How is the best way to see Monument Valley in Arizona without hiring a personal guide

We found that the guided tours were the best.  At least our truck didn't have to traverse the roads we went on.  Maybe later in the year they do repairs but we were warned and didn't want to take the chance.  Besides, it gave me a chance to enjoy the scenery and not worry about the driving.

You mentioned "personal guide".  If you mean just you and a guide it would probably be very interesting.  We took a horseback tour of Canyon de Chelly and it was just us and the guide.  I'm sure some of the places in the canyon wouldn't be visited by a big tour group.  

At Monument Valley they typically use open vehicles so if it's cold, rainy or dry and dusty you'll be uncomfortable.

We had a Jeep so we drove the road ourselves although we didn't need 4-wheel drive even though it was bumpy.  Some even take their small RVs on the road.  The road is under 15 miles so it's not long.  We drove it in the morning and the evening for different lighting as we're photographers.  We could take as long as we wanted and not be rushed by a tour.

We dry camped right in front of the famous 'Mittens' at $5.  I believe they have now made it into a 'dry' campground and charge a lot more.

We, having a 4WD truck, just drove around the loop with no guides involved. You can stop and take photos and so on. There are a couple of spur trails you aren't allowed on but you'll see 90% of the place. You'll want 4WD since there is deep sand. The guided tours are loaded on the bed of a flatbed with some benches and then raced around the loop. I wasn't paying $40 for that

Well we are back and our visit to Monument Valley was great !   The guided tours are indeed on an open flatbed truck and the folks all were wearing face masks because of the horrendous dust from the road.........they looked miserable!!   We drove the loop road in our 2500 Ram pickup and although the suspension is unforgiving on wash board rocky roads it was better than being hauled around on a flat bed truck.   We only drove the first part where it is two way which enabled us to turn around and go back.   Once you reach the loop part your are committed to complete it.    I thought we saw all the good stuff.     Another part you don't want to miss is where Forest Gump stopped running in the movie.   You have to come in on RT 163 to see it.   Tons of people stop here to take their picture in front of this iconic place.  Also while in that area take the Valley of the Gods loop road.   A 16 mile loop dirt road that worth the drive......it's rough in places but not as bad as the loop road in Monument Valley.

We just drove around in our 4WD F350. That sand is mighty deep so I would think twice about using a 2WD but with care you should manage.

Thanks for returning and giving us an update.  Wish more folks would do that.  Sounds like a good trip for you!!

Moki Dugway and the Muley Point overlook are also not to be missed.

Also Goosenecks State Park.

We were in Monument Valley for one night. At dinner after arriving at our lodge, we asked the waitress for a recommendation of a tour guide. She pointed to the man sitting across the aisle from us. Very serendipitous.

If you find yourself in his homeland, please, do yourself a favor, and ask Brian from Monument Valley Safari to show you around.

He is a wealth of information about his nation and its people. And he is funny and a great singer as well. He explained so much about what we saw that I had a hard time taking it all in. A good problem to have. The other tour companies we crossed paths did not seem to want to really interact with their customers and some seemed down right grouchy. Not Brian. Truly humble, and honorable.

Go talk to him for yourself.

Hope to see you again soon Brian.

  On 9/28/2019 at 11:41 PM, remoandiris said:

Moki Dugway and the Muley Point overlook are also not to be missed.

Yes I was just there last month. I boondocked near Natural Bridges with a great view of Bears Ears NM. I drove down the Moki Dugway to visit The Valley of the Gods. Unlike Monument Valley, it's free, which is why I skipped Monument Valley this trip and went to see Canyon De Chelly instead - also a must see, IMHO. The road is rather rough, through the Valley of the Gods, though was passable with my Chevy Cobalt which has low ground clearance. The Valley of the Gods road exits near Mexican Hat, which is also an interesting formation. BTW The Muley Point road at the top of the Moki Dugway has some beautiful vistas overlooking the Goosenecks and part of the Valley of the Gods. I saw a few RVs boondocking at various spots right at the rim, by Muley Point, and it reminded me of when we boondocked  overlooking the N.Rim of the Grand Canyon a few months back. Both spots have million dollar views - and don't cost a penny. 

Chip

Monument Valley is part of an Indian reservation, they run everything. The tours are operated by the tribe and those roads are not open to the public, there is one road for public access. If you have 4WD rain will not stop you, 2WD however is a personal decision to drive the road or not.

While we were there the weather was fine until we almost returned to the entrance. It began to rain hard, then turned to hail. The hail/rain mix was filling the side ditches and coming down so hard I had to stop at the nearest wide spot. 

I engaged 4WD on my dually to maintain traction - on blacktop. That was in September.

I advise pulling up the website for current information.

I think they don't do maintenance on the road that you can take your own vehicle to discourage people from doing it.  They want you to take their tour.

If you are in the area, there's a road that runs down a canyon from near Monticello, UT to near Blanding, called Montezuma Creek Rd.  This canyon was frequented by the Dalton Gang, and some of their descendants still ranch there.  We drove most of it in our smart, but came to deeply rutted sand near the south end.  Not having a shovel, I chickened out.