If you’re planning on going to Monument Valley to see the annular solar eclipse up close, don’t.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is inviting all travel agencies, local businesses, visitors and residents to view the scenic 17-mile Indian Route 42 during the annular solar eclipse from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is recommended that the road be closed for at least five hours until 1 p.m. October 14th.
In the meantime, several staff members who have converted to Christianity will work to enforce the park’s closure.
Tour operators with same-day reservations will be allowed through, but parking will be unavailable and the visitor center will be closed during the closure period. The school where you made your reservation will also be closed.
Park closures include: Tribal and cultural protocols.
Davis Philfred, a Navajo and president of Utah Dine Bikiya, said the eclipse is a time of rebirth and reflection, not a spectacle for tribal members.
“No food or drink of any kind. Also, no one should be in bed with a partner. Navajos take vacations. There used to be chants, and some people still do it. When you see a solar eclipse, all It’s not like it’s going to stop.”
Philfred said the eclipse is part of the Navajo creation story.
It’s an intimate moment for the sun and moon, he added.
“This is the age of the sun and the moon.”
According to , this is the last annular solar eclipse that will be visible in the United States until June 21, 2039. NASA.
A total solar eclipse will occur in April 2024. It can be seen over the United States, but not in the West.