Photographing Monument Valley

In our Monument Valley Photography Guide we’ll show you the best photo spots in Monument Valley as well as some Monument Valley photography tips.

Table Of Contents

Monument Valley Photography Tips
Monument Valley Photo Spots & Best Views
Monument Valley Photography Tours

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Monument Valley Photography Guide

Monument Valley Photography Tips

Photographing Monument Valley sunset from The View Hotel's balcony

How to photograph Monument Valley?

In the following, you will find everything all around who to photograph Monument Valley. From the best time, the best photo locations, useful photography equipment and Monument Valley photo tips in general.

Best Time To Photograph Monument Valley

Sunrise & Sunset

The best time to photograph Monument Valley is during sunrise or sunset. During the day the sandstone buttes are still impressive but the light gets harsh.

During The Day

If you can’t avoid it and are shooting during the day, which you will most likely do, a polarizing filter will help you bring out the colors better.

This is the polarizing filter we use, it’s also great to filter out glare and surface reflections.

Circular Polarizing Lens Filter (3Peak)

SHOP HERE

Wintertime

During wintertime when the landscape is snow-covered is also a great time to photograph Monument Valley. Then the contrast of the white snow and the red sandstone is really cool.

We have yet to visit and take photos of Monument Valley in winter.

Monument Valley Sunset Photography

Sunset photography Monument Valley panorama

Where is the sunset in Monument Valley?

The sun sets behind the Visitor Center in the West and lights up the buttes until they are completely in the dark.

Best place to watch sunset in Monument Valley

The Monument Valley Tribal Park Visitor’s Center or The View Hotel respectively is the best place to watch and take photos of the sunset.

Photographing Sunrise In Monument Valley

Is Monument Valley better at sunrise or sunset?

I personally find photographing the sunrise at Monument Valley more interesting as the sun comes up behind the sandstone buttes when you photograph from the Visitor Center or The View Hotel in Monument Valley.

Photographing Monument Valley At Night

At night is also a very special time to take photos of the Monument Valley sandstone buttes.

Since the area is very rural there is only little light pollution, which means you will be able to see lots of stars if it’s not cloudy.

Monument Valley Night Photography

To do night photography in Monument Valley you definitely need a tripod and set your camera to long exposure to get enough light in.

Compact Hybrid Head Aluminum Tripod

SHOP HERE

Ultra Long Exposure

For those long light streaks, you have to do a super long exposure for around at least an hour. The longer you wait the longer and more circular the stars will get. This can take up to several hours, so spending the night at The View Hotel or the cabins is definitely of advantage for that.

Monument Valley Photo Spots & Best Views

In the following, we will list our best Monument Valley photo spots including the best viewpoints in general.

Monument Valley Visitor Center

The View Hotel Monument Valley Review — Monument Valley visitor center

Where is the iconic view of Monument Valley?

The best view of Monument Valley that you know from all those photos is at the Monument Valley Visitor Center.

To make the most out of this Monument Valley photo spot we recommend staying at The View Hotel or The View Cabins to be able to experience and take photos of the scenic landscape during all hours of the day.

This is what we did, we spend two nights at the hotel there which features private balconies facing the valley.

Monument Valley John Ford Point

The John Ford Monument Valley viewpoint is very famous and you will most likely have to wait in line for a little bit to snap a photo.

This view of the red rock formations is one of the top Monument Valley film locations featured in former western movies with John Wayne.

To get to John Ford vista point, you will have to get a tribal park ticket and drive the Monument Valley scenic drive.

Artist Point Monument Valley

From Artist Point, you will see the sandstone buttes of Monument Valley from another point of view.

Monument Valley Forrest Gump Point

A can’t miss photo spot, when visiting Monument Valley is the famous Forrest Gump Point where the end scene of the 90s movie was filmed.

This famous Monument Valley photo location is outside the tribal park located on Highway 163 towards Mexican Hat and Bluff.

Monument Valley Forrest Gump Road

And this exact spot on the road is the iconic Monument Valley road photo location from the Forrest Gump Movie.

When you capture this view on the road, be extremely careful and watch out for oncoming cars. When we visited, there were surprisingly many cars driving up and down the road.

Monument Valley Mexican Hat

The Mexican Hat rock formation is an attraction near Monument Valley that you will encounter if you drive past Forrest Gump point towards the town of Mexican Hat.

Monument Valley Utah Sign

And of course, the Instagram-famous “Welcome to Utah” sign that got its popularity as a photo spot on the social media platform can’t be missing in our Monument Valley Photo Guide.

You will drive by the Monument Valley Utah sign coming from the South right at the Arizona-Utah state border.

Monument Valley Scenic Drive

A must-do in Monument Valley, in our opinion, is the scenic loop. The scenic drive in Monument Valley starts right next to the Navajo Tribal Park’s Visitors Center.

Along this literally very scenic drive, you will be able to see and take pictures of lots of different rock formations. We highly recommend it, if you are up for it and have the proper car for it. Otherwise, there are also several tours that will take you.