We've just come back from Monument Valley over Thanksgiving [
2021]
We really did have big concerns about charging availability as we drove to Monument Valley from Sedona, the last Supercharger on that route being 150kw's in Flagstaff in the parking lot of a Marriott.
Although somewhat weary of being 'definitive' [recommendations/status can date quickly .. , and often they're prime troll-bait
] here's my experience /recommendations, and 'TL-DR'
it does blend charging experiences with travel recommendations:
1: Unless you're in an RV [hmm.. then this is all irrelevant...] , stay at The View Hotel [this
may seem ironic after you read 2: ]. For starters, that includes your permit into the visitor center/prime photography spot, and you have the option of a pretty supreme balcony room which has wonderful views of the 'Big 3' Butte's and more, depending on where you're room's situated along the length of the building parallel-is to them.
Don't despair if you can't get a balcony room, adjacent to the Hotel [think maybe 100-200 feet] is a supreme viewing area right by the "Visitor Center" [not to be confused with the 'Welcome Center' about 2 miles away ], for photography. Definitely prone to all elements ! But, pareto principle...
Gouldings' location around 5 miles away does have its own views and more options for how you want to accommodate yourself, but nothing like the views at the View Hotel, and, unless on a commercial tour [see below] you'd end up being in the queue of the single lane road approach to the permit booth any time you wanted to take photos or go on the 17 mile drive or the variations of that with a guide [the only way to go off-track]. I'd rate Gouldings' staff very helpful & friendly too.
[Our Charging request/needs were familiar to them [see 3:], although in peak season you might not be able to get access to
any kind of [30 or 50amp] site so,
beware !]
That entry wait time could be anywhere from 5-10 minutes, to
perhaps hours in peak time, and, you might miss out altogether if you wanted to do the 17 mile drive since they shut off access at 2pm, or, whenever they reach 'peak capacity'. The Visitor Center connected to The View Hotel opens at 8am for new 17 mile drive permits , so, you're automatically ahead of that potentially huge traffic line - the permits state an entry timeframe of around 15 minute slot to the 17 mile drive, and you're allowed only 2 hours to complete it , which is quite difficult if you stop at most/each and want to take better-than-cellphone quality pictures with your DSLR etc..&/or if you encounter a lot of traffic.
2: Yes, the View Hotel remains woefully inadequate in terms of charging capability, and unlike Gouldings', their own campsites are 100% 'dry' [
no hookups of
any kind]
We made multiple phone calls to The View ahead of booking , and were told 'just show up and we can sort you out with something if you have the cables'.
In reality , this is what happened:
- We showed up & immediately asked where to plug in,
- they asked if we had an extension cord [in addition to the Tesla charging cable kit], we didn't , and none were available unless we drove 60 miles and crossed our fingers we found a hardware store etc
- and then pointed out that the only spaces remotely near a single standard outside 110v socket, were already taken, ie even if we'd brought an extension cable for ~ 3-6 MPH charging, still SOL.
So,
unless you want to roll the dice..
majorly.. here's what I'd recommend/our experience:
3: Gouldings [you must ask for the Campground area when you call, note that they close the office there 8pm] was supremely helpful.
We called up and got allocated a 50 amp site just for charging and we ate at their restaurant there [which was the only nearby option as The View Hotel closed their restaurant even still, due to Covid].
You'll need to request a free shuttle from the Campsite Area to the Restaurant, and back to your car too. Easy enough at either site's cashier.
Gouldings already had a cash register-SKU enabled for 'Smart Car Charging' which was $20.
We got 24-27 MPH charging rate anytime we used it during our 3 days there with our 50-18 adaptor.
Round trip to/from The View Hotel to Gouldings' Campground area - about 9 miles [
IIRC]
4:
How to charge your car for more than just 90-120 minutes while at the Gouldings' restaurant? Assuming you're in the area for a few days, and going on one of the half/full-day tours only available to permitted Navajo Nation commercial operators [ie that take you off the 17 mile drive] , you can arrange to be picked up/dropped off at Gouldings after you've plugged in.
A *huge* caveat on that pick up/drop off plan though: The commercial tour operation scene in MV is a hornet's nest - you may find that for example Gouldings will not let rival guided tour operators pick up passengers within their 'borders' , [the View Hotel apparently also restricts that based on ... well who knows what] although I would explicitly check with the tour operator you choose to verify. And check with Gouldings too.
We literally experienced our own tour operator being actively sabotaged by a
Welcome Center employee [we were scheduled to be picked up there] who told us that our tour guide was operating illegally and to immediately call our credit card company for a refund. In reality, they had a full permit and that Welcome Center employee clearly had a strong motive [$$$ - ???] to lie outright to us & try to convince us to switch to another tour operator. No joke!
5: Lastly, the '
can I drive my Tesla on 17 mile drive ?? ' question.
Well, we took our precious Model S & its 21"'s on it 1 day after a light rainfall.
It's both STEK Dynotek covered 100%, and Ceramic Coated.
The infamous 'red dust' definitely tested that, but, it all rinsed out the next day at a coin-op carwash facility [high pressure rinse only - no lousy dishwasher-quality grey water suds
ever go on
my baby !]
We did put it in 'highest' suspension mode especially when pulling over at one of the designated landmark spots [ the speed limit for the road is less than 20mph anyhow] , and there was only maybe 2 or 3 places where we double-checked as a precaution to avoid mostly rocks as opposed to holes.
Made it out alive, all ok, no damage, no drama, just great memories.
[Not sure if the "Wholefoods-Parking-lot-judder bars- necessitates-Range-Rover-ownership" crowd
had similar concerns or experiences]
The irony of the most-of-year extreme heat/sunlight @ Monument Valley, & yet no [solar enabled] EV chargers etc .. yes remains a frustration, especially since so much care is put in place to preserve the area from over-use and pollution, but who knows what politics & conversations have precluded this thus far. Our Navajo guide told us that in summer, the locals living on the reservation each make up to 3 , 70 mile round-trips
per day just to fill up their water tanks, in their pickup trucks.
I personally/selfishly don't see a downside to chargers there, we were in the area 3 days of Thanksgiving Week & didn't see any other EV's there at all, perhaps due to the anticipated hassles. Just a very full parking lot full of 18mpg ICE SUVs .
The only 'coverage' we experienced worse than convenient charger availability, was T-Mobile or Verizon .
Hope my experience/recommendations are helpful !
