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Monument Valley is one of the greatest treasures of the southwestern United States. Every year thousands of tourists visit this scenic area in order to stand at the feet of the towers which extend hundreds of feet skyward from the desert floor. The majority of these visitors probably saw the area for the first time in "westerns" that were filmed in the area throughout the sixties and seventies, when the location was scouted by many film makers as the idea backdrop to their movies, essentially summing up the desolate yet magnificent visual landscape that the early settlers and cowboys would have been exposed to. Monument Valley is also very remote and has little in the form of services for miles around it. For this reason it is probably best visited as part of a multiple-park tour that also visits other national parks or locations in the area.
It is best to make the most out of your experience when you plan on visiting a national park or protected area, due to the fact that they are generally quite far from any area of civilization and will take some time to get to by car or bus. Many will get to these areas and realize that after only a few hours they have exhausted the opportunities that are available to them, and are now facing a long ride back to their starting point. For this reason, many touring companies who specialize in Monument Valley tours will put the visitation of the area into a package that also visits other national parks like Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon. Because all of these parks are remote but are in the same generalized area of Utah, there are generally two schools of thought with regards to the way the tours will be structured, and the origination point. Both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City are usually chosen as a starting point for these types of excursions, due to the fact that they are both essentially equal driving distances to an area like Bryce or Monument Valley, and can be used as a major hub. Busses or vans will pick up their patrons at major hotel rooms or central locations and begin the trip to the parks from there. The length of the trip from both cities is about four hours of driving time to the first park.
Multiple-park trips will visit between three and five parks and areas during their time out, and will generally camp in one of the locations for one or two nights. This will allow for visitor to have an experience unlike any other, experiencing the wonder of these untamed areas in the same way that early settlers did. Once you have seen the stars without the interruption of city lights, you will never be able to look at them the same. Campfires and singing will usually accompany the overnight camping, which provides an excellent start of the day on the next day.
It will usually only take an hour or so to get from one park to another during the multiple-park tours, which is why the overnight and multi-day tours are such a good choice. The driving times that are associated with the trip from the starting point to the first park are long compared to the times from park to park once you are in the area.
Las Vegas is considered the best start for Monument Valley tours because the major airlines service the airport and there are far more choices for hotels and restaurants than in an area like Salt Lake City. Book your next Monument Valley tour as part of a larger vacation to a city like Las Vegas, and use a tour operator who will transport you from the city to the parks in comfort and style.
