Visit Monument Valley: Your Guide to the Iconic Forrest Gump Spot
Monument Valley is one of America’s most iconic landscapes. Even if you haven’t heard of it, you’ve definitely seen it on TV or on postcards. Monument Valley is definitely in the middle of nowhere, but I think it’s well worth the trip, especially if you’re doing a big Southwest road trip. Here is everything you need to know to visit Monument Valley.
What is Monument Valley?
Located on the Utah-Arizona border, Monument Valley is part of the Colorado Plateau. It’s located within the Navajo Nation Reservation, so it’s neither a national or a state park. The area that most tourists visit is called the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.
Monument Valley was practically unheard of and untouched until the 1930’s. At first, the native Navajo Indians who lived on this land were the only ones who knew about it. Monument Valley’s first claim to fame occurred when John Ford featured this landscape in his popular films Stagecoach and Rio Grande. Ever since then, Monument Valley has been become quite the spectacle.
Nowadays, Monument Valley has been featured in lots of popular movies, including National Lampoons Vacation, Back to the Future III, Mission Impossible II: A Space Odyssey, and the HBO series Westworld. Most famously, Monument Valley was featured in a very iconic Forrest Gump scene.
How to get to Monument Valley
Truth be told, Monument Valley really isn’t close to anything, which is another reason it stayed off the radar for so long. The closest airport is 176 miles away in Flagstaff. I really wanted to see Monument Valley, and I didn’t know the next time I’d be in the area so I made a pretty big detour just to go here. I came here after visiting Horseshoe Bend, which was about a 2.5 hour drive.
Distances to nearby airports:
- Phoenix – 320 miles
- Albuquerque – 324 miles
- Las Vegas – 400 miles
- Salt Lake City – 380 miles
Distances to nearby cities and national parks:
- Four Corners Monument – 105 miles
- Page, Arizona – 125 miles
- Grand Canyon (South Rim) – 180 miles
Access to Monument Valley Tribal Park is on US-163 just north of the Utah-Arizona border. It costs $20 per vehicle to enter. Once you pay this fee, you can come and go as often as you like.
How Much Time in Monument Valley
It’s definitely possible to drive right through Monument Valley, and you can check out all the main sites in just two or three hours. BUT it’s likely that you came a long ways to get here, so why not spend the day here and really explore the area? There’s surprisingly a lot to do here. There are even quick excursions and scenic drives in the nearby, if you’re looking for other activities to fill your time. I’ll go over these in more detail down below.
Best things to do in Monument Valley
Tribal Park Loop
This 17-mile loop, also referred to as the Valley Drive, is a scenic drive past some of the most popular sites in Monument Valley. It’s a dirt and gravel road that starts and ends at the Monument Valley Visitor Center.
You can self-drive this loop. The road is a little bumpy and dusty, but it has a very low speed limit so you can just take your time and enjoy the sights.
This is the only part of Monument Valley you can visit without taking a tour. To go off the Valley Drive and explore further, you have to schedule a tour with one of the many companies.
Don’t miss John’s Ford Point and the Mitten for some cool photo ops!
Hike the Wildcat Trail
This is the only self-guided hike that you can do in Monument Valley. All other hikes must be done with a guide. This hike is a 3.2 mile loop that circles around the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte. Click here to learn more.
Take a Tour of Monument Valley
There are many options for tours depending on your interests and schedule. You can start the day as early as sunrise and go all the way to sunset if you’d like.
Quick Excursions from Monument Valley
If you have a little extra time and want to explore farther, here are some ideas for you.
Forrest Gump Point
You can’t miss this! Located on US-163 and just 20 minutes from the Visitors Center is the famous view of Monument Valley from the movie Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump Point is not technically inside Monument Valley, so it’s free to visit.
There will always be a crowd gathering around the scenic turn offs, so you can’t miss them. This spot always draws a lot of visitors, so try to have patience when trying to take your photos without anyone else in your way.
Pro Travel Tip: The best time for photography is in the morning, midday, and early afternoon. In the late afternoon and early evening, you will be facing the sun. This creates a terrible sun glare. If you don’t want any shadows, opt for sunrise and sunset photos. This is also your best chance for a beautiful skyline.
To find this spot, make sure you’re coming from the Utah side, not the Arizona side. It’s about a 40 minute drive from the center of town.
If it’s crowded, it can be very hard to get a good picture because people will just keep moving in front of you, thus blocking your shot. This is also a highway, so you’re gonna be dodging cars left and right.
My advice – go farther up the road towards the monument. It’s the same view, but less silhouetted. There will be no people, way less cars because they’re not pulling in and out of the turn-off, and there’s not a million little ugly signs going up and down the side of the road.
Valley of the Gods
Valley of the Gods features a landscape similar to Monument Valley. Although the name sounds insanely cool, it isn’t quite as spectacular as Monument Valley. It does have way less tourist traffic, though, so if you like scenic drives but want to leave the crowds behind, add this spot to your list.
MEXICAN HAT
This is another rock formation with a cool name! Seriously, this rock is shaped like a Mexican sombrero! You can see it from US-163 on the drive to the Valley of the Gods, so you might as well hit both. You can even hike up to the formation if you’d like.
Welcome to Utah & Arizona Signs
The entrance to Monument Valley in on the Utah/Arizona state line, so the two welcome signs are super close to each other. You can get pictures with both welcome signs on the same street!
