This story is sponsored by Discover Navajo.
In the 1994 movie, Forrest Gump, the main character goes for a little run. Thinking he would run just to the end of the road, he went on, through his town, across the county, and eventually across America.
At the culmination of thousands of miles, he stops, in none other than breathtaking Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in Southeast Utah. This scene, along with countless other movies shot in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park over the years, has made this portion of the Navajo Nation synonymous with what many envision the American West to be.
This story is sponsored by Discover Navajo.
As part of the larger Navajo Nation, the Utah portion of the Navajo Nation is in the Southeast part of Utah. It is remote and isolated retaining much of its traditional ways of life. Its landscape and topography contain some of the world s most beautiful, colorful rugged sandstone cliffs and towering rock formations.
The Navajo presence in the area goes back hundreds of years. Their history is intertwined with early Spanish and Mexican influences, providing rich stories and fascinating sites for exploration. The Navajo people and their ancestors the Anasazi ( ancient ones ) resided in the region and visitors find it an ideal location to retrace history and step back in time. The public can view the Anasazi through the striking images of the Butler Wash Petroglyph Panel, found along the San Juan River as it flows downstream.