US Route 163 is rather short for a highway with a US Route number, running north-south in southeastern Utah and northeastern Arizona. The southwestern end is in Kayenta, Arizona, at US Route 160; the northeastern end is in Bluff, Utah, at US Route 191. You'll notice that neither endpoint is at US Route 63; that's because US Route 163 is an anomaly in the US highway numbering system. The number comes from the former state highway designations of the roadway, numbered 163 in Utah and Arizona. US Route 163's designation might make more sense if it ended in "91" as a branch of US Route 191. Making a 3-digit number a branch of another 3-digit route isn't unheard of; US Route 491, not far away, is exactly that. Most of US Route 191 is in the Navajo Nation, which might have an impact on your observed time zone if you're in Arizona. If you're wondering why this short route in rural Utah and Arizona was given a US highway designation, I don't have a definitive answer. But my guess for the reasoning is that US Route 163 is one of the most beautiful scenic drives in existence, serving as the iconic drive through Monument Valley. Monument Valley is worthy of the bucket list kept by any road trip enthusiast; after all, the iconic imagery of its high-desert red rock monuments are referenced time and time again in all forms of visual media, until the scenery became cemented in our minds as an essential piece of Americana. Driving through the Monument Valley on US Route 163 will make you ponder two questions: "why is this so wondrous and beautiful", and "why do I feel like I've seen this before?"
My photo for US Route 163 doesn't include any of the red rock of Monument Valley, sadly, but it does include the first northbound trailblazer at the route's southern beginning. The intersection with US Route 160 in Kayenta was right behind me when I took this picture. This photo was taken on the morning of May 1, 2017, as part of the Utah/Arizona trip looping around the Grand Canyon Back to the main nationwide page. Back to the home page.