Totem Pole, Rock pinnacle in Monument Valley, Arizona

The Totem Pole is a slender sandstone spire at the southeastern edge of Monument Valley Tribal Park in Navajo County, Arizona. It rises 137 metres above the surrounding land and sits within a debris cone about 150 metres across. Southeast of it runs the semicircle of thicker spires the Navajo call Yei Bi Chei, leading toward an unnamed flat-topped mesa.

The first documented climb of the Totem Pole occurred in 1957 when four climbers successfully reached the top of the formation. This early ascent marked a turning point in the climbing history of the area.

The Navajo name the row of thicker spires beside the Totem Pole Yei Bi Chei, after the sacred figures of their healing ceremonies. The San Juan Band Paiute, who hunted and gathered here around 1300, saw the Totem Pole as a deity turned to stone by lightning.

You can see the Totem Pole from designated viewpoints along the Valley Drive in Monument Valley. The self-guided route offers several stops where you can view the formation from different angles.

The formation was featured in climbing scenes for the 1975 film The Eiger Sanction. After filming wrapped, the production crew removed all climbing equipment from the site.