The most popular stop along Monument Valley Drive is John Ford Point between multiple rock formations, which is a breathtaking view and is said to be one of the film director’s favorite views of the valley along the Highway 163 scenic drive.
Because the various natural stands offer a range of Navajo handicrafts, a nearby native hogan (Navajo dwelling) serves as a gift shop, where Navajo weavers demonstrate their craft. A dirt road and a bit of a bumpy road lead you to drive through the valley alongside its imposing monoliths.
Once you spot the Three Sisters, turn your vehicle towards the Camel Butte rock formation on your left. A sign at that point will take you to continue left along Valley Drive, but for the John Ford Point, you actually have to take a turn right to reach some shops. For your convenience, you can take a map from the ticket office.
John Ford’s Point promontory at the top of a very high cliff is one of the favorite filming locations of director John Ford, who almost shot 12 movies in Monument Valley. The vantage point is now a popular excursion place where you can have a great view of the desert valley. 163 Highway crosses the border of Arizona and Utah, where you can see some of the most popular sandstone buttes and mesas.
The ancient rocks, soaring upward from an apparently endless desert, have come to symbolize the American West, largely because Hollywood has used these breathtaking vistas as a backdrop for hundreds of movies, TV shows, and commercials since the 1920s. The visitor center is situated within the boundary of Monument Valley Tribal Park, but a lot of the valley’s stunning rock formations and other sites are found just outside the park boundary.
At John Ford Point, you can take popular Monument Valley horse pictures, enjoy traditional Navajo fry flatbread, and buy earrings, jewelry, handicrafts, and ceramic objects. It is not a difficult walk, but it is a rock outcropping, so it is not like an even trail.
