We came up out of Arizona on Highway 163, crossed the Utah line, and in a few minutes arrived at the entrance into the Navajo Tribal Park at Monument Valley.  It sits at 5,564 ft above sea level and is about 91,696 acres straddling the border of the two states.  The various rock formations (or "monuments") range from just 100' tall to 1,500' tall, chiseled over millions of years by endless erosion from water, wind and ice.  We took the 17 mi. long valley drive, a rough, unpaved road that curves around past the monuments.  We were in my all-wheel drive Honda Ridgeline and it was still rugged in spots.  Some tourists actually made the drive in regular sedans, something I wouldn't have attempted.  Coming up off the drive, returning to the visitor center, a Mustang in front of us barely made it up the bumpy "road." 
Had we not been living in Utah since 2004 and visited most of the national parks often, Monument Valley would have been more striking.  I can see how someone coming out west for the first time and seeing the monuments would have been floored by them.  The huge orange-red colored sandstone rock formations can take one's breath away. 
There is a "point" named for John Ford, but nothing named after the Duke.  I was mildly surprised, however, to see that the Navajo's sell a huge cardboard John Wayne cutout in their gift shop.  They also sell some gorgeous mostly turquoise and silver jewelry, but nothing I could afford.  Everything is marked 40% off, a sales ruse to make you think you're getting a deal.  Marketing techniques are the same all over.
Navajos live in what most would consider squalid conditions on the land surrounding the park.  Hogans, dilapidated trailers, and small block homes dot the landscape, usually surrounded by the rustic detritus one normally sees in rural areas, viz. junkers, old tires, piles of discarded whatnot, old appliances, and so on. 
We came out and turned back north toward Moab and Arches National Park.  I'll put some Monument Valley photos in my photo section.