If you’ve ever watched a western, you’ve probably seen a sweeping wide shot of some lonely sandstone monoliths rising from the desert and scraping the sky. And most likely, you’ve seen a shot of Monument Valley. This location has become the de facto symbol for the American West – at least in film and television – featured in classics like Stagecoach, The Searchers, Once Upon a Time in the West, and lots and lots of others. If you want confirmation, check out Monument Valley’s IMDb page.

Considering that Monument Valley basically is the American West in millions of peoples’ minds, it’s no wonder that it is a popular place to visit. So if you want to star in your own western, here’s what to do when you make the journey to Monument Valley. (And here’s Monument Valley marked on Google Maps, so you don’t have to search too hard for it.)

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What To See When You Visit: Scenic Loop

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is located on the Arizona-Utah. The most famous monoliths in the park are the West and East Mitten Buttes. These lie just south of the border line, in Arizona. And while you can see these buttes from the visitors center – which should definitely be your first stop – to get a good look at them, we suggest you drive the Monument Valley scenic route. The scenic drive is a 17-mile loop which will take you past some of the best geological features in the park. There is a small fee of $20 to access the route. You can purchase tickets here.

Please be aware that a the time of this writing, there are restrictions to the number of people allowed on Navajo Tribal Land – currently 50% of normal operating capacity. So it pays to purchase your tickets far in advance. There are other COVID restrictions too. Please see the official site for more information.

Photo by Fudo Jahic via unsplash.com

What To See When You Visit: Antelope Canyon & Hiking

After you’ve driven the scenic loop, you will probably want to go hiking in this striking land. All of the official hikes in Monument Valley require a tribal guide. So you’ll need to schedule a hiking time via the official website. (We can’t stress this enough. Guides are mandatory. You will be in a lot of trouble if you attempt to hike alone.) In our opinion the best hike in the area is Antelope Canyon. It’s one of the most famous, most beautiful slot canyons in the American Southwest. Schedule a guide here. You will love it.

Photo by Robert Murray via unsplash.com

What’s Nearby?

After you’ve seen Monument Valley, the quintessential representation of the American West, you’ll probably want to visit some of the nearby attractions. You’ve driven all the way into the desert, after all. You should see what’s nearby.

Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park is close, and it’s the only place in the United States where you can be in four states at once. Straddle the borders of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and, of course, Utah. There is a small fee of $5 to enter the park.

Or head to Natural Bridges National Monument by way of Mexican Hat and the Valley of the Gods. We can safely say that you won’t forget this amazing drive. Natural Bridges is a collection of three of the best and longest natural arches in the world.

We at the Lodge at Red River Ranch love finding new and exciting places to write about for this blog. Those places primally are in Southern Utah, since, you know, that’s where we are. But every so often we like to recommend destinations that are a little further afield, in case any of our guests are planning one heck of a roadtrip. We like to call these places Nearly Nearby Attractions. And it just so happens that we’ve know of a little place in Colorado that meets these requirements. It’s called the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and it’s pretty darn cool.

Photo by Vincent Ledvina via unsplash.com

How Nearby Are We Talking?

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is located in western Colorado, near the town of Montrose. (See it on a map here.) So it’s within easy driving distance of most places in Southern Utah. You can get there in about three and a half hours if you leave from Moab, Utah. And if you leave from Capitol Reef National Park, you can get there in under four and a half.

Photo by Vincent Ledvina via unsplash.com

Sounds Exciting, Tell Me More

There are lots and lots of spectacular canyons in the American West. Some are really famous – think the Grand Canyon – and some are barely noticed. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison isn’t particularly well known, even by residents of Utah or Colorado, so it kind of gets passed over. Which is a shame, because it just might be the most dramatic canyon in this country.

The park is a geological marvel. It contains the tallest sheer cliffs in the state of Colorado, measuring 2250 feet from rim to bottom. In fact, the canyon is so deep that, in certain places, daylight only reaches the bottom for 33 minutes a day. Hence the name, the Black Canyon. And you really need to see it in person to grasp it’s true depth and wonder. As author Duane Vandenbusche once said, “Several canyons of the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none combines the depth, sheerness, narrowness, darkness, and dread of the Black Canyon.”

Photo by Rich Martello via unsplash.com

Ok I’m Sold, What Do I Do Once I Get There?

