The Best Road Trips in the West

Plan the ultimate American West road trip with 13 state-by-state itineraries that’ll take you to glaciers, canyons, hot springs, beaches, volcanoes, and wide-open skies.
Rocky butte onflat brown landscape in Utah, seen from car window

There’s a lot of scenery to take in on any road trip in the American West, whether it’s buttes and rock formations in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park and Goblin Valley State Park or rainforests and lavender fields in Washington.

Photo by Kyle Johnson/Unsplash

This article is part of our America 250 coverage. See more stories on epic adventures, music and culture festivals, unexpected experiences, and signature foods to eat in each of the 50 states (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico).

Few travel experiences are as quintessentially American as the road trip: a fueled (or charged) up car, a loose itinerary, and the promise that something exciting waits just past the next curve. For generations, loading up the car has been a rite of passage—equal parts discovery and reinvention. As the country approaches its 250th anniversary, we’re celebrating that restless spirit with unforgettable drives in each state.

The variety of wonders available to road-trippers in the American West boggles the mind: deserts, canyons, glaciers, coastal highways, wildflowers, cowboys, artists, volcanoes, hot spring–waterfalls, adrenaline-spiking ski runs, big skies, alien lore, green chili cheeseburgers, rainforests, and so many national parks. These 13 U.S. road trips—one in each state—will ensure you see them all.

And if you find yourself in another part of the United States, we also have picks for the best road trips in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the South.

Alaska for glaciers, photo safaris, and mushing lore

  • Start: Anchorage
  • End: Anchorage
  • Distance: 954 miles

Seeing snow-capped mountains, spectacular glaciers, and abundant wildlife from the deck of a cruise ship is unforgettable. But overland driving can be equally rewarding. This weeklong trip traverses four scenic byways and visits awe-inspiring sights like Denali, North America’s highest mountain peak.

Start on the two-lane Old Glenn Highway out of Anchorage, stopping to check out the Alaskan Native spirit houses and burial grounds at St. Nicholas Church and the Eklutna Historical Park in Chugiak. In Chitina, pick up a bush flight with Wrangell Mountain Air to remote McCarthy-Kennicott, the former mining town and its “sin city” sister deep in the vast Wrangell–St. Elias wilderness. (Hardcore road-trippers can drive the 60-mile McCarthy Road, though it’s slow going.) Stay the night at Ma Johnson’s Historical Hotel, a boardinghouse and bordello turned inn in McCarthy. Come morning, strap on a pair of crampons for a half-day Root Glacier trek with St. Elias Alpine Guides.

After flying or driving back to Chitina, head for Meier’s Lake Roadhouse in Gakona, a perfect pit stop along the dramatic Richardson Highway. The strawberry-rhubarb cobbler is tops. From Gakona, head northwest toward Denali National Park and Preserve for hiking, river rafting, and a meet-and-greet with the “canine rangers” at the Sled Dog Kennels. Don’t forget to try the fireweed ice cream at Shirley’s Northern Lights in Talkeetna before continuing on to Wasilla, home of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters.

For one last glorious look at Alaska’s untamed topography, book a flightseeing tour for your last day in Anchorage. The pilots at Rust’s Flying Service know these lands inside and out, and they’ll take you on a photo safari of the Knik or Triumvirate glaciers. —Ashlea Halpern

Related: Glaciers, Mountain Peaks, and Organic Farms: The Ultimate Alaska Road Trip

Arizona for a classic desert-to-canyon scenic loop

  • Start: Scottsdale
  • End: Grand Canyon South Rim
  • Distance: 250 miles

Whether you’re on a cross-country trip or just jetting in and out of Arizona, it’s impossible to miss how painfully beautiful the southwestern state is. This five-day Arizona road trip takes travelers from Phoenix’s greater metropolitan area to sculpted red-rock country and up to one of the world’s most famous natural wonders.

Ease into vacation mode with an overnight stay in the smaller, resort-heavy Scottsdale, about a 20-minute drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX). Sister properties Hotel Valley Ho and Mountain Shadows, both Afar favorites, have two very different vibes: the former is a midcentury-modern throwback with a glam pool scene and a hammam experience down a hallway lined with historic photos (Jackie Gleason! Tony Curtis!). Mountain Shadows makes you want to be outside, whether it’s on your personal patio overlooking the firepit, out on the golf course, or stargazing with a specialty cocktail at the base of Camelback Mountain.

