By AMY SANCETTA
The Associated Press
The towering red and orange sandstone buttes are astounding. The Anasazi petroglyphs are haunting. And the views of Navajo culture and lifestyle are a gift. But what may be the greatest wonder of a visit to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is the silence.
No road noise, no cabs honking, no leaf blowers or lawnmowers, just overwhelming quiet. The sound of the breeze blowing the sandy soil or the pounding of one's own heart is crisp and clear and clean.
Located in northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah, Monument Valley's sandstone and shale mesas and buttes, spires and canyons and sand dunes cover 29,816 strikingly beautiful acres of the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Started with 'Stagecoach'
The towering monoliths were brought into the national spotlight in 1938 when John Ford and John Wayne filmed Stagecoach in the valley. Ever since, visitors from across the globe have traveled to see its natural wonders and to catch a glimpse of Navajo life.
Wayne returned for a number of films, and his presence is felt today in framed photographs and movie posters in local lodging, restaurants, and in the park's Visitors Center.
A 17-mile dirt road runs a loop through Monument Valley. For a small fee, a carload can spend a pleasant two hours driving the rugged road through the towering giants. There are no hiking trails in the park, and rock climbing is prohibited, but there are many places to pull over and stop and enjoy the spectacular views and the silence.
A dog guiding a herd of sheep can be seen in the canyon below the Totem Pole monument, and often a Navajo on horseback greets visitors at John Ford's Point. He'll even pose for photographs for a small charge.
Anasazi Indians lived in Monument Valley before 1300. They disappeared sometime in the 14th century, leaving only their petroglyphs and pictographs on the walls of the rocks as a clue to their existence.
The Navajo came to the area in the mid-1800s, possibly fleeing Kit Carson as he flushed the Indians from Canyon de Chelly 120 miles to the south. Dozens of Navajo families live within the park itself and their hogans can be seen from the road on any of the tours.
Start at Visitors Center
The Navajo Reservation now encompasses 16 million acres, and Monument Valley was set aside in 1958 as the first Navajo Tribal Park.
The Visitors Center is a good place to start a tour of the park.
It offers stunning views as well as a small museum, gift shop, snack bar, and showers for dusty travelers.
It is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily, but a trip to the viewing deck that wraps around the center for the sunrise and the sunset is a must.
The sun at both times of day leaves the monoliths and the land awash with color.
Outside the Visitor's Center sit crudely built booths housing several Navajo-run tour groups, from Keyah Hozhoni Tours to Fred's Adventure Tours. Jeep and horseback tours lasting an hour to overnight are available and cost anywhere from $20 to more than $100. The overnight horseback riding tours feature American Indian meals and entertainment.
The guided tours are the only way to view the Anasazi petroglyphs, which are mostly found in adjacent Mystery Valley. Invitations to view Navajo women weaving rugs on traditional looms within a family's hogan are also available only with a guide.
Navajos set up booths at various points along the self-guided tour selling beautiful and reasonably priced handcrafted jewelry. The handiwork is exquisite, and the prices are a bargain compared to jewelry found in local retail stores. Pictures of the locals are discouraged, but may be attained for a small fee. It's important to remember the park still is home to many of the Navajo.
In the small and dusty town of Kayenta, 24 miles south, there are two hotels, the Holiday Inn and the Wetherhill Inn, a Best Western Hotel. But there's hardly a better place to stay than Gouldings Trading Post and Lodge, adjacent to the entrance to Monument Valley.
In operation since the 1920's, its 62 rooms are nestled into the side of a towering butte and all have balconies looking out over the valley. John Wayne even had his own cabin here.
Gouldings offers a small museum and gift shop, an indoor pool, a celebratory film of Monument Valley, a car wash for your inevitably dusty vehicle, and, at the front desk, a selection of Hollywood movies filmed at the park. Tiered, with windows overlooking the park, the charming Stage Coach Restaurant offers a menu ranging from steak and seafood to pasta and burgers. It also features the curious ''peanut butter cobbettes'' which are described as ''a unique flavor for the customer with the exploratory palate.''
For those not as exploratory, try the traditional and delicious Navajo taco.
Alcohol is prohibited anywhere on the Navajo Reservation.
Kayenta offers several restaurants, including the Golden Sands Cafe, which is fashioned after an Old West saloon, and the locally popular Amigos, which serves Navajo, Mexican and American fare.
Monument Valley is also a welcoming destination for campers. Adjoining the Visitors Center is a 100-site campground, and Gouldings has its own campground west of the lodge.
IF YOU GO
Getting there: Monument Valley, which straddles the northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah borders, is a long trip from anywhere, but well worth the drive. With the towering monoliths rising from the desert, the trip's final miles along scenic Highway 163 offer a beautiful prelude to the spectacular scenery yet to come.
Lodging: Goulding's Trading Post and Lodge, (435) 727-3231, is the first choice among the accommodations, for both its convenience and scenic views. Adjacent to the park's entrance, the lodge offers 62 rooms, all with private balconies overlooking Monument Valley. Each room is equiped with a VCR, and an array of videos of the Westerns filmed here are available at the front desk.
Decorated in the colors of the desert, the rooms cost $108 a night and offer a choice of two queen-size or one king-size bed.
Twenty-four miles south in Kayenta, visitors can find lodging at either the Holiday Inn, (520) 697-3221, at $129 a night, or the Wetherhill Inn, (520) 697-3231) a Best Western hotel, at $98 a night.
Dining: The Stage Coach Restaurant at Goulding's offers the same Southwestern decor and scenic views of Monument Valley as do the lodge's rooms. All meals are moderately priced, as are those of the restaurants in Kayenta. This is a casual town geared toward the needs and pocketbooks of the vacationing family.
Admission: The self-guided driving trip through Monument Valley costs $2.50 for adults, $1 for seniors, and is free for children under 7. It takes about two hours to drive the unpaved loop.
Rules: Vehicles over 27 feet long are prohibited. Pets must be on a leash. Alcohol is strictly prohibited on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Information: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, (435) 727-3287. Arizona Office of Tourism, (602) 248-1480. Navajo Parks and Recreation Department, (520) 871-6647.
There are no good sites on the Web for this adventure.
-- The Associated Press
