Monument Valley (US-163)
Mexican Hat, UT → Kayenta, AZ · ~45 miles · half day
Stylized illustration, not a photo — the real place looks different (and that’s half the fun).
US-163 runs the long, straight approach into Monument Valley, where red sandstone buttes rise 1,000 feet from the desert floor — the backdrop of a hundred Westerns and the famous “Forrest Gump” road.
Updated July 2026.
The most iconic straightaway in the West.
The mile-marker-13 viewpoint is the classic photo; the valley itself is a Navajo Tribal Park with a scenic loop. Sunrise and sunset set the buttes on fire.
States on this route
The signature stops
What to pull over for.
The best stops on the Monument Valley (US-163) are the places that define the drive, not just the nearest towns. Roamward orders them for the road: start with Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Forrest Gump Point, Goosenecks State Park, Mexican Hat, then open each stop guide for the pull-over context.
01Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Parkthe 17-mile valley drive among the buttes — open the stop guideAZ
02Forrest Gump Pointthe iconic straightaway photo spot — open the stop guideUT
03Goosenecks State Parka nearby spur to entrenched river meanders — open the stop guideUT
04Mexican Hata balancing-rock town on the San Juan River — open the stop guideUT
Where to eat
Restaurants along this route.
Restaurants on the Monument Valley (US-163) are chosen for trip usefulness: gateway-town location, a clear reason to stop, and enough quality to make a traveler save the pick. Start with Canyon Smokehouse, Comb Ridge Eat and Drink, Twin Rocks Cafe, Duke's Slickrock Grill.
A curated set of trip-useful meals near the route — enough to anchor driving days without turning the guide into a phone book.
- Canyon Smokehouse
Smokehouse plates in Bluff, a stronger meal stop on the US-163 approach to Monument Valley.
- Comb Ridge Eat and Drink
A Bluff cafe stop for the east end of the Monument Valley approach, especially good when the drive folds into Bears Ears country.
- Twin Rocks Cafe
A Bluff cafe under twin sandstone towers, well placed for the US-163 and Bears Ears side of the route.
- Duke's Slickrock Grill
A proper red-rock roadhouse meal for travelers connecting Monument Valley country with the Utah canyon corridor, especially when US-163 becomes part of a bigger desert loop.
- Olde Bridge Grille
A San Juan River meal at the Mexican Hat bridge, useful between Monument Valley, Goosenecks, and the US-163 red-rock run.
- Goulding's Stagecoach Dining Room
A historic Monument Valley base meal with the right old-road-trip feel and a view-first setting.
- The View Restaurant
A Monument Valley dining-room stop where the view is part of the meal, useful when US-163 travelers want to linger instead of only taking the photo.
- Amigo Cafe
A Kayenta comfort stop for the Monument Valley approach, useful when the day needs a simple sit-down meal before the mittens.
Build a trip around Monument Valley drive.
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Stay & experience
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Things to do near Monument Valley (US-163)
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