Monument Valley Jeep Tours: Backcountry, Sunrise, Sunset, Horseback and Mystery Valley Compared

You can drive the 17-mile Valley Drive in Monument Valley yourself, but that loop is only part of the valley. The arches, the rock art, the hogans and the backcountry behind the famous buttes are open only with a Navajo guide, because, as The View Hotel puts it, the land beyond the loop is the home and “backyard” of Navajo families. A guided tour is how you see it.

Tours are run by Navajo operators, and the Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation Department lists more than twenty of them, plus horse trail rides, on its own page. The standard tour is a jeep or open safari truck into the backcountry for about 2.5 to 3 hours; on the operators’ own sites in 2026 it costs from about $75 to $85 per adult. Around it there is a whole family of variations: sunrise and sunset departures, private tours, photography and night-sky tours, horseback rides, Mystery Valley, Teardrop Arch, Hunts Mesa and even a night in a hogan.

This guide explains how the tours work and compares each kind, with prices as the operators list them. Prices and times change, so treat them as a guide and check before you book.

How guided tours in Monument Valley work

A few things are common to almost all tours.

Every guide is Navajo and permitted. The Navajo Nation requires a permit from anyone providing guided tours in a Navajo Tribal Park. Goulding’s says every one of its tours is led by local Navajo guides, and the same is true across the valley.
The entry fee is usually extra. Several operators state that the tribal park’s entry fee is not included in their price and is paid as you enter the park. On the park’s own page in 2026 that is $10 per person, per day, plus $15 per vehicle.
Vehicles. Most tours use open safari-style trucks with bench seats and a canvas top in good weather, and enclosed four-wheel-drive SUVs in poor weather or for private tours. Goulding’s uses 20-passenger open-sky “safari type” vehicles.
Stops. A standard tour stops at 8 to 10 locations, according to one operator; Goulding’s says its stops are normally 10 minutes long, with time to walk around.
Times are Navajo Nation time. In summer that is one hour ahead of Page and Flagstaff.
Children. Several operators charge less for children: one charges half price for those 12 and under and nothing for those 5 and under.

Where tours start

There are three main meeting points, and your booking will name one of them.

The View Hotel lobby, inside the tribal park next to the visitor center. Several operators meet guests here.
The lower parking lot below the visitor center, where guides wait to sell tours on the spot.
The Welcome Center on Highway 163, about 4 miles before the visitor center, where some operators meet their guests.

Check which one applies. One operator tells its guests in capitals not to go to the visitor center, because its guides meet at the Welcome Center.

Booking ahead or on the spot

The department’s tour-operator page says you can buy the entry fee and a guided tour on arrival, and The View Hotel says park tours are almost always available for booking on the morning you want to tour, though advance booking is recommended for full-day tours. But not every operator takes walk-ups: one states that it cannot accept same-day reservations. In spring, fall and the holidays, booking a day or more ahead is the safer choice, especially for sunrise, sunset and horseback tours.

Self-drive or a guided tour?

	Valley Drive on your own	Standard guided jeep tour
Cost	Entry fee only: $10 per person plus $15 per vehicle	Entry fee plus about $75 to $85 per adult
Time	Your pace, within park hours	About 2.5 to 3 hours
Vehicle	Your own; no RVs, camper vans, motorcycles or large SUVs	The operator’s truck or SUV
Ground covered	The 17-mile loop only	The loop plus guide-only backcountry
Arches and rock art	Not open	Ear of the Wind, Sun’s Eye and others
Navajo culture	Vendors along the road	Guide’s stories, often a hogan visit

If you only have an hour or two and your car is right for the loop, the self-drive is good value. If you want to understand what you are looking at, or to see the arches, a tour is the only way.

The standard backcountry jeep tour

This is the tour most visitors take, sold by almost every operator under names like “jeep tour”, “safari” or “traditional tour”. It goes round the main formations on the loop and then into the restricted backcountry.

What operators list for it in 2026:

A 3-hour tour from one operator costs $85 for adults (18+), $65 for ages 9 to 17 and $45 for young children, and covers 36 miles. Its itinerary takes in the West and East Mitten Buttes, John Ford’s Point, a cultural demonstration at a family hogan, Big Hogan, Sun’s Eye Arch, Ear of the Wind Arch, the Totem Pole and the Yei Bi Chei spires.
A 2.5- to 3.0-hour tour from another operator costs $75 per person by day, with a two-person minimum, and focuses on backcountry arches, natural amphitheaters and petroglyphs. Its standard departures are at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., plus sunset.
A 2.5-hour jeep tour from a third operator costs $85 for adults (13+) and $43 for children 12 and under. It visits locations from films such as Stagecoach, The Searchers and Back to the Future Part III, with an optional visit to a hogan for a rug-weaving demonstration.

