Monument Valley
I'm towing a 31ft 5th wheel from Page, Az to Moab, Ut and would like to take Hwy 163 through Monument Valley. My question is whether or not that highway is in good enough condition for towing that size trailer?
Forum Discussion
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.- 163 is relatively straight and flat. There's a bit of a grade, and corner, at Mexican Hat where it crosses the San Juan river. And a bit of grade further on where it crosses a ridgeback.
The visitor center for the Tribal Park is about 4 miles off of 163. That and part of the parking is paved. The road through the park is packed dirt, most suitable for a car. You can look at the road in detail with Google Maps Sat view, and selected Streetviews.
I don't know if there's good upto date information on what it costs to visit the park, drive the road and/or camp there.
North of Mexican Hat are other sights. Others have mentioned Goose Necks, a Utah state park. Just beyond that is Moki Dugway, a grave switch back road up a bluff, and Muley Pt overview at the top. At the bottom of the Dugway is a road through Valley of Gods. That too is gravel/dirt. - 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.
- X2 on a stop to stretch the legs at Gooseneck SP. Only a couple of miles off route 163.
- 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". - Its been a couple of years since I have been there but it should be no problem from what I recall. One caution is to be careful when pulling off on the shoulder...Some places it is very sloped and soft.
