Watching sunset from the tent campground at Monument Valley

After a busy day shooting Antelope Canyons I was ready to get to Monument Valley to set up camp so I could enjoy the sunset. When I was planning out this trip I looked at different areas to camp around Monument Valley and the View Campground stood out to me. For one it was right where I wanted to shoot some iconic photos. The campground is not to far away from the View Hotel so if you want to get a regular meal instead of a camp stove heated meal there is a descent option available. I tend to also look at google maps to get a aerial view of where I am going to camp, some areas definatly look better then others and this area looked like where I wanted to be. There is no option to reserve a campsite directly from their website, instead you will need to call in to reserve a spot, I and this does not guarantee you what spot you get, it is first come first served. When you arrive at the campground start by checking in at the office by the campground, as part of the process they will give you a map and ask you to go choose which site you would like, they are all relatively the same, but I liked one spot more then others because it was relatively flat and off to the side a bit so there should have been less people traipsing through the site, so that is the one I choose. As you can see from the above photo you have a grand view of Monument Valley’s Mittens from the campground and that photo was just a pano using my cellphone. The sun will set directly behind you as you face the “Mittens” and it will light them up, its really quite the show to see the red glow start at the top of the Mittens and then work its way down until they are glowing red and then slowly die out with the light. Don’t miss the show, and don’t fall for the typical spot up at the hotel where most people shoot.

The sunset really lights up the “Mittens” at Monument Valley putting on quite the show.

I do wish I had spent a little more time planning this stop out and had taken advantage of some of the paid tours as the paid tours are really the only way to get out to some of the better areas at the best times of the day. Instead I had thought I would find enough interesting landscape on the 17 mile valley loop drive but you are supposed to be off of the loop by sunset and can not go down onto the loop on your own until after sunrise which makes getting to any of the spots you really want to shoot a little more difficult on your own. Since I did not take advantage of this I can’t really give you my opinion on which one is better then another but here is an official list of the Monument Valley Tour Operators available for you.

One of the areas I really wanted to shoot was the spot known as “Forest Gump Point”, The point in the movie Forest Gump where he is running down the highway in Monument Valley with a group of followers and stops and decides he has had enough running and wants to go home.

The Forest Gump Point site is a popular site and its one of the first places I went to check out when I got to the park and set up camp. I just wanted to get a quick look at where I would be shooting so I had a better idea for composition when I came back. Its only about a 20 minute drive so away I went. Its amazing how many people show up on the side of a road out in the middle of nowhere. The nice thing about this section of road is how long and straight the road is coming towards you when you are shooting giving you plenty of time to set up a shot and not get run over, but I did see many people waiting until what seemed like the last minute to move out of the way of traffic, so if you go here have a little patience as you will not be the only person exploring your photography in the same spot.

Photographers trying their luck at Forest Gump Point in Monument Valley.

The sign at “Forest Gump Point”, a popular area for shooting in Monument Valley.

I really want to shoot the Milky Way at Forest Gump Point. I had seen a few pictures of this done and had really liked the composition. This night was supposed to be perfect for the Milky Way, since it it so late in the season the Milky Way is almost vertical easy in the night around 10pm and there where no clouds in the sky that night. This is a little reminder that you can not control everything when you shoot landscapes, sometimes you just have to roll with what fate dished out to you. So after checking out this site, heading back to camp and shooting sunset I had a little dinner and then retired to my tent to wait until it got dark enough. I was excited heading out to Forest Gump Point to shoot the Milky Way, I had used the app Planit! for Photographers to help plan out my Milky Way scene and I thought it would come out excellent. So as I came over one of the last rises I was a little perplexed to see a flashing light off in the distance. I wondered if there had been some sort of warning light put out there at night, after all I did see a lot of photographers taking chances during the day time at this spot and maybe this was just to warn drivers, I was not sure but it started to worry me the closer I got. Well when I finally arrived at the spot I saw that the flashing light was a police officer giving someone a ticket. I was not sure if he had just pulled someone over and gave them a ticket at the exact spot I wanted to shoot at or if he had been giving a ticket to someone who had been shooting there, who knows, but I decided to wait. I waited for over half and hour, I even got out to test out the shot and see if the lights would be that bad, and yes they would totally screw up the shot. He never moved and I was not about to go over and ask him how long he expected to be there so after half and hour I knew the shot I wanted was gone and I decided to give it a try the next night. You just never know.

An idea of what the Milky Way would have looked like at Forest Gump Point.

After a disappointing night I was looking forward to shooting sunrise the next morning, and I was not disappointed. In the middle of the night a storm had rolled in so that when I woke up to shoot the sunrise I was also watching lighting strikes off in the distance. My focus was to shoot the sun as it came up behind the “Mittens” of Monument Valley and that is what I set up to shoot, but as the storm rolled through the area I could not help but be fascinated at the lighting as it let loose around some of the buttes so of course I decided to shoot some of that as well, I wish I had gotten more of the lightening strikes, it was so beautiful to watch.

Watching a lightening storm roll through Monument Valley at sunrise while I was getting ready to shoot.

The sun rising behind Monument Valleys “Mitten” as a storm pass’s over the area.

After shooting sunrise it started to rain a little so I decided to head up to the hotel and have some breakfast. It gave me a chance to chill out and recharge before heading out again. The hotel restaurant had a breakfast buffet, and I am not one who usually likes buffets because you feel like you should eat your worth at the tables ( or maybe that’s just my hang up ) but it gave me a chance to relax while watching it rain and I brought my lap top so I could download some pictures off of my SD Cards and work on them a little.

