The tribal park at Monument Valley has a 17-mile scenic drive which includes following a dirt track through the park. At the time we visited the drive was only open to official tours or to people who stay at The View. It is a nice additional perk of staying at the only hotel within the park. We debated taking this drive early in the morning after packing up. But we had driven up and down the highway over and over taking photos the day before. And there was a complicated process around purchasing tickets which involved exiting and reentering the park during a certain time of day and showing some sort of proof, a process which was not clearly explained by an impatient gate attendant. We debated trying to sort this out and decided we were satisfied with the amazing views of the valley we had seen so far and were ready to move on toward the Grand Canyon.
Todays drive would prove to be somewhat on the boring side as we made our way across the desert. On the way to the Grand Canyon we stopped to take some pictures of the Elephant Feet next to route 160 and stopped for a great meal at Cameron Trading Post. This is a pretty serious gift shop, so if you plan to bring any souvenirs home try here. Also a good last chance for some delicious Navajo Tacos and other local dishes.
https://goo.gl/maps/wzcbQTD7gKiN4o1H7
Elephant Feet
A quick stop right off route 160. Not much to do here other than take a few photos, but it’s a good place to rest your legs midway to the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon National Park
Booking a hotel inside the Grand Canyon requires a bit of planning ahead, but appears to be easier than Zion. We booked 6 months in advance and only Thunderbird Lodge was available with only 2 rooms remaining. If you want to try your luck, this is the website. If nothing is available check the town of Tusayan just south of the park. One benefit of staying in these the park is the ability to easily catch the sunrise, otherwise though Tusayan has a lot of good options. If you do manage to make the sunrise, Mather Point is one of the more popular locations with an eastern view allowing the sun to rise directly over the canyon.
Entering through the east gate has its benefits as well. The south gate sees a lot more traffic, so we were able to breeze through the entrance. It also allows you to start at the easternmost viewpoint, Desert View Watchtower, and work your way in toward Grand Canyon Village. The map below shows all of the stops you can visit while working west. A few are missing from the above map due to google limits. Viewpoints further west of the Grand Canyon Village will require you to park and take a shuttle.
https://goo.gl/maps/ds56LrfTtnY1AzQu7
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