It’s totally cool to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park just for the views. There’s a scenic drive on the South Rim, which should afford you plenty of good vistas. Be sure to stop at the South Rim Visitor Center, and walk out to Gunnison Point. But if you want your site-seeing to be a little more involved, there are a couple of really great trails that we like. You can get more trail descriptions here on the park’s website.

Exclamation Point – This hike is probably our favorite in the park. Take the North Vista Trail which starts at the North Rim Ranger Station and follow it through the pinyon forests until you get to the rim. There are several overlooks along the trail, so be sure to check them all out. But we think you’ll agree the best overlook is at Exclamation Point. The hike on the North Vista Trail to Exclamation Point is about three-miles roundtrip.

Chasm View Nature Trail – This short hike on the North Rim is perfect for casual hiking, since it’s less than half a mile roundtrip. You will emerge from a nice forest walk to the edge of the canyon. Walking along the rim for a short distance, you’ll come to another lookout point, with great views of Painted Wall and Serpent Point.

Additional Details

There’s an entrance fee of $25 to get into the park, which gives you seven days of access. There are also two campgrounds, one on the north side, and one on the south. If you have an RV, be sure to go to the south rim campground, there are no hook-ups on the north rim. You can reserve spots at the South Rim Campground at recreation.gov.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a spectacular national park, and in our opinion at least, well worth the extra drive it takes to get there from Southern Utah.

Photo by Nick Dunlap via unsplash.com

Every so often we at the Lodge like to suggest that you check out a location that might seem a little, well, out of the way. But we know that a lot of our guests are road trippin’ it, and they might like the idea of expanding their Southern Utah vacation with a little jaunt across the state line. So when we have a section of our blog for just such posts – Nearly Nearby Attractions. And this time, we’re highlighting Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Photo the John Fowler via unsplash.com

That Sounds Familiar…

You’ve probably heard of Vermilion Cliffs before, and probably in the context of the very famous geographical feature that it contains – the Wave. We’ll talk about that in a second, but first a little general information: The national monument is located just south of the Utah border, in Arizona. It protects some really cool, and really remote desert scenery, places like Coyote Gulch and Paria Canyon. The area is serviced by the town of Kanab, so you’ll need to gas up and stock up there. (In fact, even though there is primitive camping available in the monument, we recommend that you stay in Kanab.) There is no fee to enter Vermilion Cliffs, but there also isn’t a visitor center. And services are limited. But there are plenty of stunning views!

The Wave. Photo the Gert Boers via unsplash.com

The Wave

You’ve seen pictures of this before. It’s a favorite spot for outdoor enthusiasts and social media influencers alike. It’s extremely cool, and everybody wants to see it in person. But unfortunately, that kind of traffic would destroy the site, so the Bureau of Land Management, which manages the monument, has set up a daily-visitor lottery system to limit tourist damage. (We’ve talked about this issue before.) There is an online lottery, and an in-person lottery. We highly recommend that you do the in-person lottery, because you will have much less competition. (Around 200 people, versus everybody in the world.) You’ll need to show up to the BLM office in Kanab. (Which is why you should stay in town, then you can try for the permit everyday that you’re there.) Here’ s the address of the BLM office. Be there by 8:30am.

745 East Highway 89 Kanab Utah
(across from the Wendy’s and gas station)

Also here’s the link to the online lottery. You could always try your luck, somebody’s got to win, right? If you get the permit, go see the Wave! It’s awesome. However, it’s only one of the cool things that you can find at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. So let’s talk about what else you’ll want to see.

White Pocket. Photo the John Fowler via unsplash.com

White Pocket

Our favorite spot in the monument is actually White Pocket. It’s a lot like the Wave, but a little rougher and has some white sandstone mixed it. (Hence the name.) But you can visit without a permit. And hardly anybody goes there. However, it can be tricky to find, and you will need a high-clearance vehicle to get to the parking area. So get a good map and bring the Jeep.

Vermilion Cliffs

There are a lot of arches and natural bridges in the monument. Wrather Arch is one of the longest (and hardest to get to) arches in the United States, but the overlook is pretty cool. Vermilion Arch is set high up in the cliffs, and the path is strenuous and tricky, but it can be worth the hike. And Double Barrel Arch is spectacular, and is also a much easier hike, only two miles, in and out. So when you’re in the monument, maybe think about doing a tour of some of the arches set in those Vermilion Cliffs.

