I will be visiting Monument Valley for the first time on Sunday, June 22nd. I will arrive in the afternoon and leave around noon on Monday. I am considering hiring a guide for either Sunday evening or Monday morning. Which would be best to maximize photographic opportunities? In other words, are the sites I can only access with a guide mostly evening or morning shots? Thanks.
Posted by Joe Paratore on June 11, 2008 at 8:54 AM
If I recall, I think there is a pretty good balance between AM & PM shots -- depending on what you are interested in. I took an afternoon/sunset tour and I think there were plenty of good opportunities. Unfortunately we got slammed by a thunderstorm before sunset.....
Your best bet in the late afternoon would be to visit Teardrop Arch near Gouldings Trading Post. Pretty much any tour company in the main parking area of MV can run you up there and just visiting this site alone shouldn't cost much. That will leave you time to photograph the classic sunset on the mittens, if you wish.
The morning tour is the one that really shines, and if you're limited to choosing only one tour, this is the one to take, IMO.
In the pre-dawn, you'll visit a nice overlook of the Totem Pole and Yei-Bei-Chei formations, where you can end up with an image like this one. Then you'll drive around to the north side of these formations for a sunrise view in the sand dunes like this one.
The tour then winds up with visits to two arches. some Anasazi ruins and rock art.
I highly recommend Tom Phillips as a guide....many photographers use his services and he knows the right spots to make excellent photos. If you can't book him, then the other tours are all pretty similar and should be just fine. All morning tours wrap up around noon.
Best of luck during your visit!
Posted by Laurie Wendt on June 11, 2008 at 11:59 AM
I agree with John, if you can't take both, then I would go with the sunrise/morning tour. The sand dunes are fantastic in the morning light. There's some great foreground trees/rocks/sagebrush for foreground interest if you wander around the edge of the campground by the visitor center.
If available I also recommend Tom Phillips as a guide. He took me out for a sunset tour one evening, then a sunrise tour the following morning. Great guy.
I asked a tour company in Goulding about getting a guide to Teardrop. The lady said there's a 4-person minimum, so even though it was just me, I'd be paying for 4. She then said "Or if you're adventurous, you can try and find it on your own." I said "I thought a guide was required." She said "Technically you're supposed to have a guide, but so many people go on their own that we no longer care." The arch is right above Goulding and can (barely) be seen from there. But it's still tough to figure out how to get there and a guide may be helpful. The other places mentioned do require a guide.
Just a quick note to mention that most of the independant guides at MV itself will haul you up to Teardrop Arch with no minimum in the late afternoon (6:00PM +/-), which is the optimum time to visit in June.
Thanks for your input, everyone. I'll check again tomorrow from our motel in Missouri. My dream was to get up to Hunt Mesa, but everything I have found is overnight and that won't work for me this trip.
Paul, those two shots are very nice. I especially like the one with dune.
I also recommend Tom Phillips and/or either of his assistants.
I would strongly recommend a guide (or guard) if you intend to go to the Teardrop. It's not that hard to find, but it's just far enough out of the way to be a teen drinking hangout. Intoxicated kids and vehicles that may have expensive camera gear left in them don't mix. Our Navajo guide got us as close to the Teardrop as he could by truck, pointed the way to the arch, then stood guard at the vehicle while we took photos.
Discussion
9 repliesYour best bet in the late afternoon would be to visit Teardrop Arch near Gouldings Trading Post. Pretty much any tour company in the main parking area of MV can run you up there and just visiting this site alone shouldn't cost much. That will leave you time to photograph the classic sunset on the mittens, if you wish.
The morning tour is the one that really shines, and if you're limited to choosing only one tour, this is the one to take, IMO.
In the pre-dawn, you'll visit a nice overlook of the Totem Pole and Yei-Bei-Chei formations, where you can end up with an image like this one. Then you'll drive around to the north side of these formations for a sunrise view in the sand dunes like this one.
The tour then winds up with visits to two arches. some Anasazi ruins and rock art.
I highly recommend Tom Phillips as a guide....many photographers use his services and he knows the right spots to make excellent photos. If you can't book him, then the other tours are all pretty similar and should be just fine. All morning tours wrap up around noon.
Best of luck during your visit!
If available I also recommend Tom Phillips as a guide. He took me out for a sunset tour one evening, then a sunrise tour the following morning. Great guy.
We were also able to split the full day rate into afternoon one day and morning the next. I'd highly recommend this.
One unexpected place that I'd love to spend more time in is Mystery Valley.
Paul, those two shots are very nice. I especially like the one with dune.
I would strongly recommend a guide (or guard) if you intend to go to the Teardrop. It's not that hard to find, but it's just far enough out of the way to be a teen drinking hangout. Intoxicated kids and vehicles that may have expensive camera gear left in them don't mix. Our Navajo guide got us as close to the Teardrop as he could by truck, pointed the way to the arch, then stood guard at the vehicle while we took photos.