The Totem Pole is a pillar or rock spire found in Monument Valley. It is a highly eroded remnant of a butte. Deserts at the end of the Permian period, 260 million years ago, formed the De Chelly and Wingate Sandstones that make up the buttes, totems, and mesas in Monument Valley. The Totem Pole rises next to a gathering of thicker spires the Navajo called Yei Bi Chei and can be seen via a self-guided Valley Drive.