All three reach places you cannot drive to yourself, such as Ear of the Wind, which the department says can only be reached on guided tours. Expect sandy, bumpy tracks and short walks at each stop. Bring water, sun protection and closed-toe shoes.

Best for: first-time visitors who want the backcountry and the stories in a single afternoon.

Sunset and evening tours

Late afternoon is when the buttes turn red, and sunset tours are the most popular upgrade. The View Hotel recommends seeing the sunset from inside the park on a guided sunset tour.

One operator’s sunset tour costs $80 per person, with a two-person minimum; departure times vary with the season, so ask when you book.
Another operator’s 2.5-hour evening tour starts at about 5 p.m., depending on the season, and costs $85 for adults and $43 for children.

Sunset tours sell out first. In summer, remember that Arizona time is an hour behind: a tour that ends after dark in the valley still means a long drive back to Page or Flagstaff, so stay nearby if you can.

Best for: photographers and anyone staying the night at The View, Goulding’s or Kayenta.

Sunrise tours

Sunrise is quieter than sunset, the light is soft, and the Mittens are silhouetted against the eastern sky. Sunrise tours are usually small or private.

A 2.5-hour private sunrise jeep tour from one operator costs $225 per person and follows a special route to sunrise viewpoints.
Hunts Mesa sunrise tours (see below) climb to a high viewpoint above the valley before first light.

You need to sleep in or next to the valley for a sunrise tour. The View Hotel’s own advice is that sunrise is best from its balconies, which face east.

Best for: photographers and early risers who want the valley at its quietest.

Private tours

A private tour gives you your own guide and vehicle, a flexible pace, and more time at the places that interest you.

One operator charges $125 per person for a private Monument Valley tour, with a two-person minimum.
Another charges $210 per person for a private version of its 2.5-hour jeep tour.
A 3.5-hour private tour with an elder Navajo guide costs $600 for the first two people and $100 for each additional person, and includes a visit to a traditional home and a rug-weaving demonstration.

Best for: families, small groups and anyone with a special interest in Navajo culture.

Photography and night-sky tours

Several operators run tours timed and routed for photographers.

A 3-hour photography tour costs $150 per person with one operator, which advises booking it for sunrise or sunset to follow the light. If you plan to use the photographs commercially, you also need a separate permit from Navajo Parks & Recreation.
A 3–4 hour night-sky photography tour costs $250 with another operator, visiting the Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei spires, the West Mitten and Big Hogan Arch after dark.

Remember that drones are prohibited at all Navajo Tribal Park locations, on a tour or not.

Best for: serious photographers with a tripod and time.

Horseback rides

Riding is the oldest way to see the valley, and several Navajo operators offer it. The department lists horse trail rides separately on its tour-operator page.

One horseback operator, starting from its stables near The View Hotel’s premium cabins, lists:

Ride	Price	Details
1 hour	from $120 per person	A short ride toward the Mitten Buttes
2 hours	from $180 per person	A longer ride past the Mittens, Merrick Butte and Sentinel Mesa

Its conditions: riders must be aged 12 to 70, the maximum weight is 220 lbs (100 kg), groups are 2 to 4 guests, and cancellations within 48 hours are non-refundable. No riding experience is needed; the guide gives basic instructions before you set off.

The tribal park entry fee is separate; you enter through the park gates and pay it as usual.

Other stables work differently. One Navajo-run ride listed on our tours page starts from the KOA campground, lasts about 30 minutes, matches each rider to a horse that suits their experience and is not suitable for children under 8. Age limits, lengths and starting points vary, so check them before you book.

Best for: riders who want the valley at walking pace, with no engine noise.

Mystery Valley

Mystery Valley is a separate area from Monument Valley, open only on a guided tour. Instead of the giant buttes it has softer sandstone, ancient dwellings, rock art and natural arches, and far fewer visitors. Navajo people believe it holds great spiritual power.

A Mystery Valley tour of about 3.5 hours costs $90 per person by day or $95 at sunset with one operator, two-person minimum. It visits sites such as the Square House Ruins.
A 3.5-hour Mystery Valley jeep tour from another operator costs $150 for adults and $75 for children.
A 6-hour Mystery Valley hiking tour costs $350 with the same operator.
An all-day tour combining Monument Valley and Mystery Valley costs $150 per person with the first operator, lunch not included.

Best for: second-time visitors, and anyone more interested in ancient sites than in the famous view.

