Photo by Pete Alexopoulos

Monument Valley Overlook (Forrest Gump Point)

MUST-DO

Iconic

1 expert tip

“The view is particularly striking at golden hour, when the low light turns the buttes into glowing columns of deep red and orange. Time your arrival for late afternoon on the drive into Monument Valley for the best combination of light and logistics. No entry fee — just pull off on the east side of the highway.”

Roman, Fyno expert

Highlights

Vista points

Unique landscapes

Epic views

Curated byRomanUpdated Oct 21, 2026

I’d include Monument Valley Overlook (Forrest Gump Point) for a viewpoint stop.

More about this place

The Monument Valley Overlook is one of the most iconic viewpoints in America — a perfectly straight stretch of U.S. Highway 163 that disappears into the distance with towering red sandstone buttes rising on either side.

This is the exact spot where Forrest Gump famously stopped his cross-country run in the 1994 film, and it remains one of cinema's most recognizable landscapes. Many visitors recreate the scene, and the road is quiet enough to do so with a little patience.

From the overlook, you can see the famous Mitten Buttes, Merrick Butte, Elephant Butte, and many other formations sculpted by erosion over millions of years. It is one of those rare cases where a famous filming location looks exactly like it does on screen — and often even better in person.

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