Monument Valley is an area of extraordinary sandstone cliffs rising to a height of 300 meters. This is one of the most familiar images of the American West. This is not to say that Monument Valley is a valley in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, it is a gigantic flat desert plain, in the middle of which rises sandstone cliffs - the last of the mountains that once occupied the entire region.
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| Monument Valley |
General Information
The uniqueness of the Monument Valley is directly related to its origin. It is hard to imagine that there was a sea here 250 million years ago. At the bottom of this prehistoric reservoir, silt collected, under the weight of which the sand was pressed into porous sandstone. Through unimaginable time for humans and small for the geological history of the earth, sandstone turned into shale. Almost 70 million years ago, the earth's crust reared strongly, and where there was a seabed, fresh air and sun reigned. The view was probably stunning - a huge sandstone plateau with a surface layer of shale and clastic rocks destroyed the showers, gnawed small rivers and polished the wind to shine. Finally, in place of the indestructible colossus, there were rocky columns.
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| Monument Valley |
The valley is known around the world and, of course, you do in films, westerns featuring the legendary John Wayne (John Wayne) and other Hollywood cowboys. The Monument Valley landscape is one of the 100 most famous natural wonders. Standing alone in the flat sandy desert, huge red mesas, sharp peaks and steep slopes have been filmed countless times for movies and colorful magazines. But even if you saw these pictures, you will be amazed by the reality of deep bright colors and the variety of forms of these formations. The best advertisement for Marlboro cigarettes was filmed here too.
The valley is located in the Indian Reservation Navajo (Navajo), who own the exclusive right to support of excursions in the reserve, so it is advisable to agree on the conductor in advance or on arrival. Without a guide, unlike national parks, you get much less for the same or more entry price. For example, a tour of the Monument Valley takes about an hour. You can only make one small circle by car with several stops along the sandy unpaved road. The information brochure received at the entrance contains many prohibitions and warnings: do not climb rocks, do not walk, as there are no walking routes, do not leave the route, do not go into houses and do not take pictures of Indians, a ban on alcoholic drinks in Navajo land, and so on.
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| Monument Valley |
Tourists see the Monument Valley as a cluster of fantastic dilapidated castles, ancient temples, modern skyscrapers, columns and spiers. In fact, nature chose an unusual form of structures without any ulterior motive.
This does not prevent the locals from “humanizing” geological monuments with the help of names: Castle rock, an impressive flat-topped massif, 300 m high, crowned with jagged turrets), Rukavichki (Rukavichki, standing nearby rock formations), Broody (Broody, like a chicken), Mount Merrick (Merrick) and Mitchell (Mitchel), natural copies of giant gravestones, Prioress (prioress), Three sisters (Three sisters) and so on.
Basically, the attractions of Monument Valley are concentrated around the town of Goulding. This settlement, 250 km away from the nearest town (Flagstaff in Arizona), was founded in 1923 as a trading post with the Indians. Today, the economy is based on tourism.
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| Monument Valley |
The tourist center offers very spectacular views, but you can explore the park by moving along Valley Drive, a 27 km long road. It winds among stunning cliffs and bizarre cliffs, including the famous Totem Pole - a huge spire 91 meters high and only a few meters wide. Here you can see ancient cave dwellings, natural arches and petroglyphs.
Over the past century, Monument Valley has changed, as erosion processes are ongoing. It may well happen that after hundreds of years, only a flat dull plain will remain on the site of the majestic sandstone plateaus.