Roll out after a leisurely breakfast and aim for Sedona, one of the top destinations in the state (after, you know, that giant canyon . . .). There’s a raw energy here amid the red rock buttes and canyons; wellness retreats and crystal shops enhance the spiritual vibe. With L’Auberge de Sedona as your base, head for Cathedral Rock, a magnificent red rock formation with soaring spires and one of Sedona’s four major vortices—centers of heightened spiritual and metaphysical energy that can be experienced with a steep hike to a plateau with unreal views of Verde Valley.

From Sedona, it’s a short drive to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim; if you set out in the morning, you’ll have time to stop for lunch in hippie college town Flagstaff (Proper Meats + Provisions makes a killer pastrami) and still make it to the canyon for the sunset. Once there, explore the South Rim’s array of overlooks and trails, including the strenuous but well-maintained South Kaibab Trail. —Laura Dannen Redman

Related: The Ultimate Road Trip From Phoenix to the Grand Canyon

California for a canonical coastal drive

Aerial view of the Pacific Coast, with green cliffside mountains and Bixby Creek Bridge, at right

There’s a reason California’s Highway 1 is a top coastal road trip. Bixby Creek Bridge is iconic.

Photo by George Cox/Unsplash

  • Start: Dana Point
  • End: Leggett
  • Distance: 656 miles

Following the California coastline, the iconic State Route 1—or Highway 1—is one of the best road trips in the world. It is sometimes referred to as the Pacific Coast Highway (or “PCH”), although technically, the PCH is only a southern part of the route; other sections of Highway 1 are known as Cabrillo Highway, Coast Highway, or Shoreline Highway. Think of Highway 1 as a collection of the state’s greatest hits.

Start with your toes in the Pacific at Huntington Beach, or Laguna Beach, or any one of the other scenic beaches of sunny southern California, then head north. Catch Spanish colonial architecture and sip local Santa Ynez valley wines in Santa Barbara. Then follow the forested road through Big Sur, stopping often to marvel at mountains that end abruptly in sea cliffs. Pay homage to John Steinbeck at Cannery Row in Monterey, then bundle up to cut through the fog in San Francisco. Don’t worry, it tends to clear just after you cross the Golden Gate Bridge.

From there, the road gets narrower and feels more remote as it winds through the hills of Marin County. Buy some oysters at the Tomales Bay Oyster Company for a picnic along the Point Reyes National Seashore. Finish up your trip walking driftwood-strewn beaches and tree-lined trails in the sleepy coastal town of Mendocino, or if you’re feeling really intrepid, keep following the coast north. Highway 1 officially ends in Leggett, where it turns into Highway 101, but that route continues more or less along the Pacific all the way into Oregon. —Jessie Beck and Maggie Fuller

Related: 16 Great Places to Stop Along California’s Pacific Coast Highway

Colorado for outsider art studios, salmon fishing, and wildflower trails

  • Start: Denver
  • End: Montrose
  • Distance: 500 miles

What’s left on the Colorado bucket list after skiing Telluride and spotting bighorn sheep in Rocky Mountain National Park? Plenty, it turns out. This weeklong road-trip itinerary traces part of the Colorado Creative Corridor, a 331-mile route linking artist-driven small towns.

Before leaving Denver, book tickets for a laser-light show at the International Church of Cannabis, a Lutheran congregation turned house of Elevationist worship featuring a Kenny Scharf mural outside and a psychedelic interior by street artist Okuda San Miguel. Grab lunch at Chook Charcoal Chicken and then hop on Highway 285 toward Buena Vista, a small town with big adventure. Raft Browns Canyon National Monument with River Runners, whose class II and III rapids are accessible for beginners, or drive through Pike–San Isabel National Forest to Cottonwood Pass, a paved route to the Continental Divide at 12,126 feet.

From there, follow the Collegiate Peaks Byway to Salida, a route blessed with the state’s highest concentration of 14,000-foot peaks. In Salida, the state’s first designated creative district, browse artisan galleries before moseying over to Salida Whitewater Park to watch kayakers surf man-made waves on the Arkansas River. The next day, meet fishing guide Kyle Jones of Gunnison Sports Outfitters at Blue Mesa Reservoir, where he’ll lead a half-day outing targeting Kokanee salmon.

