Things to do nearNorth Window Drive

North Window Drive is a roughly 17-mile unpaved loop that winds through the heart of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in Arizona. The route has carried travelers past its iconic sandstone sentinels for decades, and the landscape feels as elemental today as it did when Navajo families first guided outsiders through it. The Navajo Nation manages access to the valley, and the drive reflects that stewardship, keeping the experience intimate and largely free of commercial intrusion.

Along the loop you pass formations that have anchored the American imagination since the golden age of Hollywood westerns. A short detour leads to John Ford Point, the overlook where director John Ford famously staged his most memorable shots, and the view from the rim explains immediately why he chose it. Nearby, the twin sandstone thumbs of West and East Mitten Buttes dominate the southern skyline and reward patient photographers at every hour of the day.

The drive also passes quieter stops where the geology tells its own story: layered red and orange Entrada sandstone capped with harder De Chelly sandstone, slowly carved by wind and water over millions of years. Pull off wherever a formation catches your eye and walk to the edge of the viewing area to feel the scale of the place. Guided jeep tours depart from the visitor center and venture deeper into the valley than the self-drive loop allows.

North Window Drive rewards those who linger, offering a rare combination of accessible wilderness, living Navajo culture, and scenery that simply cannot be overstated.