View of Monument Valley in Utah, looking south on highway 163 from 13 miles north of the Arizona/Utah State line. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The following highways are numbered 163: United States US Route 163 Florida State Road 163 Iowa Highway The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States.

Monument Valley is located on the southern border of Utah with northern Arizona (around 36°59′N, 110°6′W). The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The valley lies within the range of the Navajo Nation Reservation, and is accessible from U.S. Highway 163. The Navajo Nation ( Diné in the Navajo language) is a semi- autonomous Native American homeland covering about 26000 square miles (67339 square US Route 163 (also US Highway 163, US 163) is a US Highway that runs from US 160 northerward to Interstate 70 (I-70 in the The Navajo name for the valley is Tsé Bii' Ndzisgaii (Valley of the Rocks). Navajo or Navaho ( native name: Diné bizaad) is an Athabaskan language (of Na-Dené stock spoken in the southwest United States by

Geology

Totem Pole formation in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

The area is part of the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateaus Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the The floor is largely Cutler Red siltstone or its sand deposited by the meandering rivers that carved the valley. Siltstone is a Sedimentary rock which has a composition intermediate in grain size between the coarser Sandstones and the finer Mudstones and The valley's vivid red color comes from iron oxide exposed in the weathered siltstone. Altogether there are sixteen known Iron Oxides and oxyhydroxides The darker, blue-gray rocks in the valley get their color from manganese oxide.

The buttes are clearly stratified, with three principal layers. In Geology and related fields a stratum (plural strata) is a layer of rock or Soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes The lowest layer is Organ Rock shale, the middle de Chelly sandstone and the top layer is Moenkopi shale capped by Shinarump siltstone. Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clay minerals or Muds It is characterized by Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. The valley includes large stone structures including the famed Eye of the Sun.

Between 1948 and 1967, the southern extent of the Monument Upwarp was mined for uranium, which occurs in scattered areas of the Shinarump siltstone; vanadium and copper are associated with uranium in some deposits (see Uranium mining in Arizona). Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Uranium (jʊˈreɪniəm is a silvery-gray Metallic Chemical element in the Vanadium (vəˈneɪdiəm is a Chemical element that has the symbol V and Atomic number 23 Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Uranium mining in Arizona has taken place since 1918 Prior to the uranium boom of the late 1940s uranium in Arizona was a byproduct of Vanadium mining of the mineral

The Valley in media

The twin buttes of the Valley ("the Mittens"), the "Totem Pole," and the Ear of the Wind arch, among other features, have developed iconic status. A butte (bjut is an isolated Hill with steep often vertical sides and a small flat top smaller than Mesas Plateaus and tables In some They have appeared in many television programs, commercials, and Hollywood movies, especially Westerns. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts.

Monument Valley Panorama, taken from the Visitor Center and showing the "Mittens" and the road which makes a loop-tour through the Park

Film

John Ford's Point in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

Director John Ford's 1939 film Stagecoach, starring John Wayne, has had an enduring influence in making the Valley famous. The year 1939 in film involved some significant events Events Movie historians and film buffs often look back on the year 1939 as "the Stagecoach is a Western film directed by John Ford, starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne in his breakthrough role John Wayne ( May 26, 1907 &ndash June 11, 1979) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning American After that first experience, Ford returned nine times to shoot Westerns — even when the films were not set in Arizona or Utah (see The Searchers, set in Texas, but filmed here). The Searchers is a 1956 Epic Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, which tells the story A popular lookout point is named in his honor as "John Ford Point. " It was used by Ford in a scene from The Searchers where an American Indian village is attacked.

