On our way across the country, we swung by Monument Valley and the Valley of the Gods—one of my favorite corners of the world. There’s something about the sweep of red earth and sandstone towers, the space between them, and the way the light changes their colors that keeps drawing me back. Just as we reached the lookout over Monument Valley, it began to snow. Flakes drifted across the view, softening the outlines of the immense buttes.
Along the Arizona–Utah border, these landscapes hold millions of years of geological history, their mesas and spires shaped by uplift and erosion. Monument Valley, known in Navajo as Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, or Valley of the Rocks, is part of the Navajo Nation and protected within a Navajo Tribal Park. It remains a living Diné homeland, where families, artists and guides carry forward cultural traditions and deep connections to the land. Standing at the overlook as the snow fell, I was grateful for another chance to spend time here.
Monument Valley
The view from Moki Dugway
Monument Valley
Valley of the Gods
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