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LOOKOUT POINT:

About four miles southeast of Goulding's Lodge, stop at the point to take in, to the southwest, Mitchell and Gray Whiskers buttes, so prominent in "The Searchers." To the northeast stands West Mitten Butte, which figures in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon." Farther along the 17-mile loop drive that leads to and around Rain God Mesa, take the spur road about a mile beyond Lookout Point to catch a view of East Mitten Butte and Merrick Butte; you'll be on the same spot that the storied vehicle bearing John Wayne and company traveled in "Stagecoach." Behind Rain God Mesa stands the Totem Pole, below which, incongruously but memorably, dog soldiers labored in "Cheyenne Autumn." And John Ford's Point offers a great view of the Three Sisters formation, one of his favorite locations.

U.S. 163:

Drive along U.S. 163 about five miles north of Kayenta, where the 7,096-foot rise called Agathla Peak, the root of an ancient volcano, looms to the east. It has a nice haunted quality that's especially well served by a full moon.

UTAH 261:

Four miles off Utah 261, north of Mexican Hat, stands an overlook commanding the Goosenecks State Park on the San Juan River, a spectacular 1,000-foot-deep oxbow canyon that makes a cameo in "Fort Apache." The view is payoff enough for the dusty detour, but if you walk along the little dirt road to the left of the parking area, you'll have superb views of the canyon itself, Monument Valley to the south and Cedar Mesa to the north, all glowing with sunset fire.