Continue on to Crested Butte, where Victorian homes line Elk Avenue and Montanya Distillers offers tours of its Portuguese copper pot stills. After a side trip to Gothic—home of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and a 12-mile, wildflower-flanked Copper Creek Trail—head to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, boasting one of the narrowest and deepest canyons in North America. Follow the 15-mile North Rim Road to a series of vertigo-inducing overlooks. Wrap it up in the North Fork Valley, sampling a Stone Cottage Cellars merlot whose grapes were grown in the highest-altitude vineyard in the Northern Hemisphere, and tucking into a meal at Nido, a restaurant blending Mexican and Asian flavors. From here, Montrose Regional Airport is about an hour away. —Ashlea Halpern

Related: This Weeklong Colorado Road Trip Winds Through Lesser-Known Natural Wonders and Charming Small Towns

Hawai‘i for upcountry cowboys and volcanic vistas

Volcano at Haleakala NP (L); several people on horses in corral (R)

The Haleakalā Highway, an essential part of a Maui road trip, is a 37-mile cultural route that winds through part of Haleakalā National Park; learn about Hawaiian cowboy culture in Makawao.

Photo by Jeff King/Unsplash (L); photo by Digital Reach/Unsplash (R)

  • Start: Wailea
  • End: Paia
  • Distance: 50 miles

The perfect complement to beach time in Maui’s idyllic Wailea coastal alcove (where you can rest your head at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, of White Lotus Season 1 fame) is a road trip into Upcountry and onward to Haleakalā National Park.

First things first: Aim your car at Crema Maui for coffee and pastries served out of a vintage white trolley car in the artsy hub of Makawao, an old ranching town known for its paniolo, or Hawaiian cowboy, roots. From there, head into Haleakalā National Park—or start even earlier with a sunrise viewing atop the park’s volcanic summit (advance reservations required). Whether or not you opt for sunrise, numerous trails wind through this otherworldly biosphere reserve, including Hosmer Grove, a half-mile, lower-elevation loop featuring a mix of native and non-native trees. Keep an eye out for forest birds such as the endangered kiwikiu (Maui parrotbill), found only on Maui.

After your hike, return to Makawao for grilled mahi mahi burritos at Polli’s Mexican Restaurant, then browse local shops like Haku Maui for handmade leis and Maui Hands, a locally owned art gallery. Nearby, Maui Gold offers tours that explain how pineapples are grown—and the important role they’ve played in the island’s history. You can also stop at Surfing Goat Dairy to feed the goats and stock up on cheese for the road. End the day in the laid-back surf town of Paia with dinner at the classic Polynesian restaurant Mama’s Fish House. —Michelle Baran

Sponsored by the Arizona Office of Tourism
Travel back through time on Route 66, a quintessential part of American history and culture that’s turning 100 this year. No matter which direction you’re headed, there are plenty of picture-worthy stops, from the Rainbow Rock Shop in Holbrook to the retro vibe in Williams.

Idaho for old mining towns, hot-spring waterfalls, and epic ski runs

  • Start: Boise
  • End: Sun Valley
  • Distance: 190 miles

When it comes to natural beauty in the American West, Utah and Arizona get top billing because of their famous national parks. But Idaho leads the pack in pure open space—more than two-thirds of the state is public land, and almost a tenth of its acreage is federally protected wilderness.

One of the best ways to experience that vastness is on a road trip that begins outside Boise and follows Highway 21, also known as the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway. Along the way, road-trippers pass old mining towns like Idaho City, once a thriving trading post for gold miners, complete with creaky boardwalks and well-preserved wooden buildings; inviting mineral hot springs such as Kirkham, whose crowning feature is a 135-degree waterfall; and windy forest access roads that funnel into remote sections of wilderness.

The drive continues through the tiny historic town of Stanley, where Highway 21 becomes the equally gorgeous—although more wooded—Highway 75, also known as the Sawtooth Scenic Byway. From there, the route veers toward Sun Valley, a springtime skiing haven and unlikely celebrity magnet. (Due to harsh winters, the best time to make the drive is May through September.) In all, it takes about six hours to drive from Boise to Sun Valley, although you’ll want to budget a few days to really savor this scenery. —Alex Schechter

Related: The Little-Known Idaho Road Trip You Need to Drive

Montana for big skies, vast wilderness, and modern ranch luxury

Overhead view of plate of ravioli (L);  interior ofrestaurant with big windows looking out to mountains

Start a Montana road trip at the recently opened One&Only Moonlight Basin, where the food and the views will fuel you up.

Courtesy of One&Only Moonlight Basin (L); photo by Rupert Peace (R)

  • Start: Bozeman
  • End: Whitefish
  • Distance: 422 miles

In Montana, high-end hospitality is redefining how travelers experience the Northern Rockies. Start in Bozeman and head south to One&Only Moonlight Basin, which recently debuted its chic alpine cabins on 240 wooded acres just outside Big Sky. Ski-in/ski-out access is seamless (less than five minutes via heated gondola), and in the warmer months, activities such as hiking, mountain biking, golfing, kayaking, and fly fishing abound. Fortify yourself at Wildwood, the main lodge restaurant, with standout dishes like beef shank and short rib ravioli, or opt for sushi and dry-aged beef at the Korean- and Japanese-inspired Akira Back.

