Drove from Bicknell UT (Capitol Reef NP) to Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument today along UT Scenic Byway 12, which is said to be among the most beautiful drives in the US. No argument here. It was a gorgeous fall day—blue skies, yellow aspens, red Gamble oaks, and vistas that are just jaw dropping. The route passes over Boulder Mountain (11,000 ft) at 9600 ft, through Dixie National Forest, past the agricultural settlement of Boulder (the last incorporated town in the US to have its mail delivered by mule team) and into Grand Staircase/Escalante past stunning landscapes following the Escalante River (which eventually empties into the Colorado). The drive could be a park unto itself. If you see a sign that says “Scenic Overlook,” pull over. And if your sense of awe and reverence doesn’t manifest itself here, it may never.

The drive between Monument Valley and Capitol Reef, our destination for tomorrow, should take about 3.5 hours. it took us over 10 because we made a few stops. The general route—UT Hwy 95 and UT Hwy 24–has one jaw-droppingly gorgeous vista after another, wending in and out of canyons and up and down mesas. Extraordinary and highly recommended.

For the morning of our full day in the tribal park, we decided to splurge a bit and hire a guide to take us into some areas of Monument Valley that are outside of the tribal park and not open to the public unless you are with a Navajo guide. (All of the land in Monument Valley is considered sacred to the Navajo.) Our guide was Steven Holiday, and we could hardly have asked for better. Steven is a life-long resident of the area, fluent in Navajo (spoken from birth), very well-versed in the history of the area and his people, and a natural storyteller. As it turns out, he’s also an aspiring professional photographer and we were privileged to see some of his beautiful work.

Monument Valley sits on the border between Utah and Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. The park is home to the iconic red sandstone monoliths that are familiar to anyone who has seen a Western movie. There is a seventeen mile drive that is open to the public, and there are many other areas in the tribal park that are accessible only via guided tour or not at all.