Utah Film Trail: In the footsteps of the legends of the big screen

From spring 2025, moviegoers will have a new essential destination to register on their card: Utah. This state of the American West, with spectacular landscapes and the cinematic history of exceptional wealth, launches the Utah Film Trailan unprecedented route combining tourism and seventh art. Real open -air museum, the trail Invite travelers to discover the filming places of cults and cult series, from the golden age of the western to contemporary productions.

An open -air museum for cinema lovers

The Utah Film Trail, initiated by the Utah Film Commissionin partnership with theUtah Tourist Office And local communities, aims to enhance more than a century of filming that took place in the state. Concretely, this is a series of physical terminals Disseminated through Utah, each installed near an emblematic location. On these terminals, visitors will find filming anecdotes, references to the films concerned, and a QR code referring to an interactive map on Utahfilmtrail.com, allowing to explore other sites.

This initiative is part of a desire for tourism diversification, but also of celebration of the unique cinematic identity of UTAH, often nicknamed “America’s Film Set®”. And for good reason: more than 100 films and series were turned there, taking advantage of the striking diversity of natural sets, ranging from canyons of red rocks to the south to snowy forests further north.

Mythical sets, from the Western to blockbusters

The story between Utah and cinema dates back to first Hollywood westerns. In 1924, The Covered Wagonconsidered one of the first great epic westerns, was turned on Antelope Islandin the large salty lake. A few years later, John Ford brought Valley monument (on the Utah-Arizona border) in the cinema legend with Fantastic ride (Stagecoach1939) – A film that cemented the reputation of southern Utah as a land of cinema.

The trail thus makes it possible to relive these great hours of the western, with stops like Snow Canyon State Park or the Parry lodge In Kanab, a city nicknamed “Little Hollywood”, where John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and other legends of the genre stayed. This is where classics were shot like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Or The Outlaw Josey Wales. Did you know that the Parry Lodge owes his swimming pool to the will of John Wayne, who wanted to be able to relax after long days of shooting?

But Utah is not limited to the western. The territory welcomed an incredible variety of productions, all kinds combined. HAS Dead Horse Point State Parkvisitors can relive the cult scene of Thelma & Louise (1991) where the heroine car starts in the void – a moment engraved in the moviegoer imagination. Comedy enthusiasts will recognize Main Street in Park Citydecor of several scenes of Dumb and Dumberwhile science fiction fans will stop at Goblin Valley State Parkhilarious framework Galaxy Quest (1999).

Among the other significant places: the Highway 163 route and its world famous prospect on Monument Valley, on which was running out Forrest Gump and his “groupies”, monument Valley again, as a wallpaper of the film Back to the future (Back to the future) with Michael J. Fox; going up north of Utah, the Great Salt Lake is not to be outdone and served as a decor of the strange Carnival of Souls (to come on the trail), or Sundance Mountain Resortwhere was turned Jeremiah Johnsonwith Robert Redford.

A territory that continues to attract productions

Far from being a land of nostalgia, Utah is still today a prized location. Its diversified landscapes, its accessibility, and the logistical support offered by the Utah Film Commission regularly attract major productions. The series Yellowstone shot several scenes on the Historic 25th Street of Ogden, and the state now welcomes visitors to the traces of the saga Horizon: An American Sagathe historic fresco of Kevin Costner largely turned in the region (Moab, county of San Juan, region of the Zion National Park, Kanab).

In addition, films like Transformers: Age of extinction or the series Touched by An Angel (broadcast during nine seasons) also took advantage of the magical sets of UTAH, proof that the state knows how to adapt to the most varied universes, from western to science fiction, through drama, comedy and chills films.

A tourist and immersive adventure

Beyond the celebration of cinematographic heritage, the Utah Film Trail responds to an economic reality: 37 % of Utah visitors cite cinema and television among the reasons for their stay. With more than $ 600 million generated each year Through tourism linked to cinema, this is a major issue for the State.

Trail is therefore thought of as a immersive experience For travelers. Each stop allows you to relive a legendary scene, but also to explore less known places, far from traditional tourist circuits. Emblematic accommodation such as Lodge pink compassTV decor Check inn to Christmasor spectacular natural sites such as Zion Canyon Villageappearing in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidenrich this unprecedented experience.

And this is only the beginning: New terminals will be added until September 2025with sites such as Helper, Vernal or Wendover. Each of these judgments contributes to making Utah a large filming platform accessible to the public, where you can literally walk in the footsteps of its fictional heroes.

An invitation to travel … and the dream

With the Utah Film Trail, Utah affirms its place a little more to the Pantheon of American Cinematographic States, alongside California or New Mexico. But here, no rowdy studios or artificial decorations: it is the nature itself Who plays the leading roles, in a magnificent and authentic staging.

Whether we are passionate about western, nostalgic for the comedies of the 90s or a fan of contemporary series, the Utah Film Trail is a Invitation to rediscover the cinema otherwise. Leaving the dark rooms for the great outdoors, we let ourselves be carried away by the illusion of cinema … while keeping both feet on an earth that has seen so many legends.

More information about UTAH: www.visitutah.com