Monument Valley, Utah/Arizona

The iconic rockscape was director John Ford’s favorite backdrop, but a visit to the buttes within the Navajo Nation is as much American history education as a Stagecoach (or Back to the Future III, nerd) pilgrimage.

Kanab, Utah

The southern Utah town famous for appearing in The Outlaw Josey Wales and Planet of the Apes earned itself the nickname “Little Hollywood,” though its silver screen history museum is currently for sale.

Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

If you can’t find something that fascinates on these desert acres—City Slickers filming location, Georgia O’Keeffe outdoor studio, and dinosaur fossil dig site—the problem might be you.