• The Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey features footage of Monument Valley. 2001 A Space Odyssey is a 1968 Science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Arthur C This footage is used as the surface of an alien planet to which protagonist Dave Bowman travels through a stargate. David Bowman is a character in the Space Odyssey series He first appears in a story jointly written by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C Stargate refers to the Science fiction Media franchise owned by MGM that began in 1994 with the Feature film Stargate
• 1969's counter-culture classic Easy Rider includes some footage of Monument Valley towards its beginning. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Easy Rider, a 1969 American Road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern.
• Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, although shot for the most part in Spain and Italy, features two scenes shot on location in Monument Valley. Sergio Leone ( January 3, 1929 &ndash April 30, 1989) was an Italian Film director. Once Upon a Time in the West ( Italian title C'Era una Volta il West) is a 1968 epic Spaghetti Western Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest
• Clint Eastwood's movie The Eiger Sanction was partly filmed in Monument Valley and both Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy were filmed on top of the "Totem Pole", which has been off-bounds to climbers since the movie was filmed here. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. The Eiger Sanction is a 1975 action Thriller film based on a 1972 novel by American author Dr
• During the 'Sorter shoot-out' scene in Guy Ritchie's 2005 film, Revolver, there is a picture of Monument Valley on the wall behind where Dorothy Macha's henchmen have parked their cars outside the house of Jake Green's elder brother. Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire) is an English Screenwriter and Film director. Revolver is a 2005 movie written and directed by Guy Ritchie.
• In Back to the Future III, Marty McFly drives from 1955 to 1885 from a drive-in theatre set at the Valley's base. Back to the Future Part III is the third installment of the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy.
• In National Lampoon's Vacation the Griswold's station wagon falls apart in the Valley. National Lampoon's Vacation is a 1983 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo,
• In Forrest Gump, Forrest ends his cross-country run here. Forrest Gump is a 1994 Comedy film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and the name of the title character He is running north on U.S. Route 163 before he stops running. US Route 163 (also US Highway 163, US 163) is a US Highway that runs from US 160 northerward to Interstate 70 (I-70 in the
• Godfrey Reggio's documentary Koyaanisqatsi features footage of Monument Valley. Godfrey Reggio (born March 29, 1940) is an American director of experimental Documentary films Life Born Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Koyaanisqatsi ( also known as Koyaanisqatsi Life out of Balance, is a 1982 film directed by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip
• Ron Fricke's IMAX film Chronos features several scenes of the Monument Valley landscape. Ron Fricke is an American Film director and Cinematographer, considered to be a master of time-lapse photography Chronos is a 1985 Abstract film directed by Ron Fricke, created with custom-built Time-lapse cameras
• Ridley Scott's 1991 film Thelma & Louise features some shots of Monument Valley, as well as Canyonlands National Park, in its latter half. Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear) is a British Academy Award Nominated and Golden Globe Emmy Award and BAFTA Award winning Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Thelma & Louise is a 1991 American Road movie which breaks with tradition by featuring two female leads Canyonlands National Park is located in the American state of Utah, near city of Moab and preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons
• The opening shots of Mission: Impossible II feature Tom Cruise climbing in Monument Valley. Mission Impossible II, or MI-2 as it is also known is a 2000 film directed by John Woo and starring Tom Cruise, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer
• Electra Glide in Blue 1973 (film) starring Robert Blake as a motorcycle cop in Arizona was filmed in Monument Valley. For the Apollo 440 album see Electro Glide in Blue. Electra Glide in Blue is a 1973 film starring Robert Blake Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar.

Television

• The implied association with John Wayne's tough, macho character made the buttes a natural choice as the background for the Marlboro Man in the marketing of Marlboro-brand cigarettes from the 1950s. The Marlboro Man is (or in many areas was part of a Tobacco advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes. Marlboro is a brand of Cigarette made by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the US and by Philip Morris International (now separate The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive
• In the 1980s American action/espionage television series Airwolf, a hollowed butte is portrayed as the secret hiding place ("The Lair") of the eponymous high-tech military helicopter. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Airwolf is an American Television series that ran from 1984 through 1987 Monument Valley is renamed the "Valley of the Gods" in this series. The actual Valley of the Gods is a few miles north in Utah. The shots of The Lair were actually a mix of matte paintings and shots from three locations within close proximity of each other.
• The MacGyver episode "Eagles" (Season 2, Episode 8) has shots in the Valley. MacGyver is an American Adventure Television series, produced in the United States and Canada, about the laid-back MacGyver is gathering eggs from an eagle's nest on top of a butte.
• The Dutch clown Bassie, of the duo Bassie en Adriaan, performed a rain dance in front of The Three Sisters in their Dutch television series. Bassie & Adriaan were a Dutch circus duo who starred in their own television series A rain dance is a Ceremonial dance that is performed in order to invoke rain and to ensure the protection of the harvest
• In the made-for-TV movie 10.5: Apocalypse, Monument Valley is flooded from seismic activity.

