With the kids or friends, spinning on the endless straight roads, along rivers, canyons, meadows and neon-lit motels — perceiving the vastness of the American West. The great change of scenery begins in Los Angeles, where the dimensions surprise. You quickly understand that it is impossible to walk the city on foot — Sunset Boulevard stretches for more than 50 kilometers! And, at the foot of the city, the sun warms the immense beaches that have become legendary. You then join Las Vegas. Its multicolored neon lights and extravagance are open to you overnight, before giving way to exploring the big parks. You gradually move away from the city, and first leave for Zion Park, where the canyon and the immense green valleys were shaped by the Virgin River. Then Bryce Canyon and its thousands of fairy chimneys loom on the horizon. The road leads you to Monument Valley, the essence of the American West and the backdrop to all of John Ford’s westerns. The decor may seem worn, and yet the grandeur of the landscape literally takes your breath away. After a catch by the Lake Powell, the trip ends facing the majestic Grand Canyon, and finally, it continues even once back, in the minds of young and old.

Travel road Map

Los Angeles — Las Vegas — Springdale (Zion) — Torrey (Capitol Reef) — Torrey — Moab (Arches and Canyonlands) — Monument Valley — Page (Lake Powell) — Tusayan (Grand Canyon)

On the road, you will love…

Meet wind-bikers on their Harley-Davidson — stop at gas stations where convertible Corvettes parade — meet Navajos and Dakota Sioux — cross ghost villages of the Wild West — sleep in an old-fashioned motel with a vintage Wurlitzer jukebox — enjoy a hot dog in a “dinner” — listen to country music on a long straight road that winds between valleys and canyons — open the window to breathe the dry desert air.

LOS ANGELES

Here, the hills of Hollywood rub shoulders with the long beaches swept by the Pacific Ocean. The sprawling city is discovered through emblematic places: Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach, the stars of the Walk of Fame, the countless life-size film sets of the Downtown, Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive …

Start you program by heading to Venice Beach. The walk begins on the beach with the Boardwalk where bodybuilders, surfers on the lookout for waves and experienced skaters rub shoulders. Venice Beach is also famous for its canals, whose history we discover, and the varied architecture of the houses that line them. The walk continues at Abbot Kinney, the chicest street in Venice Beach: designer boutiques, concept stores, Google offices and Snapchat. The district also owes its fame to its canals bordered by houses of very varied architecture.

Visit the Getty Center on Brentwood Hill, a gigantic museum accessible by funicular — sunbathe with your feet in the sand before learning to surf — go to the Griffith Observatory for a 360 ° view of the city — explore the Downtown, a booming district where concept stores, murals, cozy bars and cafes flourish, and which houses the legendary hall of the Los Angeles Lakers: the Staple Center.

LOS ANGELES TO LAS VEGAS

Road to Las Vegas (around 5 hours), through expanses of arid desert. After crossing the Mojave Desert, neon lights and casinos are slowly emerging. The gambling capital and symbol of eccentricity, Las Vegas lights up the Nevada desert day and night. You go from gigantic malls to the famous Strip, then You find yourself in Venice or Paris by taking only a few steps.

LAS VEGAS TO SPRINGDALE

Road to Zion National Park and its green valleys nestled in a 24 km long canyon. You can admire many species of birds and enjoy the beneficial freshness of the Virgin River.

Your program here can include — Cycling through Zion Park. Each on their mount, you set off on an 11 km trail (the Pa’rus Trail) to reach the canyon. It is also possible to take the shuttle to the top of the canyon, and return to the starting point by bike.

SPRINGDALE TO TORREY

You take the road by Scenic Byway 12, one of the most beautiful in the country, which allows you to get to Torrey by crossing spectacular panoramas. Along the way, a stop at Bryce Canyon National Park is a must. As far as the eye can see, hundreds of orange fairy chimneys, also called hoodos, rise to the sky.

TORREY TO MOAB

Road to Moab. You follow the Fremont River, then join Route 24 which winds through the Goblin Valley populated by funny stone gnomes — a futuristic landscape adored by sci-fi film directors. The mining town of Moab is renowned for being a location for films like Star Wars and Mission Impossible. The surrounding national parks, Arches and Canyonlands, reveal grandiose landscapes against the backdrop of canyons, plateaus, valleys and lunar landscapes.

MOAB TO MONUMENT VALLEY

Road to Monument Valley, a sanctuary managed by the Navajos, the most emblematic park in the West. Here still resonates the action scenes filmed by John Ford — at the 22nd minute of The Fantastic Ride, a stagecoach drawn by six galloping horses crosses a desert valley, raising clouds of dust which blind the column of cavalry escorting it in the back, while, outside the field, behind the monoliths, Geronimo and his men are preparing an attack — a legendary cinema shot which has given Monument Valley its iconic character.

MONUMENT VALLEY TO PAGE

Route through Hopi and Navajo Indian Reserves to Page and its artificial lake, Lake Powell (about 3 hours).

With its 300 km long, 96 canyons and 3155 km of water, Lake Powell is the largest artificial lake in the United States and one of the flagship sites of the American West. To explore this aquatic desert, a veritable ocean in the mineral desert, nothing beats a ride in a motor boat, which allows you to weave through the interlacing of canyons created by the rising waters, following the completion of the Glen dam Canyon.

Do not miss — The Horseshoe Bend, superb viewpoint overlooking a meander of the Colorado River, a few kilometers from Page.

PAGE TO TUSAYAN (GRAND CANYON)

Route through the “painted desert” which reveals red, orange, pink or gray rocks, up to the Grand Canyon. This exceptional geological phenomenon is the best known site in the West, and certainly one of the most impressive terrestrial phenomena. The 443 km long and 30 km wide fault is approached on foot — a glazed space allows the visitor to safely advance on the edge of the precipice and its disconcerting vastness.

Your road-trip ends here. Thank you for reading.