Forrest Gump Point on US-163

Forrest Gump Point is the stretch of US-163 in southern Utah where the road runs straight toward the buttes of Monument Valley, the spot where Forrest stops running in the 1994 film. It sits near mile marker 13, north of the valley on the way to Mexican Hat. It is outside the tribal park, free, open at all hours, and has no facilities.

Where it is

Drive north on US-163 from the turnoff to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, toward Mexican Hat. The view is just north of mile marker 13, looking back south down the highway, so you see it best when you stop and turn round. There are pullouts on both sides of the road. The view has been signed as a scenic turnout since 2022, replacing the homemade “run ended” signs people used to leave there.

Coming from the north, from Moab or Bluff, you drive straight into the view.

Taking the photo safely

The famous shot is from the middle of the highway, with the centre line leading to the buttes. US-163 is a live road with trucks and fast traffic, and people standing on it for photos is the main hazard here; there are no-stopping signs for a stretch either side of the turnout. If you want the road-centre view:

• Park fully off the road in a pullout, never on the shoulder.
• Shoot from the edge of the road with a longer lens, which compresses the road and the buttes into the same frame.
• Only step out when you can see a long way both ways, and keep it to seconds.

Early morning has the least traffic and side light on the buttes. Midday light is flat.

Combining it with the valley

Forrest Gump Point is a short drive from the park turnoff, so it fits before or after a tour. The Valley Drive and the guided tours run on Navajo Nation time, an hour ahead of the rest of Arizona from March to early November; the roadside view, being in Utah, is on the same clock.

From the road you see the buttes from a distance. Down in the valley, a Navajo guide takes you among them and into the backcountry that private cars cannot enter. The full-day tour adds Mystery Valley’s cliff dwellings, and the Backcountry Jeep Tour covers the highlights in 2.5 hours.

For the rest of the valley’s screen history, from Stagecoach to The Lone Ranger, see the Monument Valley movies guide.