Western United States

The Western United States comprises the following states:

Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, California, Alaska, and Hawaii.

There are so many beautiful and varied places in this area that I decided to focus solely on the main attractions if this post.

Main attractions

Colorado

• Skiing and Snowboarding in Colorado

o In Aspen for high-society and glorious experience at America’s best place to ski. Aspen’s four mountains offer nearly 5,000 skiable acres, and all are linked by free shuttle service and transferable lift tickets.

o Durango is a young-at-heart mountain town nestled in the Animas River Valley between the desert and the San Juan Mountains. The Durango Mountain Resort has 1,200 skiable acres.

o Steamboat Springs is home to more Winter Olympics athletes than any other place in the United States. Here, you can enjoy winter sports and relax at one of the many Hot Springs.

o Telluride is a great place for beginner skiers and snowboarders as two-thirds of its 115 ski slopes are for beginners and intermediates. It is also one of the prettiest settings in the Rockies, one of the best-preserved gold and silver mining towns in the state.

• Mesa Verde – Awe-inspiring Cliff dwelling in Desert Canyons

Located in the area known as the Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet, Mesa Verde is the only national park in America devoted exclusively to archeology. Here you will find masonry dwelling s tucked into alcoves along steep canyon walls by Anasazi between A.D. 600 and 1300.

• Rocky Mountain National Park

Housing three distinct ecosystems within 415 square miles, Rocky Mountain National Park is Colorado’s natural showpiece, a place of sparkling streams, glacial lakes and rugged peaks galore – Long Peak stands at 14,259 feet. Wildlife thrives in this Alpine setting, from elk, moose, and bighorn sheep to elusive mountain lions, bears and coyotes; wildflowers bloom from May to August.

Wyoming

• Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole Valley

Craggy, glacier-chiseled and rising to 7,000-plus feet above the floor of Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Valley, the dramatic peaks of Grand Teton National Park win America’s topographical beauty pageant. With no foot-hills to blemish the view, the often-photographed Tetons dominate the skyline with a grandeur that’s utterly primeval. You can admire these peaks from Jackson Hole Valley.

• Yellowstone National Park

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America’s oldest national park, known worldwide for the geysers and geothermal pools that date back to its volcanic past. The legendary geyser known as Old Faithful is just the beginning of the attractions here. Bears and herds of bison roam the Hayden Valley, while moose and elk linger near the hot springs terraces at Mammoth, and some 322 bird species flit from spruce to fir. White and gray wolves hunt in the Lamar Valley. 60% of earth’s geysers are found in this park!

Idaho

Idaho is one of America’s most revered fishing destinations, with 2,000 lakes. 16,000 miles of streams and 39 species of game fish.

• Lake Coeur d’Alene

Nested in a glacier-dug channel between low mountains, the lake delights visitors by myriad water activities, from Chinook salmon and trout fishing to steamboat rides, water-skiing, and sunset dinner cruises.

• Middle Fork of the Salmon River

It is ranked one of the top stretches of white-water river in the world, a holy grail for river runners. The river drops some 3,000 feet in 100 miles, churning through 100 deep-rolling Class III and IV rapids, carrying you to sand beaches for overnight camping and natural hot springs for relaxing.

• Sun Valley

It is America’s original ski destination and is still beloved as one of the finest ski resorts on the continent.

Montana

• Glacier National Park

The epic mountain scenery of the Glacier National Park believed by the Blackfeet Indians to be sacred ground. Created by the movement of massive glaciers, this park claims one of the most intact ecosystems in the temperate zone.

• Big Hole Country

It is the state’s southwest corner, one of the most beautiful areas – 6,000 feet elevation prairie basin. For fly-fishers, the focus is the Big Hole River, a blue-ribbon trout stream in a state blessed with outstanding fishing.

Washington

• The San Juan Islands

Although the archipelago is composed of more than 750 islands, scattered across 10,000 square miles, only 170 of them are named. Of those, only about 40 are inhabited.

• Seattle’s Pike Place Market

Opened in 1907, it is the oldest continuously operating farmers markets in America.