Music

• The 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD features the West Mitten of Monument Valley on the cover. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Led Zeppelin is a double DVD set by the English rock band Led Zeppelin.
• The video for "I Disappear" by Metallica was partially shot in Monument Valley. "I Disappear" is a song by the heavy metal band Metallica. Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. The song was featured on the soundtrack to MI:2.
• French band Air's 2001 album, 10 000 Hz Legend, features Monument Valley on its cover and throughout the LP's artwork. AIR is a French (from region Île-de-France) music duo consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel.
• American band Drive-By Truckers' 2008 CD, Brighter Than Creation's Dark ends with "The Monument Valley", a song with references to film making and movie director John Ford. Drive-By Truckers are a Rock band based in Athens Georgia, though three out of five members (Mike Cooley Patterson Hood and Shonna Tucker originally hail Brighter Than Creation's Dark is the eighth album released by Drive-By Truckers.
• Rock band Soulfly shot their music video "Prophecy" in Monument Valley. Soulfly is a heavy metal band formed in 1997 in Arizona. Led by founder frontman songwriter and only constant member Brazilian Max Cavalera, who formed
• The cover for the 2002 book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart of the band Rush shows a picture that Neil took of his motorcycle in Monument Valley. Ghost Rider Travels on the Healing Road (ISBN 1-550-22548-0 is a 2002 Memoir by Neil Peart, the Drummer and main Lyricist for Neil Peart (ˈpɪərt OC, (born Neil Ellwood Peart, September 12, 1952, Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian Musician
• Lynyrd Skynyrd's Album Twenty is a fictional picture of the mittens
• The cover of American Water by the Silver Jews is a stylised painting of Monument Valley by Chris Kysor. Lynyrd Skynyrd (ˌlɛnɚdˈskɪnɝd is an American Southern rock band American Water is the third full-length studio album by Indie rock group Silver Jews. Silver Jews are an Indie rock group from New York City, formed in 1989 by David Berman along with Pavement 's Stephen Malkmus and

Print

• In the manga Bio Booster Armor Guyver, the global headquarters of the Cronos organization is concealed within a hollowed-out butte in Monument Valley. is a long-running Manga series written by Yoshiki Takaya. The Guyver itself is a symbiotic Techno-organic (or biomechanical device that enhances
• Garth Ennis's Preacher series of comic books features a scene in which the Valley is destroyed by a massive nuclear weapon in an attempt to destroy the Saint of Killers. Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970 in Holywood, Northern Ireland) is an Irish Comics writer best known for the DC Preacher is a Comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative The Saint of Killers is a Fictional character appearing in the Preacher Comic book by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
• The cover for the 2002 book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart of the band Rush shows a picture that Neil took of his motorcycle in Monument Valley. Ghost Rider Travels on the Healing Road (ISBN 1-550-22548-0 is a 2002 Memoir by Neil Peart, the Drummer and main Lyricist for Neil Peart (ˈpɪərt OC, (born Neil Ellwood Peart, September 12, 1952, Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian Musician

Computer

• There is stage that features Monument Valley in the video game Tekken. For other meanings see Tekken. Tekken is a Fighting game and is the first of the series of the same name
• The video game AeroWings for the Dreamcast console has a stage set in Monument Valley. Aerowings was an Airline based on Antigua. It specialised in wet-lease and ad hoc charters worldwide The is Sega 's most recent Video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn.
• In the video game The King of Fighters '96, the Art of Fighting Team stage is set in Monument Valley. The King of Fighters '96 is the third game in The King of Fighters series by SNK.
• The Playstation 3 video game Motorstorm is a racing game set in Monument Valley in which a festival of rally races involving a series of vehicles and obstacles takes place. MotorStorm is a racing Video game developed by Evolution Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the Sony
• A Monument Valley photo was used in Windows Vista Beta 2 as wallpaper. A photograph (often shortened to photo) is an Image created by Light falling on a light-sensitive surface usually Photographic film or an electronic Windows Vista (ˈvɪstə is a line of Operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and business desktops The terms wallpaper and desktop picture refer to an image used as a background on a computer screen usually for the desktop of a Graphical user interface

Tourism

Monument Valley from the valley floor.

