The Great American Road Trip ChallengeOne trip, ~2.5 years, 48 states
Day461

Day 461 — The ButtesMonument Valley

Full day5h planned

Drive among the giants.

  1. 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM· 3h 30m

    Monument Valley Navajo Tribal ParkLandmarks & MonumentsAnchor

    The 17-mile scenic loop among the Mittens and Merrick Butte — a Navajo-guided tour reaches the restricted areas the loop road can't.

    Bring: dusty-road-ready vehicle

    Monument Valley Rd, Oljato-Monument Valley, AZ
  2. 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM· 1h 30m

    John Ford's Point & Forrest Gump PointFilm & TV LocationsWorth it

    John Ford shot nine films here between 1939 and 1964 and in doing so decided what the American West looks like — to the point that Westerns set in Texas or Wyoming were filmed in this one Navajo valley because audiences expected it. The overlook carries his name. Thirteen miles north on US-163 is the straight where Forrest Gump stopped running, and the road you drive out on tomorrow is that road.

    Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, UT

What the colours mean

On this day

  • Landmarks & Monuments1
  • Film & TV Locations1

And how much each one matters

  • AnchorAlways do — the reason this stop is on the map
  • Worth itDo most of these
  • BonusQuirky bonus, if it's happening while you're here