As we drive, he points out Elephant Butte, the Three Sisters, Totem Pole, Big Indian. “Do all of these rocks have names?” I ask our Navajo tour guide. Known as Left and Right Mitten, two resemble hands with protruding thumbs. Three buttes stand solo in the sprawling desert. I embarked on the 3.5-hour Deluxe Tour with Goulding’s Lodge to get up close and personal with some of the most famous monuments. On the border between Utah and Arizona, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park showcases some of the most striking, recognizable and breathtaking sandstone mesas and pillars in the world. Exploring Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park It’s a photographer's dream, a movie buff's heaven and an explorer's happy place. Visitors come for tours and lodging, stay for nightly screenings in the free theatre and dine on traditional dishes with a spectacular view. Today, Goulding’s Lodge has an immensity of amenities, from a gas station to a grocery store to a laundromat. Scenes from John Wayne classics and famous films such as Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, How the West Was Won, The Lone Ranger and even Back to the Future III were shot in this area. In the midst of the Great Depression, Harry convinced film director John Ford to use the stunning surroundings as the backdrop for Western movies. They set up a trading post out of their tent and began a thriving business.

In the early 1920s, Harry and his wife Leone “Mike” Goulding bought a strip of land just outside the Navajo Nation.

From Trading Post to Film Set to International Accommodation Far from bustling centres and city life, Goulding's Lodge is a relaxing getaway and gateway to Monument Valley. Nestled against crimson mountains, a cozy lodge coated in red dust and history welcomes explorers from around the world.

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