On 9/10, we were on our way from 4 corners to Flagstaff, AZ. We were passing through Kayenta, AZ when we looked to the north and could see Monument Valley in the distance. We made a spur of the moment decision to drive north to take a look. The rain had just stopped and it appeared that the skies were going to clear.
There was a long line of cars waiting in line to pay the entrance fee to get into the park. We waited about 20 minutes just to get in. It was worth it. We ended up getting a campsite at the campground in the park. All sites had outstanding views of the monuments(sandstone buttes). Some rise as much as 1000 feet from the valley floor.
After setting up our tent, we had just enough time to drive a portion of the 17 mile Valley Loop drive. The road was muddy but we able to drive a piece of it. Afterwards, we sat at our tent and admired an amazing sunset. Hundreds of people from the campsites, cabins and lodge were all taking pictures for the better portion of 30 minutes.
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| The Mittens at sunset |
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| Sunset from our campsite |
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| A moonlit night as well! |
We went to sleep early because we wanted to be up for sunrise as well. Sunrise proved to be just as fantastic as sunset. At both times, the moving fog led to a continually changing scene.
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| The Mittens at sunrise |
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| What a place to camp for sunset and sunrise! |
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| We hiked the Wildcat trail right after sunrise |
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| Views from the Wildcat Trail |
We were quite glad we chose to come here and especially glad we stayed overnight. We don't know how often they have these amazing sunrises and sunsets, but it was hard to imagine that it could have been any better.
Those sunrise photos are phenomenal Mike.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It was even better in person!
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