Oregon

• Crater Lake National Park

Most visitors are drawn to Crater lake by its perfect, jewel-like beauty, unaware of its catastrophic geological origin. The massive Mount Mazama collapsed inward on itself, resulting in a 6-mile-wide caldera that was slowly filled with water, creating nations deepest lake.

• The Oregon Coast

Sculptured by the turbulent waves of Pacific, Oregon’s 362-mile coastline is one of nature’s masterpieces. The entire length of the cost in public land, with most of it still nearly undeveloped.

• Willamette Valley

At the end of the historic Oregon Trail, close to 10,000 acres of rolling vineyards unfold in the northern Willamette Valley. It is one of the two wine producing regions that helped make the state the envy of vintners from California and France.

Utah

• Moab and Red Rock Country

The adventure-travel epicenter of canyon country is a surprisingly small town. Begun as a Mormon settlement in 1855, and enjoying the boom as a uranium mining center in the 1950s, Moab reinvented itself in the 1980s, when proponents of mountain biking discovered that the endless miles of colorful smooth rocks were perfect for fat-tired fun.

• Salt Lake City’s Temple Square

Revered by Mormons as the Vatican by Catholics, Temple Square holds a 12-foot statue of the angel Moroni. The Grammy-winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir performs Sunday mornings and rehearses on Thursday evenings, both events are open to the public.

• Zion and Bryce National Parks

It’s hard to pick favorites among Utah’s five gorgeous national parks, but Zion and Bryce National Parks would have to be the top two.

Nevada

• The Las Vegas Strip

The 4.5-mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is the world capital of glitter, adorned with pleasure palaces, 24-hour casinos, and quick-hitch wedding chapels.

California

• California Wine County

If America has an answer to Tuscany- our own locus for great wine, great food, and the good life- Napa, and Sonoma valley are it. These fraternal twins, separated at birth by the Mayacamas Mountains, now bask in international recognition among oenophiles. Together they produce about 10% of the world’s wines

• California Mission Trail

The missions represent a dynamic chapter of California’s past. The 21 missions that comprise California’s Historic Mission Trail are all located on or near Highway 101. Largely reconstructed after the ravages of time, weather, earthquakes, and neglect, most of the missions still operate as active Catholic parishes, with regularly scheduled services. Booklets for self-guided tours are usually available; hours of operation and fees may vary.

• Death Valley National Park

Located in the northern reaches of the Mojave Desert, Death Valley National Park is the lowest, driest, and hottest spot in America, with scorching summers that reach 125°F and higher. Though the heat may be brutal, there’s a striking beauty here, from the stark, parched Deadman Pass and Dry Bone Canyon to the soaring drama of Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet. Fifty-one species of mammals, 307 species of birds, and 1,000 species of plants are indigenous to this desiccated land that receives just 2 inches of rain a year. À

• Los Angeles

If one city characterized the American Dream, it’s Los Angeles. Over the years it has been a magnet for countless dreamers who come here to remake themselves in the land of year-round sunshine and commercialized make-believe. The top attractions in this city are:

o Getty Center and Getty Villa – The 110-acre, six-building Getty Center hold an enormous collection of pre-20th-century European art as well as photography from all over the world. A commanding hilltop citadel of glass and off-white travertine, the center is a work of art itself.

o Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Museum Row- The largest art museum in Western America presenting 150,000 objects dating from ancient times to the present.

o Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Los Angeles Philharmonic – Since 2003, the soaring Walt Disney Concert Hall has become downtown L.A. dazzling landmark. An undulating mass of shiny steel seems to billow like a ship at full sail.

o Hollywood- Take a cheesy Starline 2-hour movie-star homes to drive and don’t forget to look for that famous “Hollywood” sign.

o Beverly Hills- Through less than 6 square miles, Beverly Hills looms large in the world’s collective imagination as the epitome of glamour and prestige.

o Santa Monica- Elegant and laid-back it is a pedestrian-friendly city fronting onto the Pacific that feels much more than just 15 miles from the central L.A.

o Venice and Venice Beach- Famous for its beachfront view, Venice was founded in 1905 as a suburban replica of Venice, Italy, complete with canals and gondolas. Though some canals still exist, they are not nearly as noteworthy as the 3-mile long Venice Beach boardwalk along white sand beaches.

