Why Is Arizona Highway 163 Considered the Most Scenic Road in the West?

Arizona Highway 163 is a road in the northeastern corner of the state. It runs through desert, canyons, and tall red cliffs. Some  people think it’s the most beautiful road in the entire state. Some even say it’s one of the most scenic in America! The road starts in Kayenta, a small town. From there, it goes north into the Navajo Nation. Soon, the road leads into Monument Valley, one of the most famous places in the world.

Highlights

• What is Arizona Highway 163 and where does it run? A: Arizona Highway 163 is a 61-mile state highway in northeastern Arizona that runs north from Kayenta through the Navajo Nation and into Monument Valley before crossing into Utah. It is widely considered the most scenic road in Arizona.
• Who manages Monument Valley — the National Park Service or the Navajo Nation? A: Monument Valley is managed by the Navajo Nation, not the National Park Service. The Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park was established in 1958, and entrance fees go directly to the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Department.
• Which films were made in Monument Valley along Arizona Highway 163? A: Director John Ford filmed seven westerns in Monument Valley between 1939 and 1964, including Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), and The Searchers (1956). The 1994 film Forrest Gump also featured a well-known scene filmed on Highway 163 near milepost 13.
• What geological features make the Monument Valley landscape so distinctive? A: Monument Valley’s sandstone buttes — including West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte, and Merrick Butte — rise up to 1,000 feet above the valley floor and are approximately 270 million years old. Their red and orange colors come from iron oxide baked into the Cutler Group sandstone.
  

Where Movies Come to Life

Monument Valley is full of tall rock towers. Some look like castles. Others look like hands reaching into the sky. Many movies were filmed here. The director John Ford made cowboy films in this valley with John Wayne. These films helped shape how people think of the American West. Highway 163 is also seen in the movie Forrest Gump. There is a spot where Forrest stops running and turns around. That scene was filmed on this road. Today, many visitors stop at “Forrest Gump Point” to take photos.

Land of the Navajo People

Highway 163 passes through Navajo tribal land. The Navajo Nation is the largest native tribe in the United States. Many Navajo families still live here. They speak the Navajo language, raise sheep, and keep old traditions alive.  Visitors can learn more by stopping at museums or trading posts. Navajo artists sell handmade jewelry, rugs, and pottery. These crafts are made with skills passed down for generations.

Things to See Along the Way

Driving Highway 163 feels like moving through a painting. The colors of the rocks change as the sun moves. In the morning, the cliffs glow orange. At noon, they shine red. At sunset, they turn purple and blue. There are safe places to stop and look out over the land. From some viewpoints, you can see for miles across the desert. Guided tours can take you deeper into Monument Valley. Some tours are led by Navajo guides. They tell stories about the land and the people who live here.

A Road to Remember

Arizona Highway 163 exists in a category of its own among western roads. It did not create Monument Valley’s fame — the Navajo people, the sandstone geology, and the early filmmakers did that. What the highway did was make Monument Valley consistently accessible, and in doing so, it became inseparable from the landscape it crosses. Every year, photographers, road-trippers, and international visitors drive Arizona Highway 163 for the same reason: no other road in Arizona puts you inside a landscape that looks exactly the way the American West is supposed to look.

• Don’t believe us? Then perhaps an article from the Arizona’s definitive source may help…
  
  
• If you’re curious, here are more interesting articles about people, places, and things in Arizona.