Northern Arizona & Southern Utah — A 5-Day Loop Through Canyon Country
By Rachel Joel · AZ Places
Rachel is the founder of AZ Places — Camping Made Easy — based in Arizona. A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Rachel has personally explored and documented hundreds of camping locations, ancient ruins, ghost towns, hot springs, and wild places across Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and the greater Southwest. She guides hosted camping adventures in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, operates a firsthand bucket list of visited locations and maintains this complete site. When she's not on the trail she is a jewelry designer and a mother of two.
Some road trips plan themselves. You look at a map, connect the dots between places you've been meaning to go, and realize the route is already there — it just needed someone to drive it.
This one covered five days, roughly 1,400 miles, and more geological and human history than most trips three times the length. Painted Desert. Navajo National Monument. Monument Valley. Valley of the Gods. Moki Dugway. Muley Point. Fish Creek Canyon Wilderness. Sand Island Petroglyphs. A different canyon every day, a different camp every night, and the Colorado Plateau doing what it does — delivering landscapes that make every other landscape feel understated by comparison.
The Route at a Glance
Day | Date | Stops | Camp |
Day 1 | Sep 6 | Painted Desert / Anasazi Inn → Cameron (Yummy Shack) → Navajo NM | Navajo National Monument |
Day 2 | Sep 7 | Monument Valley Jeep Tour → Forrest Gump Point → Valley of the Gods → Moki Dugway | Muley Point |
Day 3 | Sep 8 | Muley Point → FR-237 through The Twist → Bluff (Sand Island) → Comb Ridge attempt → Fish Creek Canyon / The Twist | Fish Creek Canyon |
Day 4 | Sep 9 | The Twist hike → US-191 river overlook → Mother Road Frybread → Bear Springs FR 124 | Bear Springs |
Day 5 | Sep 10 | Bear Springs → home | — |
Day 1 — Painted Desert, Cameron, and Navajo National Monument
The drive north from the Phoenix Valley on US-89 is one of Arizona's great transitions. The Sonoran Desert gives way to the high desert, the elevation climbs, and somewhere north of Flagstaff the landscape begins to feel ancient in a way that the lower desert doesn't quite manage. By the time you reach the Painted Desert the light is different — lower, flatter, hitting the banded hills of red and lavender and buff in ways that make the drive feel like moving through a painting someone else started.
We stopped at the Anasazi Inn at Gray Mountain — the Painted Desert Project murals on the exterior walls are worth the stop on their own. The murals depict the Ancestral Puebloan people who once inhabited this landscape, painted directly on the building, visible from the highway.
The Yummy Shack — Cameron, AZ
Just past the Painted Desert in Cameron on US-89 we stopped at the Yummy Shack — a Navajo-owned food stand that deserves more attention than it gets. We ordered the Navajo Burger and the Navajo Taco, both on authentic fry bread. The fry bread is the real thing — made fresh, substantial, and exactly what you want after a long highway drive through the high desert. Meals come with a canned soda or water.
When we arrived they had run out of propane — an honest moment in a small roadside operation. We chose to wait. They live nearby and had things running again quickly. We enjoyed the food and the chance to support this community business. We will stop again when this route comes up.
Payment: cash preferred, CashApp and Zelle accepted, credit cards accepted with a fee. No GPS address — find them at VH6J+CHP, Cameron, AZ 86020 on Google Maps.
Navajo National Monument — Rim Camp and Ancient Dwellings
From Cameron we headed northeast toward Navajo National Monument — the remote and little-visited site in the Navajo Nation that protects the cliff dwellings of Betatakin and Keet Seel, two of the most intact and isolated Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in Arizona. We camped at the monument overnight — the campground sitting on the canyon rim with the canyons and cliff faces visible in the fading light. The Navajo Nation is a dark sky. The stars on a clear September night here are extraordinary. The next morning we walked the 1.3 mile paved trail to see the Betatakin cliff dwelling viewable from the rim edge.
Day 2 — Monument Valley, Forrest Gump Point, Valley of the Gods, Moki Dugway, Muley Point
The longest day of the trip and the one with the most iconic stops.
Monument Valley — Jeep Tour with Travis Mose
We arrived at Monument Valley in the morning. There are places that photographs prepare you for and places that photographs don't. Monument Valley is the latter. The Mittens and Merrick Butte are so deeply embedded in the visual culture of the American West that seeing them in person feels like recognition rather than discovery — and yet the scale of the real thing, and the quality of the September morning light on the red sandstone, is something no image has ever captured correctly.
Before the tour we browsed the visitor center — the Native jewelry on display is exceptional, the craftsmanship and variety worth taking time with regardless of whether you're buying.
We booked a backcountry jeep tour with Travis Mose of Monument Valley Tribal Tours — $70 per person, 2.5 hours. My strong recommendation for anyone visiting Monument Valley: get the backcountry tour. The main drive loop is accessible to any vehicle, but the backcountry requires a Navajo guide and takes you to locations the self-drive loop doesn't reach. It also freed me from driving — which meant I could actually take in the scenery instead of watching the road.
