Monument Valley Tours with Blackwater Tours in Utah

Monument Valley, located on the Utah-Arizona border near Oljato-Monument Valley, offers some of the most iconic desert landscapes in the American Southwest. This area features towering sandstone buttes, sculpted by millennia of wind and water erosion, rising sharply from the flat desert floor. Blackwater Tours provides a way to navigate these impressive rock formations and expansive vistas through their varied experiences: Monument Valley Back-Country+, Sunset, Short, and Sunrise tours.

The highlight of the region is the extraordinary geomorphology—massive red sandstone monuments like the Mittens and Merrick Butte dominate the horizon, lit dramatically at sunrise and sunset. These natural towers were shaped from nearly 190 million-year-old sedimentary rock, offering a striking study in natural erosion and geology. Flowering desert shrubs and patches of sagebrush add bursts of green to the otherwise red and ochre palette.

Blackwater Tours operates in this landscape with an open-air vehicle approach, letting visitors feel every breeze and hear the desert’s natural sounds. Their tours range from brief overviews to deeper, back-country routes that access less traveled vantage points. Guided by Navajo locals, these tours aim to introduce visitors to the deep cultural significance of the area, sacred to the Diné people for thousands of years. The company focuses on sharing stories of the land’s importance, including its role in Western film history.

Visitors can expect to see classic formations like the Totem Pole and Three Sisters up close, along with the expansive valley floor where wildlife like coyotes and desert birds roam. While the remote location can bring variable weather, the dramatic lighting and stark desert sky reward those prepared for the elements.

For those seeking a truly immersive desert trip paired with Navajo heritage and unforgettable geology, Blackwater Tours offers a gateway into Monument Valley’s unique world. Its location just outside the Navajo Nation makes it a meaningful stop for understanding the region’s grand scale and cultural layers.