Monument Valley

Hwy 163 is better than the final section of Arizona Hwy 191 about 20-30 miles South the AZ/Ut border on Hwy 191 to Moab. Should you take 191 instead of 163 beware of the rough sections, more than one. Little or no signage and you will need to drop speed. BUT easier to nearly no hills to climb like 163 at the border before Mexican Hat. IMHO already ruined when they blacktopped everything around the Trading Post.

rocmoc n AZ

Hurry and go to Monument Valley if you want to experience it almost in the 'raw'. This was on another forum. A KOA is coming - near Gouldings RV. :E That's going to ruin the whole 'flavor' of Monument Valley. Next will be WalMart! We stayed right in front of 'The Mittens' a few times when we did the drive through the Valley. It was $5 or $10 ??. Glad we did it when we did.

https://koa.com/campgrounds/monument-valley/

AlabamaTraveler wrote:
We spent two days at Monument Valley......wish we could have stayed a week.

X2!!

TenOC wrote:
Tight turn at Mexican Hat at the bridge, but you should be OK.

Take an extra day and turn onto UT 261 at Mexican Hat which is a good road to the junction of 316. Park the 5er at Gooseneck SP (dry camp for $5.00 ?) and sightsee The Valley of the Gods in the TV. Better than Monument Valley and free.

You can even take the TV -- but not the 5er -- up the Moki Dugway

Some Photos of the road up the "cliff".

Our just boondock in Valley of the Gods for free. Personally I prefer it to Monument Valley. Video here, including Moki Dugway:
https://youtu.be/-uY-FV9bMg8

I actually got away with towing 26 feet of travel trailer down the Dugway in that video, but I certainly wouldn't try it with anything longer.

Having driven that route for a couple of decades in a variety of vehicles, fivers or MH, I do have a couple of comments. It is a good road. It is easily navigated. Not much shoulder.

The main problem is slow moving vehicles, drivers pulling out in front of you, dogs, goats, cows, horses, etc. on the road and sometimes broken down vehicles. Keep your wits about you. Don't drive through there after dark. Most of all be aware of drunk drivers.

This is posted by a white man who has had his hair washed and given a name by the Hopi people. Enjoy one of the most beautiful and sacred places in this country.

We spent two days at Monument Valley......wish we could have stayed a week.

following

agesilaus wrote:

GordonThree wrote:
X3 for Goosenecks. When I visited December 2015, the rate posted was $17 a night, no services provided except a indoor bathroom area. The "road" if you can call it that inside the park is awful. It's full of large pointy boulders sticking up randomly. I don't know if that's been repaired, or if it's always that way.

Ditto on Goosenecks and the Valley of the Gods. The monument valley tour and or drive is a cattle drive with you as one of the cattle. The mobs driving around have worn the roads into deep sand beds.

Monument Valley is a destination place. Why stay somewhere else? (We have stayed at Goosenecks but not when we visited Monument Valley.) We've also driven the Dugway and Natural Bridges Nat'l Monument at the top of the Dugway is a fun place to hike (climbing ladders) with a pleasant campground for small RVs or boondocking nearby. We've driven the road in the Monument Valley ourselves and never felt it overcrowded. We went out early morning an late afternoon for the best photos.

Stay at Gouldings RV at Monument Valley. It's the closest place to stay. They also give tours from the RV park. There's also dry camping at Monument Valley's hotel area right in front of the famous 'Mittens'. When we stayed there it was by donation. Now they added bathrooms so charge a lot more.

163 is a very good road for a RV. Thousands do it each year. Have a good trip.

X 47 for Goosenecks SP.

My TT is 36 ft, 38.5 with the carrier on the back. I’m 62 ft total length. I saw nothing challenging or difficult about that route. Pretty good road.

A picture says it all Gooseneck SP where John Wayne thought a whiskey bottle off the cliff in the movie Fort Apache.



Click For Full-Size Image.