• Disney and Disney California Adventure – A day trip from L.A.

• The Pacific Coast Highway and Big Sur

The Pacific Coast Highway is America’s dream drive, offering two lanes through gorgeously isolated terrain, and frequent turnoffs and vantage points to soak in the astonishing beauty.

• San Francisco

With a stunning waterfront it is America’s most livable big city, with wonderful food, fascinating and unique neighborhoods it has many attractions:

o Alcatraz Island- America’s best-known prison.

o Green Gate Park – is a magical place that brings together towering redwood forests, a Japanese tea garden, the California Academy of Sciences, herds of American bison and the outstanding Young Museum.

o The Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge.

o De Young Museum- opened in 2005, it houses collections from the Americas, Oceania, and Africa.

o California Academy of Science- it encompasses the Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium, Kimball Natural History Museum and world-class research and education programs.

o San Francisco Chinatown

o San Francisco Fishermen’s Warf

• Yosemite National Park

Yosemite’s 8,842-foot trademark peak Half Dome and El Capitan, the largest single granite rock on earth, the magnificent Yosemite Falls are also the highest on the continent make it a must-see attraction.

Alaska

• The Iditarod in Anchorage

Starting in Anchorage every March and ending 8 to 15 days later in Nome, the Iditarod is the greatest endurance tests in sport, with competitors mushing sled dogs across 1,150 miles of snow and ice in temperatures as low as 60 °F below zero. It is Alaska’s largest spectator sport. If you win the bid for a spot on a musher’s sled for the first 11 miles.

• Denali National Park

At 20,230 feet, Mount McKinley stands as the tallest peak in North America. It is the primary attraction of this park, but not the only one. You can spot grizzlies (and hope that they don’t spot you), moose, and golden eagles. In the summer you will enjoy 16-20 hours of light in which to take in the dazzling scenery of sweeping vistas of subarctic tundra, glaciers and massive peaks of the Alaska Mountain range. You can book one of the plane or helicopter excursions to see the beauty of this protected area.

• Inside Passage and Glacier Bay

Alaska has over 40,000 miles of coastline, and you can take in some of the most beautiful from your ship’s deck while sailing the Inside Passage. The big draw is the astounding wilderness, with snow-capped mountains, deep rain forests, and a maze of islands that are home to whales, sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, porpoises and seabirds.

Hawaii

• Hawai’i Island (Big Island)

The youngest, largest and most primal of the 1,500-mile-long Hawaiian archipelago, Hawai’i Island has all the necessary tropical delights and awe-inspiring natural attractions, including the world’s most active volcano.

• Kauai

The greenest and oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is essentially a single massive volcano rising 3 miles from the ocean floor. Two-thirds impenetrable, it has provided a scene-stealing vision of tropical paradise for many Hollywood movies and TV shows. More rain falls here than in the rest of Hawaii-Kauai is known as the birthplace of the rainbow- and it’s so extravagantly covered with flowers and dense vegetation that it effortlessly earns its nickname “The Garden Isle”.

• Maui

Known for its miles of stunning beaches, lush rain forests, and a mix of crowd-pleasing resorts and luxurious hideaways, Maui embodies the spirit of aloha, an expression used to say hello and good-bye that actually means love. Visit the world’s largest dormant volcano Haleakala, it is so large that Manhattan could fit inside.

• Lana’i

Hawaii’s most secluded island, tiny unhyped Lana’i was the state’s largest pineapple plantation, a Dole empire called “Pineapple Island”. Since then it has become both a luxury retreat for the rich and an adventure outpost for day-trippers from Maui, a short ferry ride away.

• Molokai

Blessed with lush vegetation and carved by eons of pounding waves that produced the world’s tallest sea cliffs and some of Hawaii’s longest waterfalls, Molokai is Mother Nature’s wild and uninhibited work of art and one of Hawaii’s least developed places.

• Oahu

Oahu, the third largest island, has been a magnet for tourists almost since the days of Hawaii’s last kings. It is easy to understand why when you consider the daily rainbows that arch over its more than 125 beaches, the thundering waterfalls that cascade into crystal blue lagoons, the perfect waves that roll steadily to shore.

Other Resources