Monument Valley is a large area, but the most scenic locations are within Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, a Navajo Nation equivalent to a national park. A national park is a reserve of land usually declared and owned by a national Government, protected from most Human development and pollution A visitor center, and small convenience/souvenir shop stands on the rim of the valley, and includes a restaurant. Visitors can pay an access fee and drive through the park on a 17-mile dirt road (a 2-3 hour trip). Tours are also available, and the fee varies between about $40 and $100 per person depending on the services provided and route. There are parts of Monument Valley which are only accessible by guided tour, such as Mystery Valley and Hunt's Mesa. Horseback rides are also available from various establishments both inside the park and in the general area, and rates vary widely depending on the length of the ride. Rides may be only an hour, or overnight camping trips. . Additionally, hot air balloon flights over this magnificient area are available. Monument Valley is part of the Grand Circle, which includes the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Arches National Park, and many other attractions. The Grand Canyon Mesa Verde National Park is a US National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United Bryce Canyon National Park (ˈbraɪs is a National park located in southwestern Utah in the United States Zion National Park is a United States National Park located in the Southwestern United States, near Springdale Utah. Capitol Reef National Park is a United States National Park, in south-central Utah. Hovenweep National Monument straddles the Colorado-Utah border west of Cortez Colorado, United States. Arches National Park is a US National park in southern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the

Lodging

Interior of a "male" style Navajo hogan, with a stove made from a 55 gallon barrel

It is often difficult to find a place to stay near Monument Valley during the peak tourist season (between May and October). Places to stay include Goulding's Lodge, which includes a swimming pool, gift shop, and restaurant, located about 10 miles from the park, and Bed and Breakfast establishments such as FireTree Bed and Breakfast, where guests can sleep in a traditionally built Navajo hogan. A hogan (hoʊˈgɑːn from Navajo hooghan, hoːɣan is the primary traditional home of the Navajo people. Campgrounds are also available, including Goulding's campground, and a campground near the rim of the Valley operated by Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. There are also lodgings further from the park, in Bluff (50 miles), Mexican Hat (22 miles) and Kayenta (about 25 miles). Bluff is a Census-designated place (CDP in San Juan County, Utah, United States. Mexican Hat is a Census-designated place (CDP on the San Juan River in south-central San Juan County, Utah, United States. Kayenta ( Tó Dinéeshzhee) is a Census-designated place (CDP which is part of the Navajo Nation and is in Navajo County, Arizona, United Each small town has several motels, such as the Desert Rose Inn in Bluff, the Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn in Kayenta, and the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, located on a ledge above the San Juan River. The San Juan River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 400 mi (644 km long in the western United States.

See also

• Amateur video of Monument Valley (4 minutes, German and English) — documents rock formations and a Navajo hogan with a Native American spinning yarn and weaving cloth. This is a List of rock formations meaning isolated scenic or spectacular surface rock outcrops The Navajo or Diné people (also spelled Navaho) of the Southwestern United States A hogan (hoʊˈgɑːn from Navajo hooghan, hoːɣan is the primary traditional home of the Navajo people. The term Indigenous Peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any Ethnic group who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest historical A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn.

External links

• Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park website
• Map of Monument Valley
• American Southwest Guide
• Energy Information Administration notes on uranium mining and its decommissioning
• Monument Valley Photos - CapturedLights.com
• Photos of Monument Valley - Terra Galleria
• IMDb list of movies with scenes in Monument Valley
• Monument Valley Pictures at Monument Gallery
• Column from PopMatters.com on Monument Valley in film
• Gallery Photos of Monument Valley - Monument Valley Hot Air Balloon Company

Gallery

East Mitten and West Mitten Buttes	View from John Ford's Point	The North Window	The North Window
The Totem Pole	The Thumb	Three Sisters	View from the Visitor's Center