Near Buckskin Gulch. Photo the Joshua Gresham via unsplash.com

And More…

Of course there’s more to see in this amazing monument. Luckily we’ve covered a bit of it before, so check out our write up on Paria Canyon and Buckskin Gulch. And next time you’re vacationing in Southern Utah, consider hopping across the border to see Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.

Being Utah residents, we at the Lodge at Red River Ranch usually write about the attractions that are found in Southern Utah. But, of course, every state has its own collection of amazing locations. And since, in nature, there are no state lines, we’ve added a special section to our blog – “Nearly Nearby Attractions.”

Everyone in the United States (and in most places in the world) knows about the Grand Canyon. We at Lodge want to encourage you to visit this wonder of the world. Even if you have to add it onto your Southern Utah adventure. So, to help encourage you, we’ve come up with some suggestions about what to see on your trip to Grand Canyon National Park.

Photo by Hugo Soons G via unsplash.com

The South Side

Most people visit the south side of the Grand Canyon. (Probably because they fly to Phoenix or drive in from California.) The south side has a lot of scenic overlooks and hiking trails to explore. Check these ones out:

South Kaibab Trail – provides the best views of any short hike. It is well maintained but steep in spots. Water is not available along the trail and there is little shade.

Bright Angel Trail – this is a popular trail for day hikers. It offers shade in some spots, and water is usually available at drinking fountains. Also well maintained.

The Rim Trail– a fairly easy hiking with few elevation changes. It does not enter the canyon, but provides some amazing views.

Photo by Jennifer Rogalla via unsplash.com

The North Side

If you’re coming down from Southern Utah, you’ll probably end up on the north side of the canyon. It’s a bit less popular and a bit more rugged. If you want more of a “backcountry” feel to their Grand Canyon experience, opt for the north side. Of course, there are plenty of hikes on both sides. Check these ones out on the north side:

North Kaibab Trail – the overlooks are perfect “mile markers” for day hikes of various lengths. Supai Tunnel is 1.8 miles down and is definitely worth checking out. Roaring Springs is only a few more miles down the trail.

Widforss Point Overlook Trail– this scenic route is about 10 miles round trip. It’s well-maintained and has shade in some areas. It’s an excellent hike, but is best suited for more advanced hikers.

When you visit the Grand Canyon, on either the north or south side, be sure to stop by one of the many visitor centers. You’ll want to not just for up-to-date trail information and weather conditions, but also because there is a lot of cool educational content to absorb. Visit the official site here to start planning your trip to this so-close-to-Southern-Utah-we-had-to-write-about-it national park! Enjoy!

Seeing as how we at the Lodge live in Southern Utah, we typically write about Southern Utah stuff in this blog. But since natural geography only sometimes contributes to the formation of political boundaries, there are a lot of cool places in the surrounding states. So some of the locations that we want to talk about might be just over the border in Arizona, Nevada, or in today’s case, Colorado. So let’s talk about the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness and Rattlesnake Canyon.

Black Ridges Canyon Wilderness. Photo by Matt McGrath Black via Wikimedia Commons.

The What Now?

The Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness is a region of Western Colorado that just barely makes its way into Utah. If you can image driving east from Moab, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado, then you’ve got a pretty good idea of where it is. The wilderness area protects seven canyons that dissect the Colorado Plateau. The rivers of these canyons all empty into the mighty Colorado River, and, along the way, they create some pretty remarkable scenery. Our favorite of the seven canyons is Rattlesnake Canyon

Unknown, Undeveloped, and Under-appreciated

Rattlesnake Canyon has the second-highest concentration of natural arches in the world. The only other place on earth with a higher concentration is Arches National Park. But since Rattlesnake Canyon isn’t a national park, and doesn’t have the same amount of development, nobody really knows about it. So here are a couple of suggestions to help you explore Rattlesnake Canyon and the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness area in general

Cedar Tree Arch. Photo by Pretzelpaws via Wikimedia Commons.

How To Explore Rattlesnake Canyon

• You can get to the more accessible part of Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness via Highway 340, from Fruita, Colorado. But to get to Rattlesnake Canyon you’ll need to enter what’s known as the High Country via Glade Park, Colorado. Here it is mapped.
• Have we mentioned that the area is undeveloped? You’ll need to take a high-clearance, four wheel-drive vehicle on these primitive roads. Also keep in mind that the roads are closed seasonally.
• Once you get there, hike the Rattlesnake Canyon Arches trail, you’ll get to see all the best that the canyon has to offer. Including the majestic Cedar Tree Arch. Trail details here.