C+Seasons&rft.date=2017-11-12&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whentobewhere.com%2Ftravel-listing%2Fmonument-valley&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMonument+Valley"}
- \"List of movies and television shows with scenes in Monument
Valley\".
*IMDb*.[]{title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=IMDb&rft.atitle=List+of+movies+and+television+shows+with+scenes+in+Monument+Valley&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.imdb.com%2Fsearch%2Ftitle%3Flocations%3DMonument%2520Valley%2C%2520Utah%2C%2520USA&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMonument+Valley"}
- \"Monument Valley\". *American Southwest
Guide*.[]{title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=American+Southwest+Guide&rft.atitle=Monument+Valley&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americansouthwest.net%2Futah%2Fmonument_valley%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMonument+Valley"}
- \"Monument Valley\". *Navajo Nation Parks*. Archived from the original
on January 4,
2006.[]{title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Navajo+Nation+Parks&rft.atitle=Monument+Valley&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fnavajonationparks.org%2Ftribal-parks%2Fmonument-valley%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMonument+Valley"}
- \"Photographs and documents of pre-automobile access Monument Valley
from the Monument Highway Digital Collection\". *Utah State
University*.[]{title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Utah+State+University&rft.atitle=Photographs+and+documents+of+pre-automobile+access+Monument+Valley+from+the+Monument+Highway+Digital+Collection&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fdigital.lib.usu.edu%2Fcdm%2Flandingpage%2Fcollection%2Fmonumental&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMonument+Valley"}
- \"Uranium mining in Monument Valley and its decommissioning\". *Energy
Information Administration*. Archived from the original on October 14,
2003.
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