Travis is a talented musician. He performed for us throughout the tour — flute at the Big Hogan, and at Moccasin Arch where Matthew joined Travis on the drum. Travis played again at Chief Head. He performs with the band Dark Sky. The music in those canyon locations is its own experience.
Landmarks we visited on the tour: West and East Mitten Buttes, Three Sisters, John Ford Point, Sleeping Dragon, the Big Hogan (flute), Moccasin Arch (Matthew joined Travis on drum), Sun's Eye, Totem Pole, petroglyphs, and Chief Head (Travis on drum).
Monument Valley Tribal Tours: monumentvalleytribaltours.com
Forrest Gump Point
Between Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods on US-163, the road runs straight across the open desert with a series of red buttes perfectly aligned behind it — the view made famous by the Forrest Gump film. We made a brief stop. It was busy — people running into the road to get the shot, many pullouts filled, the logistics of the location working against any clean photography. We got what we got and moved on. Worth knowing the conditions before you plan your stop — weekday mornings are the better bet for a less chaotic version of this view.
Valley of the Gods
Fifteen miles from Mexican Hat, accessed via a 17-mile gravel loop road that the conventional crowd never finds. The same geological character as Monument Valley — Cedar Mesa sandstone buttes and mesas carved by 250 million years of erosion — without the entrance fee, the tour infrastructure, or the crowds. We drove through, confirming the dispersed camping spots we had scouted on OnX before the trip, and stopped for a late lunch directly below Castle Butte at 37°18'54.8"N 109°51'07.4"W. The Valley delivered everything we came for even as a drive-through. We would like to return someday to camp.
The Moki Dugway
The Valley of the Gods loop exits onto SR-261, which immediately begins climbing the Moki Dugway — three miles of steep gravel switchbacks gaining 1,200 feet to the top of Cedar Mesa with an 11% grade and no guardrails. Not for the faint of heart. The view from the top looking back down over the Valley of the Gods and the desert below is one of the finest road views in the Southwest. Take it slowly.
Muley Point
Five miles of well-maintained gravel road from SR-261 across Cedar Mesa to the rim — and then the rim drops 2,400 feet to the San Juan River below. Monument Valley visible on the southern horizon. The Goosenecks of the San Juan to the east and a partial view of the San Juan River from the ridge. Free BLM dispersed camping right at the rim's edge. On a September evening in 2025, no one else for miles.
We camped right at the rim. The sunset was extraordinary — the canyon system turning from red to orange to purple as the light died. The moon rose over the canyon after dark. A camp mouse found our dishes before the night was out. Small price for a camp this good.
Day 3 — Muley Point to Comb Ridge Attempt to Bluff to Fish Creek Canyon
We started driving with the tent still open. Somewhere in the process of breaking camp at Muley Point — the morning light across the canyon, 2,400 feet of air below the rim — we got moving before confirming the tent was closed. A passing car flagged us down within a few hundred yards. The tent was fine. Check the tent before moving. Every time.
Comb Ridge — The Road We Didn't Take
From Muley Point we drove SR-261 to FR-237 (Snow Flat Road) and followed it all the way through to Bluff — a drive that took us most of the day. This road follows much of the historic Hole-in-the-Rock Pioneer Wagon route through Cedar Mesa, passing through The Twist and the Fish Creek Canyon country before descending to the desert floor and the San Juan River corridor near Bluff. The road is the experience — rocky gravel, dramatic ridgeline views, and the knowledge that wagon wheels crossed this same ground in 1879.
From Bluff we headed toward Comb Ridge with plans to find the River House Ruins and camp near the San Juan River — from US-163 to the San Juan River is approximately 25 minutes. The road had other ideas. Deep sections of sand appeared on the approach and not knowing the conditions of the rest of the road, late in the day with no recovery backup readily available, we made the call not to risk getting stuck. We turned around and headed back toward Fish Creek Canyon instead.
This is one of the realities of overland travel in this country — the road makes the decision sometimes, not you. The River House Ruins and a San Juan River camp are on the list for a return trip with better timing and a clearer sense of road conditions.
Bluff, Utah — Ice, Gas, and Sand Island
We stopped in Bluff to get ice, top off the gas, and visit Sand Island Petroglyphs — three miles west of town on US-191 where a sandstone cliff face holds more than 100 yards of continuous rock art representing 2,500 to 8,000 years of human presence along the San Juan River corridor. The panel spans the full human history of the Four Corners region: Archaic figures, San Juan Anthropomorphs, five Kokopelli figures, animals, dancers, and the inevitable 19th-century graffiti mixed in. Do not touch the rock art. The oils from human hands accelerate the deterioration of images that have survived thousands of years.
The Dust Devil
On the drive back from Bluff toward Fish Creek Canyon — near Comb Ridge — a dust devil spun across the open desert ahead of us. A column of wind picking up sand from the desert floor and moving across the landscape with the casual power of something that has been doing this for millions of years. One of those spontaneous moments of desert spectacle the canyon country produces without warning.