From there, continue northwest toward Missoula and check into Paws Up Montana, set on 37,000 acres of working cattle ranch in Greenough. The property has timber homes and safari-style tents that helped define glamping in North America, alongside the Green O, a sleek adults-only retreat composed of modernist cabins. Stay awhile for cattle drives and trail rides, whitewater rafting, and ghost-town exploration.

From Paws up, drive toward Whitefish and settle into the Larch House, a new boutique property in the historic railway district within walking distance of neighborhood restaurants and shops. Accommodations feature contemporary alpine design (natural wood details, gas fireplaces, deer antlers galore). It’s the ideal base for exploring Glacier National Park, just a 35-minute drive away. —Jennifer Flowers

Nevada for alien lore and high-desert oddities

  • Start: Las Vegas
  • End: Las Vegas
  • Distance: 500 miles

Ghosts and aliens have (allegedly) been spotted across the Silver State, but many unexplainable occurrences center on a lonely 98-mile stretch of asphalt called State Route 375, or the Extraterrestrial Highway. It takes roughly two days to complete, with the entire route being about 500 miles round trip.

From Las Vegas, head northwest along Route 93 for 1.5 hours until you hit E.T. Fresh Jerky, a roadside shop in Hiko that sells “alien jerky” (made of beef, not aliens). A few minutes down Route 375, you’ll hit the Alien Research Center, a gift shop with a giant silver Martian out front. Your next stop, UFO enthusiast hot spot the Little Black Mailbox (📍37.45700° N, 115.48260° W), is filled with strange notes from believers.

Finally, venture on to Rachel, the closest town to Area 51, and relax with a well-earned meal at the Little A’Le’Inn. Not only is the food surprisingly tasty, but the joint also is often filled with fellow adventurers up for a chat; you’ll probably hear some interesting tales from other passers-through and locals before you finish your day in Tonopah. Considered one of the best places to stargaze in the country, it’s also home to the World Famous Clown Motel, which displays more than 3,000 clown dolls.

Although the three-hour drive from Tonopah to Las Vegas is far less remote and not technically part of the E.T. Highway, there are plenty of fun desert anomalies to discover, including the International Car Forest of the Last Church, which features artistically arranged piles of rusted, tagged vehicles. From there, continue onto the Beatty, Nevada, gateway to the ghost town of Rhyolite and the vast expanses of Death Valley National Park.

And for one last dose of extraterrestrial goodness before you arrive back in Sin City, swing by the Area 51 Travel Center: a combination gas station and, yes, alien-themed brothel. —Tiana Attride

Related: I Took the Most Out-of-This-World Road Trip in America

New Mexico for Pueblo history, healing hot springs, and green chili cheeseburgers

Desert landscape of white sand, with hills in distance

The gypsum dunes of White Sands National Park are only one of New Mexico’s unconventional attractions.

Photo by Joonyeop Baek/Unsplash

  • Start: Albuquerque
  • End: Las Cruces
  • Distance: 250 miles

Upscale enclaves filled with kitschy Kokopelli galleries and turquoise jewelry boutiques have defined travel in the Land of Enchantment for too long. The state’s real magic lies in its natural beauty, found along country roads backed by ochre mountains, painterly desert vistas, and forests teeming with Montezuma quail.

In Albuquerque, make your way to Indian Pueblo Kitchen, the in-house restaurant at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Here, “pre-contact” ingredients—edibles that existed before colonization—bring time-honored flavors to such dishes as blue corn waffles and roasted piñon triple berry salad. Surprisingly, ABQ is also one of the world’s most important flamenco towns, credited with reviving the dance form in the 1950s. Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque, in Old Town’s Hotel Albuquerque, was the Southwest’s first authentic flamenco dance hall. It still holds regular weekend showcases with local and international performers.

After resting up at the Pueblo-inspired Hotel Chaco in Old Town, drive south on I-25 past the scrubby, cactus-pocked mountains of Socorro County to the walkable town of Truth or Consequences—a place that captures the state’s mash-up of artists, spa lovers, and ardent environmentalists. Soak your bones at Riverbend Hot Springs, a series of pools set on the banks of the Rio Grande, or bounce from RioBravoFineArt Gallery to Main Street Gallery before ducking into Truth or Consequences Brewing Company for live music, which could include a surprise performance by a band of septuagenarian punk rockers.

