MONUMENT VALLEY

Sacred Valley
and Stagecoach

…Monument valley is situated between Utah and Arizona, and forms part of the Navajo Nation Reservation. It is truly an icon of the American West, and a Mecca for bikers from all over the world…

If there is one place in the world where the sacred significance of the land and the physical magnificence of the scenery combine to perfection, that place is Monument Valley, the sacred valley of the Navajo people, or the Dineh as they call themselves. It is hard to think of anywhere in the world that has been immortalised in so many films, photographs, record and book covers as this valley, with its instantly recognisable red rock pinnacles, a landscape of hieratic majesty dating from the dawns of time.

Monument valley is situated between Utah and Arizona, and forms part of the Navajo Nation Reservation. It is truly an icon of the American West, and a Mecca for bikers from all over the world who come together in these amazing landscapes that conjure up the Wild West in our imaginations. This was the battleground where the Indians fought with the US cavalry, the scene of attacks on stage coaches, and the scene of moonlit camps. Images and memories of the cinematographic Wild West fight for space as you ride the 16 mile red dirt track that winds along the valley, hugging the feet of the towering pinnacles and needles. The route can be travelled on horseback, in your own car or in an off road vehicle with a Navajo guide, the best way to access some of the most spectacular landscapes the valley has to offer. The valleys role in the mythologizing of the Wild West is underlined by the presence of several film sets from the glory days of the Westerns. Innumerable Westerns were filmed right here, most notably those of John Ford, the director who did more than any other to immortalise the Wild West in such classics as Stage Coach.

You cannot leave Monument Valley without experiencing the dawn. The changing colours and the hypnotic interplay of light and shade as the blood red sun emerges between the pinnacles produces such powerful emotions that it is hard to share the experience with others, as words will quite simply fail to do any kind of justice to this magical moment. This natural wonder will leave you with a wonderful sense of peace of mind and spirit. Little wonder talk often turns to the sacredness of being in the sacred valley of the Dineh.