The Valley Loop Drive

After a while the rain stopped and I decided to head out on the 17 Mile Loop Drive to see the sights. I am glad I did but it does make me more aware that I wish I had taken advantage of the tours and done some more exploring beyond where the general public can go on their own, and as I write this and explore more online I now find that company’s offer hot air balloon rides above monument valley and plane rides around the area for a different perspective as well.

The 17 Mile Loop road heading into the park at Monument Valley

As you head into the park on the 17 Mile drive you will gain a different perspective on the “Mittens” that you see from the View Campground and then you will come across Elephant butte before you see the road split. The road will be heading off to the left with Camel Butte to your immediate left,  but it is a one way road and that is the exit from the loop, it will also head off to the right towards John Fords Point, and it will continue on straight to enter into the loop.

Camel Butte in Monument Valley

You can stop at this point and take in John Fords Point, I continued on and stopped there on the way back instead. As I drove past the Rain God Mesa on your left hand side I spied a little area off in the distance where I thought someone was living, it wasnt until I was writing this up and looking on Google Earth that I found out this is Monet B & B, it looks like some place you can stay in the valley and could be a place worth checking out.

Monet B and B in Monument Valley

At this point there is a place to stop and use the bathroom if you need to, on Google Earth its listed as “The Hub Point”, you can’t miss it. If you really need to go this is the place to do it.

The Hub Point in Monument Valley next to the Rain God Mesa.

The next spot to stop and take in some great views is the pull out looking across the Sands Springs towards Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei.  As I was there I saw a tour group on horse back making their way through Sands Springs towards the monuments. This looked like it would be a fun way to see the monuments up close. For me this is also where I would love to come back and do a night time tour to shoot the Milky Way behind the Totem Pole with the Sands Springs in the foreground. If you look it up you will find some good photos of this.

A tour group taking horses across Sands Springs with the Thunderbird Mesa in the background.

After enjoying the view from the pull out area near Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei I headed back on to the loop and the next big stop at Artist Point. This is the only point on the loop where I found the road getting a little rougher, but nothing I couldn’t handle in my trusty Jeep Grand Cherokee. I suppose you could leave your car at the fork to Artist Point and hike in the last little bit if you are really worried about it. I went up to the pull out area and got out to enjoy the view. I found shooting with my 70-200 better for making a panoramic photo at this point then my wide angle lens. I also found a wild horse wandering around the area looking really emaciated. I vaguely remembered an issue with wild horses in this area but it was not till I sat down to write this that understood the scope of the issue of wild horses on Navajo land.

Wide Angle lens pano of Artist Point in Monument Valley

Zoom lens pano of Artist Point in Monument Valley at 101mm.

A closer view from Artist Point in Monument Valley

Emaciated horse at Artist Point in Monument Valley

After shooting Artist Point I headed back out on the loop. The next place I pulled over was the “Thumb” and the view towards the “North Window Overlook”. I think the thumb would make a great foreground for a vertical Milky Way if you can find a way to line them up.

The Thumb at Monument Valley

Looking towards the North Window Overlook in Monument Valley

After taking in the view towards the North Window Overlook I headed back out onto the loop and my last stop at John Fords Point. This is probably one of the easiest points to shoot one of the most iconic shots of Monument Valley. The shot of a cowboy looking out at the valley below. As you pull up to the area you will notice several huts with vendors selling their wares. Immediately next to them is a little stall for a horse. I don’t know if it is the same gentleman that is there all the time but there is a vendor there who will take you out on the horse for your picture for a small price, I did not want a picture of me on the horse, I wanted a picture of him on the horse and he obliged and I was happy.

3 Sisters at Monument Valley behind John Fords Point.

John Fords Point in Monument Valley

After exploring the 17 mile loop drive, I headed back to my tent and then decided to head up to the hotel and chill out there for a while continuing to work on some of my pictures on my laptop. I had some time to kill before sunset and I got a lot done just chilling out there and having a bowl of soup while working. Sunset came around and I shot the “Mittens”. While we ( everyone in the campground ) was watching the sunset I noticed a wild horse come traipsing through the campgrounds and close to my tent ( more about this to come later ). I cooked a camp meal and chilled out in my tent for a while before heading back out to Forest Gump Point to try the shot I was trying to get the night before again. This time there was no police officer giving someone a ticket but the clouds had really moved in and made shooting the Milky Way all but impossible. On the flip side I did meet another photographer out at the same spot doing the same thing and we talked for a while as we watched out for each other with traffic while shooting the scene. I didn’t come out with the shot I wanted but I still got a great shot that I’m happy with, and it was nice passing the time talking to another photographer.

We Are Not Alone. The finished product of trying to shoot the Milky Way at Forest Gump Point with cloudy conditions.

The next morning I got up for sunrise again and decided to look for a different perspective. I remembered the wild horse coming through our campsite the night before at sunset and decided to go look for prints, I found them and thought it made for a more interesting composition. After shooting sunrise and eating breakfast, it was time to pack everything up and get back on the road for the final adventure in MOAB and the “Out of Moab” Workshop. I was getting really excited. On to the next adventure. 

A Path to Light. Sunrise at the Mittens in Monument Valley with horse prints leading off into the sunrise.