Fish Creek Canyon Wilderness — The Twist
We returned to Fish Creek Canyon and camped at The Twist on Snow Flat Road (BLM 237) — dispersed camping in the designated area on Cedar Mesa, permit required for overnight stays. The road is the approach: rocky gravel, high clearance required, impassable when wet. The views from the ridgeline in every direction include Bears Ears, Sleeping Ute Mountain, and south into Arizona.
The Fish Creek Canyon WSA encompasses four main canyons reaching up to 700 feet in depth — natural arches, fins, alcoves, and some of the most remote Ancestral Puebloan ruins in the Bears Ears region. The Snow Flat Road follows the route of the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail, the historic wagon road used by Mormon pioneers in 1879–1880. The ground you drive on here has wagon ruts beneath it.
Things We Noted but Didn't See
The Bluff area has more than a day's worth of destinations on its own. On this trip we noted but didn't get to: Goosenecks State Park, Comb Ridge, the Wolfman Panel petroglyphs, the Bluff Great House Historic Marker, and Mexican Hat. All are on the list for the return trip as well as some additions of other ancient sites in this area.
Day 4 — The Twist Hike, US-191 River Overlook, Mother Road Frybread, Bear Springs
We hiked the Twist on the morning of September 9 before breaking camp — a route through the slickrock formations and canyon terrain of Cedar Mesa in the early morning light before the day's driving began. The right way to leave a good camp.
US-191 River Overlook
On the drive south from Fish Creek Canyon on US-191 we stopped to look at the river below the overpass — the San Juan River visible from the highway bridge, the canyon walls framing the water below. A brief stop that connects the road back to the landscape it's crossing.
Mother Road — Navajo Frybread, Chambers, AZ
Prior to picking up US Route 66 we spotted Mother Road — Navajo Frybread in Chambers, Arizona and stopped. Lucky timing — they were about to close. We both had Navajo tacos made with fresh fry bread that was exactly what a long day of driving through canyon country calls for. Delicious and worth the stop.
36820 US-191, Chambers, AZ 86502 Find them on Google Maps: Mother Road — Navajo Frybread
From Chambers we headed to Bear Springs / Sunny Park FR 124, near Heber-Overgaard — a dispersed camping area in the ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper country above the canyon country below. After three nights exposed on canyon rims and slickrock benches, the enclosed feeling of a forest camp is its own kind of comfort. A quieter final night before the drive home.
Day 5 — The Rim Road Home
The drive home was not the direct route. From Bear Springs we took part of the old Mogollon Rim Road — a stretch we hadn't driven before. FR 124 to FR 146 to Rim Road 300, connecting back to AZ-260. A fitting end to a canyon country loop — heading home through the pines of the Mogollon Rim, than the interstate.
On that stretch we had to stop to remove a downed tree from the road — the kind of task that comes with driving forest roads and that most people in most vehicles wouldn't attempt. We cleared it and moved on.
And on that same stretch we found the horses that had been shot.
We had been on this road before from AZ-260 to Gentry Lookout — this section from FR 124 connecting through to the Gentry Lookout was the new ground. It closed the loop in more ways than one. The canyon country receding behind us, the high desert transitioning back to the Sonoran Desert, the Valley eventually appearing on the horizon.
Five days well spent — and one drive home that stayed with us longer than we expected.
What This Loop Requires
A capable vehicle is the foundation. The Snow Flat Road requires high clearance — the Tacoma handled everything without issue. Passenger cars can manage some of these roads in dry conditions but not all of them.
Download your maps before you go. Cell service disappears north of Kayenta on the Navajo Nation and doesn't reliably return until you're back near Blanding or Moab. OnX was invaluable — we scouted Muley Point and Valley of the Gods camp spots before leaving home.
Permits are required for overnight stays in Cedar Mesa canyons — Fish Creek Canyon included. Day-use permits are $2/person. Overnight permits are $8/person in high season. Pick up permits at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station on SR-261 south of SR-95, open September 1–October 31 daily 8 AM–Noon.
September is the right time for this loop. The crowds of summer have thinned, the permit availability at Cedar Mesa opens up, and the lower September sun hits the canyon walls in ways that July never produces. Spring — April through May — competes for best season with wildflowers and running creek systems. Both work. Summer does not.
Eat Along the Way
Two Navajo-owned food stops made this trip better and are worth returning to:
The Yummy Shack — Cameron, AZ on US-89. Navajo Burger, Navajo Taco, authentic fry bread. Cash preferred, CashApp and Zelle accepted, credit cards with a fee. GPS: VH6J+CHP, Cameron, AZ 86020.
Mother Road — Navajo Frybread — Chambers, AZ on US-191. Navajo tacos and fresh fry bread. Check hours before stopping, appears only open Tuesday-Thursday — they close early at 5pm. 36820 US-191, Chambers, AZ 86502.
Both are community-owned, both are worth supporting, and both serve food that belongs in the category of things you think about on the drive home.
Bucket List Pages — Full Location Details
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