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Three weeks and 5,400 km on the road in the American West
Not a classic travel diary, but experiences, tips and inspiration for those who want to travel to West America themselves.
Three weeks, 5,400 kilometers, vast deserts, national and state parks, forgotten towns, friendly encounters and the occasional surprise.
In June 2026, we trekked through the American West for a road trip that took us from California deep into Nevada.
This is not a classic travel diary with a list of each day. We do share our impressions, experiences, favorite walks, food stops and places to stay.
We tell what surprised us, what disappointed us, what moved us and which places we would visit again without hesitation.
For those planning a trip to Western America, we hope this report not only provides inspiration, but also practical tips and an honest picture of what to expect along the way.
Nostalgia for travels of the past
Some trips are made to discover new places. Others to reconnect with what touched you in the past.
For us, this trip through the American West was a bit of both.
On our first trips through the United States 40 years ago, we trekked past the classic highlights of the Golden Circle (Western America), as most tourists do.
Understandable in a way, because you don’t want to waste valuable time on things that don’t seem interesting.
A few years ago it started to itch again to do those trips again.
Not to tick off as many sights as possible, but to experience the West again, this time in a different way.
We deliberately chose a slower pace. Less chasing from highlight to highlight, more room for spontaneous discoveries. Slow travelling, so to speak.
We therefore deliberately went to regions where hardly any tourists come, but which for one reason or another intrigued or attracted us.
Camping something for when you are younger?
Initially, we also wanted to camp a few times, like in the old days, but that ambition turned out to be short-lived.
Our air mattress deflated during the first night of camping, after which the decision to replace the seven planned camping nights with hotel and motel bookings was made surprisingly quickly.
Photos: our tent in the Tusayan campground before the air mattress deflated
At almost seventy years old, camping has a slightly different meaning than when you are young.
Comfort now takes precedence over adventure. That is also part of traveling: adapting yourself to a new phase of life.
What made this trip special for us was that we did not experience it as spectators. We stood in the middle of the landscape.
We hiked through canyons, drove over dusty dirt roads, chatted with locals, tasted regional specialties and took the time to observe.
Our sidequests
Much of what has stayed with us is not necessarily the classic viewpoints or well-known sights, but the experiences in between.
Such as unexpected encounters, small discoveries and observations that you only make when you consciously slow down the pace.
And there was a lot to observe.
The changes in the American West, the ongoing water shortages, inflation, casinos, tipping culture, and the influence of social media on tourism were often at least as interesting topics of conversation as the landscapes themselves.
Authentic and publicity-free
This trip took place in June 2026 and the information in this article is therefore still very actual
Everything you read here is based on what we saw, experienced and experienced along the way. Of course viewed through our own glasses and colored by our personal preferences.
This is not a sponsored story and does not contain advertising, affiliate links or other commercial collaborations.
I’m not an influencer who wants to earn from click-throughs, but a Flemish grandmother who likes to write.
When I write about a place, restaurant, walk, theme or hotel, it is because it has genuinely touched, surprised or inspired us.
All photos in this article are also made by ourselves.
What you read and see is nothing more and nothing less than the honest report of a wonderful, extremely successful trip that will stay with us for a long time.
In short, this is not a classic travel diary with a summary of each day, but a collection of impressions, experiences, favorite walks, food stops and places to stay.
We tell what surprised us, what disappointed us, what moved us and which places we would visit again without hesitation.
For those planning a trip to Western America, we hope this report not only provides inspiration, but also practical tips and an honest picture of what to expect along the way.
Enjoy!
Emma