THE ROAD OUTWEST

Prospectors, outlaws and early Mormon settlers all carved their way through the dramatic topography of Utah, each group leaving their mark on the story of America. Centuries later, this is still a land of discovery, best explored in the classic comfort of an Airstream trailer — a silver bullet snaking between national parks seeped in local myths

- AARON MILLAR

The road is shimmering in the heat. From where I stand, on the edge of Glen Canyon in the heart of Utah’s untameable high desert, it snakes through the valley to an inf inite horizon, the landscape too vast to contain it.

Here is the American West, all its aspects, every possible feature in a single glance: soaring monoliths, steep-cut gorges, fire coloured mesas, the Colorado River green and slow, reflecting the sky like a mirror. Everything untouched, desolate, burning, and wild.

I’ve come to drive this road. The breeze whips up from the canyon and whets my lips with the anticipation of adventure. Keys jangle excitedly in my pocket as I walk. American road trips are the stuff of whispered legend. They’re part of the psyche of the country, written in novels, sung about in music, and immortalised in film. You’re not just driving here — you’re following in the footsteps of great American writers like Jack Kerouac; you’re breaking free with rebels like Easy Rider and Thelma & Louise. The scenery feels wilder with every bend you take, unfolding like the backdrop of a classic Western.

In many ways, that’s exactly what it is. Some of America’s most iconic films were shot in Utah, from Stagecoach (1939) to Rio Grande (1950). Road tripping here isn’t just a pleasant cruise, it’s like starring in your own movie — and the leading lady in this one is a shiny silver trailer that sparkles in the sun like a hundred disco balls.