The area around Monument Valley has this interesting property of being really colorful when the sun is at a fairly low angle behind the viewer. At that angle the plants get a yellow tint that brings the landscape to life. You get yellow-greens and darker green desert bushes, tan desert sand, red-brown slopes, and a hint of some purples from the shadows. But when the sun rises, the magic fades away and you just get desert.

Monument Valley proper is behind the long butte to the left. In fact, you can even see the Three Sisters in the distance between the gap between the buttes.