“There I was, wind flying through my hair as we cantered closer towards the impressive buttes which were lit up bright orange from the setting sun.
I knew right then and there that what I was experiencing was like something out of a movie. This was a moment I would never EVER forget.”
Monument Valley is literally a place straight out of the movies. There is a reason so many movies have been shot there.
It’s absolutely stunning, otherworldly and unforgettable.
When Dave and I visited Monument Valley, we decided that we wanted to make it an experience we would never forget. But the question was HOW…
Whenever I thought about Monument Valley, I thought about cowboys and Indians riding their horses through the impressive desert. I then realised that we could go on a sunset trail ride in the valley itself and it was decided!
This guide has everything you need to know about going Horseback Riding in Monument Valley, including what to expect on the ride, how to book and I’ll also tell you exactly what our experience was like including whether I would recommend it or not!
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Horseback Riding in Monument Valley – Everything you need to know
Table of Contents
How can I ride a Horse through Monument Valley?
Not many people realise this before visiting, but you can ride a horse through Monument Valley! The way to do this is by booking a tour in advance.
I will go through the different horse riding tours that you can choose from further down in this guide.
Is Horseback Riding in Monument Valley Worth it?
Horseback riding in Monument Valley is something that I will never ever forget because it was such an awesome experience.
Therefore, yes! I would say that it is totally worth it and if you are having trouble decided whether or not to book a tour, just do it. You will not regret it! 😉
Which is the best horseback riding tour in Monument Valley?
There are a few different horseback riding tours in Monument Valley that you can choose from. Sacred Monument Tours do 2 different kinds of horseback riding tours – 1 hour and 2 hour.
1
You will see Mitten Buttes and Sentinel Mesa on this 1 hour horseback riding tour.
2
Sacred Monument Tour (2 hours)
On this 2 hour trail ride, you will see Mitten Buttes and Merrick Buttes from below, as well as the towering Sentinel Mesa.
3
If the Sacred Monument Tours are booked out, Wild West Trail Rides has both 1 hour and 2 hour trail rides that you can book.
Can I ride a horse in Monument Valley as a beginner?
You can do a horse riding tour in Monument Valley no matter what level you are at in terms of experience. Your tour guide will go as slow or as fast as you feel comfortable. We were actually the only ones in our tour group, so it was like having a private trail ride!
Overnight Horseback Riding in Monument Valley
If you are looking for a longer adventure, Mild to Wild Backcountry Horse Adventures offer 4-5 day backcountry riding and camping trips.
The great thing about this tour company is that if there is someone travelling with you who doesn’t feel comfortable riding, they can book in as a non-rider and choose to do hiking and/or vehicle tours instead.
Mild to Wild only offers a few backcountry tours per year so if this is something that you are dying to do, you will need to plan your trip dates around the available tours on their website.
Our Experience Horseback Riding in Monument Valley
When I decided that I wanted to do a horseback ride in Monument Valley, I was also determined to do the trail ride as a sunset ride so that we could get some amazing photos. We ended up booking a sunset ride with Sacred Monument Tours and it was incredible!
Unfortunately, we hadn’t realised that the Go Pro we had with us for the photos had a scratched up lens and so all of our awesome photos are slightly blurry as you can probably tell.
📷 Photography Tip: Make sure your camera or phone is fully charged and that the lens is clean and free from scratches before you set out on your tour. The photo opportunities on this tour were so much better than we could have imagined and so we were devastated when we realised that all of our photos were ruined from a scratched Go Pro lens.
Our instructions from the Sacred Monument Tour company were to meet them in theMonument Valley Visitor Centre parking lot. We left our car here and met the tour guide who then gave us a ride down a dirt road to the stables, where we were introduced to our horses.
Looking back now, I’m wondering why we weren’t offered helmets, however this was quite a few years ago and the details for all the tours say that helmets are available.
Once we were ready to go, we were assigned our horses and shown how to mount. The staff then adjusted our stirrups and away we went!
We left our backpacks in the stable office and just brought our Go Pro with us for the ride.
We started out slow, riding around the desert and soaking up the incredible views. Dave hadn’t really ridden a horse before this but eventually he felt confident enough to get up to a canter which he absolutely loved!
Once it started getting close to sunset, our guide took us to the most incredible viewpoint we could have imagined and he helped us get our sunset photos.
We sat and watched the sun light up the classic Monument Valley view bright orange in front of us and then we started the right back to the stables, feeling on top of the world!
💭 Our Thoughts
Horseback riding in Monument Valley is one of my favourite memories from our 2 week Utah Road trip and I’m so glad we did it!
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- Our Ultimate 7 Day Utah Road Trip from Salt Lake City
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