Up until only a few years ago Monument Valley was largely unnoticed as a tour location due to the fact that it is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It is located on the Utah and Arizona border and is part of the Colorado Plateau. It is not officially a national park to the fact that it is located on Navajo Land inside a reservation. For thousands of years the only people who knew about it were the people lived on the land, because there was almost no reason to just drive by it because of its remote location. No matter how you slice it, you’re going to be upwards of 300 plus miles away from almost any starting point. The nearest airport in Flagstaff and change and Phoenix, which is 320 miles away itself. This is why so many people choose to start their tours of this area in Las Vegas, which is about 400 miles away. The additional mileage is worth it because it is possible to put multiple national parks into the same trip, conserving drive time by stopping first in Zion and Bryce. Monument Valley does not have the same kinds of features that the other national parks do, essentially function more as a backdrop and a drivable scenic loop that lasts about 17 miles. It has fantastic sandstone buttes and incredible panoramic vistas, making it one of the most iconic and recognize landscapes on earth. The majority of people who have an interest in Monument Valley today do so because they saw the backdrop in the movie Forest Gump, where life is pondered by the main character while running in the desert. The backdrop is perfect because a juxtapositions how small the person is next to the majesty of the country. It is then used in many movies over the years to illustrate the old west, and continues to inspire people today to think about their existence and their place in the universe.
Because the area is 400 miles away from most major cities, most people don’t travel to this specific location without having a plan of visiting other locations on the way. There really isn’t much to do there except drive through the public area, or possibly go further by arranging to the tour once you’re there that can go to areas that are off limits to the public. It is far better to tour the area through an arranged, multi-park tour, because then you will be able to experience the areas of Monument Valley and better off limits to most others. Another thing that people don’t realize many times that they fly into Las Vegas an attempt to drive a rental car to these national parks and protected spaces, they’re not allowed to drive that car through the scenic loop of the area. It is a gravel road, and almost all rental car companies will not allow you to take a road that is not paved. It is far better to simply book a tour in advance.