Teardrop Arch

A shorter walking tour to a natural arch with panoramic views around it. One operator’s Teardrop Arch tour lasts about 2.0 to 2.5 hours, goes through Horse Shoe Canyon past the Pearl Drop Ruins, and costs $80 per person by day. It involves moderate hiking on uneven ground, and the operator warns it is not suitable for people with vertigo or bad knees.

Best for: fit visitors who want a short hike with a guide.

Hunts Mesa

Hunts Mesa is the high plateau on the south side of the valley, and from its rim the whole of Monument Valley lies below you. Getting there takes a long drive on back roads, so these are the longest tours in the valley.

A 7-hour Hunts Mesa tour costs $350 for adults and $250 for ages 9 to 17 with one operator, timed for sunrise or sunset, with a short hike to Spider Arch and a visit to an ancient dwelling on the way down.
An overnight Hunts Mesa tour of 18 to 20 hours costs $650 for adults and $400 for youth with the same operator, including a tent, cot, sleeping bag, dinner and breakfast. The basecamp is at 6,795 feet, about 1,600 feet above the valley floor, so you get both sunset and sunrise from the top.

Best for: photographers and anyone for whom the classic view is not enough.

A night in a hogan

The hogan is the traditional Navajo home, and at least one operator offers an overnight stay in one. Its 17-hour hogan stay costs $295 per person and includes a 2.5-hour sunset jeep tour, a Navajo taco dinner, storytelling and music around the fire, a sunrise tour in the morning and breakfast. The camp is basic, with chemical toilets.

Best for: travelers who want time with a Navajo family’s culture as much as the scenery.

Tours from Sedona, Flagstaff and further away

If you are not staying near the valley, some tours include the long drive. Full-day tours from Sedona and Flagstaff, and multi-day tours from Las Vegas, combine the drive with time in the valley, often with a shorter guided drive than a tour booked in the valley itself. Check three things before you book:

Is the entry fee included? Many listings leave it out.
How long are you actually in the valley? From Sedona, about 225 miles each way, the drive takes most of the day.
Is there a Navajo-guided backcountry section, or only the view from the visitor center and the loop?

Our tours page lists the products that genuinely differ, with what each includes. For driving distances and where to stay, see our guide to getting to Monument Valley.

Booking, cancellations and weather

Prepayment. Some operators ask for full payment when you book.
Cancellations vary. One operator refunds cancellations made up to one week ahead, minus a $15 per person fee; a horseback operator makes cancellations within 48 hours non-refundable. Read the policy before you pay.
Weather. Tours usually run in rain or shine, and one operator says it does not cancel for bad weather unless it is unsafe. In the summer monsoon, from July through September, storms can close tracks quickly.
Arrive early. Leave time to get through the fee booth before your tour, and remember the time change from Arizona.

What to bring

Goulding’s advice for its tours suits all of them:

A hat and sunscreen. The desert sun is strong even when it does not feel like it.
Closed-toe shoes with good grip, for sandy and uneven stops.
Layers. Temperatures change quickly between a cool morning and a warm afternoon.
Water and snacks. Goulding’s provides water, but bring your own bottle.
A camera, and a headlamp for night tours.

Which tour should you choose?

One afternoon, first visit: the standard backcountry jeep tour, about 2.5 to 3 hours.
Staying the night: a sunset tour, then the Wildcat Trail or a sunrise tour in the morning.
Photographers: a photography tour at sunrise or sunset, a night-sky tour, or Hunts Mesa.
Families with older children: a jeep tour, or a 1-hour horseback ride if everyone is 12 or over.
Second visit: Mystery Valley, Teardrop Arch or Hunts Mesa.
Short on time, right vehicle: the self-drive Valley Drive, covered in our tickets, hours and Valley Drive guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a jeep tour in Monument Valley?

On Navajo operators’ own sites in 2026, a standard backcountry tour of about 2.5 to 3 hours costs from about $75 to $85 per adult, plus the tribal park’s entry fee of $10 per person and $15 per vehicle unless the tour includes it.

Are Monument Valley tours worth it?

If you want to see more than the 17-mile loop, yes: arches such as Ear of the Wind, the rock art and the hogans are open only with a Navajo guide.

Can I take a guide in my own car?

Sources differ. The View Hotel says you can hire a Navajo guide to ride with you in your own four-wheel-drive vehicle; Goulding’s says park regulations do not allow a guide service in your own vehicle. Ask the operator directly.

Do I need to book ahead?

Not always. Many operators sell tours on arrival, but some do not take same-day bookings, and sunrise, sunset, horseback and full-day tours fill up in busy months.