Monument Valley drive - how best to integrate when visiting other parks? (Moab: condo)

[bloom]

What would be the best closest other park site to then drive the Monument Valley loop? How best to incorporate when visiting other parks etc?

[COcheesehead]

South out of Moab maybe from Arches and Canyonlands.

[StealthRabbit]

I add Monument Valley to South Rim GC, Page, AZ (Antelope canyon and similar) + Condor Cliffs and Natural Bridges, and Arches, Canyonlands

Depends where you're coming from, where you're headed, and how much time you have. There are also parks to the south and east of MV (AZ, NM, CO). Many options. Depends on time of year and how a I'm traveling, I've visited MV via Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, SLC, and Denver trips via "fly / drive", or via road trips through AZ, UT, CO, NM. Using Car, RV, Motorcycle, and large truck or bus.

[graceC]

It's a bit out of the way so you have to look at your own itinerary and see what makes sense.

We added MV on our way back home from Northern AZ trip so we drove from Page - AZ (must visit, btw, you can see Glen Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument) - then drove to MV from there, and drove down back to Phoenix (with stop in Sedona).

When you're there, I highly suggest you stay at 'The View' hotel, even for just 1 night. It's right inside MV and our balcony was overlooking the left and right mitten butes. It was stunning!

Make sure you have paper map when driving to MV because you won't have cell network there. That area is one of the most empty areas we've driven though. Nothing but sand, rocks and sky, and occasional tumbleweeds. We didn't even see a bird during the 3 hours drive from Page to MV, it was that empty!

[COcheesehead]

If you really wan to see MV, hire a Navajo guide. They can take you onto tribal lands deep into the park and show you things not available to the general public. We hired one for a few hours and loved every minute of it. He told great stories and showed us ruins and petroglyphs in some deep recesses of the park. Mystery Valley next store, he said is even better than MV. Filled with pristine ruins. You’ll need a guide to enter there as well.