Driving through Monument Valley in a rental car
Feb 9, 2019, 4:02 pm
#1
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Driving through Monument Valley in a rental car
I know the I-163 goes through Monument Valley but can one actually see something meaningful if confined to paved roads, as you would be in a rental car? I have read about the 17-mile loop but that is a dirt and gravel road, which is verboten in a rental car.
Feb 9, 2019, 7:43 pm
#2
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Yes....
its is right aling 163...the classic MV pic, You can turn in and park at the short paved turn off and park at the hotel step out and take pics. Across the street is the other lodge go,dings that you can park at and cross the street.
you can pull of on the shoulder and take pics.
cars can’t drive the loop..only tours take you on it because people do live there. Going the full loop would get yiy deeper into the park and see deeper things
its is right aling 163...the classic MV pic, You can turn in and park at the short paved turn off and park at the hotel step out and take pics. Across the street is the other lodge go,dings that you can park at and cross the street.
you can pull of on the shoulder and take pics.
cars can’t drive the loop..only tours take you on it because people do live there. Going the full loop would get yiy deeper into the park and see deeper things
Feb 10, 2019, 10:32 am
#3
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FYI if you are driving extensively throughout the four corners region, there are still some roads on Indian land that are unimproved, or essentially gravel. This is particularly true in the Hopi and Navajo Nations in Arizona, and less so in Colorado.
(The Federal government has failed to maintain or adequately develop the roads in these areas of their responsibility for the past four decades or so, and except in southern Colorado, where local government has stepped up, the local populations continue to suffer this active neglect today.)
Some of the AAA maps will indicate the distinction with an orange or yellow overlay of the parts of the roads that unimproved, but this isn't always obvious at first glance. Google Maps will often call this fact out in marginal notes. It can happen that you are cruising along and suddenly the surface will change for miles. Just slow down and take it easy, as often the alternate route would include hours of back-tracking.
(The Federal government has failed to maintain or adequately develop the roads in these areas of their responsibility for the past four decades or so, and except in southern Colorado, where local government has stepped up, the local populations continue to suffer this active neglect today.)
Some of the AAA maps will indicate the distinction with an orange or yellow overlay of the parts of the roads that unimproved, but this isn't always obvious at first glance. Google Maps will often call this fact out in marginal notes. It can happen that you are cruising along and suddenly the surface will change for miles. Just slow down and take it easy, as often the alternate route would include hours of back-tracking.
Last edited by Wilbur; Feb 11, 2019 at 9:29 am Reason: Not that AA, instead AAA.
Feb 10, 2019, 9:28 pm
#4
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ut it.The state (NM and AZ; don't know much about UT) and US signed highways across the Reservation are fine. IR-12 is so-so (paved but not always plowed after a snowstorm).
Gravel, you say? Many, many Reservation roads off the main highways are dirt (which turns to mud after a heavy downpour or once the snow starts melting). There are days I'd kill for a gravel road!
Mar 23, 2019, 9:19 am
#7
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As others have said US-163 is THE Monument Valley road. I worked a trip through there when going from Flagstaff to Canyon de Chinle and was really glad I did
There doesn't seem to be much traffic so you can stop and get some great pictures
There doesn't seem to be much traffic so you can stop and get some great pictures
Aug 10, 2023, 12:09 pm
#9
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 183
The image shared here is the iconic one from Forrest Gump, and that is from Highway 163 looking back toward MV. There is a pull-off just as you crest the hill (or at least there was when we visited), and the road is fairly quiet so it's possible to walk back a little ways - and carefully position yourself in the middle of the road if traffic allows - to capture an image of the view shown here.
Aug 10, 2023, 2:57 pm
#10
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I drove the Monument Valley loop road in a rental car (actually a minivan) 11 years ago. It was April or May, so a relatively dry time of year, but no problems. I don’t know if I would try it during winter or the monsoon season (now thru mid-September) though.
Aug 10, 2023, 3:30 pm
#11
Join Date: Feb 2015
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Agreed. We didn't do it because we were there during monsoon season and encountered storms the day we drove in. No sense risking it.
Aug 12, 2023, 7:43 am
#13
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Shortly after we arrived at the North Rim on July 24, a thunderstorm (with pea-sized hail) passed over the area. Usually “monsoon season” in the Southwest means afternoon thunderstorms, but every now and then (like yesterday afternoon for us) it’s a longer rain event.
You’ll need to check local weather forecasts closer to the time of your trip. And don’t stand near the edge during a lightning storm.
Aug 12, 2023, 5:24 pm
#15
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 183
And don't assume because it's not raining right where you are that it isn't an issue. A storm miles a way can sometimes result in flash flooding in an area that didn't get any rainfall at all. Flash floods are scary beasts, and we've seen at least one every time we traveled extensively during monsoon season in the southwest/west.