Exploring the Secrets of the Most Beautiful Landscapes in the American Southwest

I recently learned of an iconic western landscape that had been the filming location for over forty Hollywood movies. No, I'm not talking about Monument Valley, where Forrest Gump decided to quit running. I'm talking about a lesser known area, in eastern Utah, outside of the town of Moab. Although I had passed through this area before, I had little idea of the human story contained within these massive sandstone walls. As I studied some of the history of the area, through old and new photographs alike, I knew I had to go and take a closer look for myself. What I found was more dramatic and compelling than I had imagined. The drive took me across an open and barren landscape. As I drew closer, the sandstone walls grew taller, and the scenery became more spectacular. It was evident this area would not disappoint. Alright this is pretty cool guys. So on the way in, there were a couple areas I wanted to check out for some rock art potentially. And right off the highway here, there's a big boulder with a ton of petroglyphs on it. So a few things catch my eye right off the bat. The first is it seems like 1964 was a popular time to leave a little graffiti up here. The other thing that I find really intriguing are these animal looking figures with these large feet. The two walking on four legs I assume are bears. Those are cool. You don't always see bears depicted in rock art. But there's another sort of animal below them with the same big feet, but he's standing up on two legs. I had to think about that one a little bit. It could be another bear depiction. You know bears stand up on their hind legs. Or it could be Bigfoot. I don't know. What do you guys think? On one of the sides of the boulder, we've got a person and some kind of an animal. And a little below that, probably a whole lot older given the patina on it, there's some other figure with a line through it. The reality is so much of our modern day road system really just follows ancient pathways that people have been traveling for millennia in these areas. I looked around for more up here, but I didn't see anything else. So we'll keep moving and see if we can find some more cool stuff. From here on, the road followed the Colorado River closely. I found myself snaking through an ever deepening canyon. I felt dwarfed by the sheer scale of the sandstone walls that enclosed around me. Suddenly, I rounded a bend in the road and laid eyes upon one of the most striking vistas I've ever seen. Oh man, wow. So doing a little bit of research beforehand, I came across a story about John Ford and a local rancher named George White. Most of you are probably familiar with John Ford, but in case you're not, he was a movie director throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s. He still holds the record for having won the most Oscars for best director. Anyways, the story goes is that in the 1940s, John Ford was looking for some new areas to film in. And so he came out here and somehow got connected with this local rancher. And this local rancher took him to this viewpoint and showed him this view of the Colorado River, the towering red rocks, and the LaSalle Mountains in the back. And John Ford took one look at this and said, alright, this is where I'm filming my next movie. And it's not hard to understand why. I mean, there's not many places in the country, honestly, let alone probably the world, where you're going to get this kind of a unique view. At this point, I had been in the car for hours, and I was anxious to get out and experience the landscape for myself. I drove along the river until I emerged into a vast and stunning valley. Turning onto a dirt road, I continued until I reached a small trailhead. Ah, man, this place is gorgeous. Let me grab my backpack and some water and we'll get moving. This landscape is phenomenal. Everything about it screams Western movie. If you grew up watching any kind of Westerns or reading any Western novels, I mean, this landscape transports you right into that context. You feel like you've got to be scanning the hills for the outlaws and cattle wrestlers who might be coming to get you. It's just stunning. The further I hiked, the more I felt like I was being transported back in time. I considered some of the early movies filmed in this area. Wagon Master, Rio Grande, Taza, Son of Cochise. They depicted a time when our country was young and wild. It was a complex time in our history. One that resulted in prosperity for some, but containing tragic consequences for others. The story of humanity is never as simple or as sanitized as we want it to be. I pondered this reality as I walked and marveled over the fact that the landscape I was viewing remained relatively unchanged since the Spanish first rode into the Southwest or the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. I find it interesting when I'm walking out in these places to think about how slowly change happens out here in this natural environment, but how relatively quickly change has happened in our human world. I mean, even considering the movie history out here, you know, the first film being shot in 1949. Just consider the dramatic changes that have happened just in the last 80 years, let alone hundreds and thousands. And it's interesting to consider how much of our experience is the same and how much of it is different. And that, my friends, is Castleton Tower. It looks so little from here, but the thing is massive. It soars hundreds of feet above the desert. It's a classic rock climbing route and something I've had on my radar for a couple of years. A friend and I actually tried to climb it about a year and a half ago, but weather forced us to bail. Speaking of rock climbing, one of the well-known movies that was filmed in this area is Mission Impossible 2. The opening scene where Tom Cruise is rock climbing was actually shot near this area. What a stunning place. Let's go check out a few other areas I had in mind. So I'm here along the banks of the Colorado River. The Colorado snakes its way out of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and eventually ends up in the Gulf of California. This watershed is undoubtedly the most important of any in the American Southwest. Millions of people rely upon it for water and hydroelectric power. It's also heavily used for irrigation. Fifteen percent of the country's total farmland draws its water from its banks. In recent years, the Colorado has garnered national attention as the reservoirs it feeds are drying up. How exactly we will solve this problem remains to be seen. The presence of the river in this area is so important. Both for people in the past as well as current day. It brings a lot of life to an otherwise very arid desert landscape. And it's been featured in a lot of the movies that have been filmed in this area. They even filmed an entire movie here about the John Wesley Powell Expedition of 1869. That was the first historical trip through the entire length of the Grand Canyon. I mean, an absolutely stunning and fascinating story if you want to dig into it more. Towering above the Colorado River in this area are the LaSalle Mountains, Utah's second highest mountain range. The snow-covered peaks provide a striking contrast to the colors of the desert surrounding them. The runoff from these mountains feed a number of waterways in the region. With the shadows starting to grow long, I decided to explore up one of these tributaries. So there's a creek down here that I thought I'd hike up a ways. You can see the LaSalle Mountains just peeking out behind that corner. As the day went on, I seemed to be caught up in this amphitheater of sandstone. I found myself at an ever-increasing loss for words. The same landscape that had captured generations of Americans was now swallowing me up as well. I became aware of a major paradox. On one hand, the landscape was so vast and timeless that I couldn't help but feel like a tiny dot in the history of mankind. And yet, at the same time, rather than feeling like my life was insignificant, I was inspired to leave an impact upon this land that I could be proud of. As sunset started to bathe the canyon walls, and another day slowly faded away, I felt a connection to the many people influenced by this region, and I hoped it would remain a place of inspiration and discovery for future generations. Man, what a place. I honestly don't have words to describe it. I spent a whole day driving, hiking around, and I feel like it would be generous to say I even scratched the surface. It's just a big area with so much to see, so many stories to discover. Thanks for coming along on the journey. Hope you guys enjoyed it. If you want to see more of the area, let me know. Drop a comment. Maybe I can do another trip in this area and dig a little deeper into everything. Thanks for joining me, guys. I'll see you next time.