Southbound Route 187, which hugs I-25, passes farmhouses, pancake-flat cotton fields, and fences choked with tumbleweed. In the distance, the jagged Organ Mountains show their teeth to the sky. Stop in Hatch, a wee town where roadside vendors sell Mexican pottery and green chili–infused everything, and Blake’s Lotaburger in Las Cruces, which is known for its excellent green chile cheeseburgers—the ultimate New Mexico road food.

The windswept gypsum dunes of White Sands National Park are 52 miles northeast of Las Cruces and make for a worthwhile add-on, especially for backcountry camping beneath a star-filled desert sky. —Adam H. Graham

Related: The New Mexico Road Trip Itinerary That Takes You off the Beaten Path

Oregon for crabbing, kayaking, and movie-famous beaches

  • Start: Coos Bay
  • End: Astoria
  • Distance: 360 miles

It’s not just Oregon’s myriad rivers, towering evergreens, and Crater Lake National Park that make the state an outdoor paradise. More than 360 miles of coastline have turned the Oregon Coast into an essential retreat for Portland residents. And thanks to a landmark 1967 law that preserved public access, “the people’s coast” is a wealth of pristine nature open to all.

This six-day road trip begins in Coos Bay, the commercial hub of the South Coast, where the Coos History Museum sheds light on the shipbuilding and lumber milling that shaped the region’s outdoor character. In the area near Gold Beach, walkers often spot sea lions at Otter Point headland, the gateway to the Rogue River, and the 1.2-mile Redwood Nature Trail loops through one of the coast’s few old-growth redwood stands.

Head north about an hour to Florence, whose Old Town makes a charming home base for exploring North America’s largest coastal dunes. Take a sandboard or dune buggy down the famed dunes, or enjoy other adventures such as the Sea Lion Caves and whale-watching. Book a room at the award-winning River House Inn on the Siuslaw River waterfront or immerse yourself in the dunes by reserving a campsite or yurt at Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park.

Continue north to Pacific City, an off-the-beaten-path town set among state-protected natural areas along the Nestucca River. Stops here include a dramatic 200-foot dune adjacent to its own offshore Haystack Rock (taller yet not as well-known as the one in Cannon Beach) and the Three Capes Scenic Loop, with opportunities to check out the lighthouse at Cape Meares, picnic on the beach, or go fishing, clamming, or kayaking. Further on, coastal towns like Manzanita and Cannon Beach invite long strolls on beaches so scenic, they inspired former Oregon governor Oswald West to make the state’s beaches free and open to all.

Your northernmost stop on the 101 is the bohemian enclave of Astoria. A popular movie setting (The Goonies and Kindergarten Cop both filmed here), it’s on a stretch of coast known as the “Graveyard of the Pacific”—famous for some of the roughest waters in the world at the mouth of the Columbia River, where it meets the Pacific Ocean. —Ami Kealoah

Related: An Outdoor Lover’s Road Trip on the Oregon Coast

Utah for canyon country’s greatest hits

Two white shuttle buses in Zion National Park (L); an arch in Arches National Park (R)

Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks include Zion (left) and Arches (right).

Photo by Joe Borek/Unplash (L); photo by Vasilis Karkalas/Unsplash (R)

  • Start: Arches National Park
  • End: Zion National Park
  • Distance: 370 miles

Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef form Utah’s “Mighty Five” network of national parks. Their locations, along a somewhat linear line across the state, make for a relatively easy and immensely rewarding road trip through canyon country.

Starting among the orange rocks, vaults, and spires of Arches National Park and passing through with the Colorado River–carved crevices of Canyonlands, this journey feels like a visit to Mars. The otherworldly scenery continues with the Navajo Sandstone domes of Capitol Reef and the hoodoos of Bryce, where multi-colored rock layers (known as the “Grand Staircase”) stretch all the way to Zion.

Summer is a popular time for visiting this area, but a winter road trip has surprising perks worth considering: Zion gets 70 percent of its visitors between April and September, but only 2–3 percent in each winter month of December, January, and February. The lack of crowds isn’t the only plus. Colder weather brings seasonal opportunities, like cross-country skiing in Bryce.

The Lodge at Bryce Canyon first opened in 1925, designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood (the architect who also designed the Old Faithful Lodge at Yellowstone and the Ahwahnee at Yosemite). The 114-room property (which includes suites, motel rooms, and cabins) is the sole accommodation inside the park, with access to restaurants, a general store, and a laundry facility. Many natural excursions are accessible on foot—it’s only a 5-minute walk to the start of the 5.5-mile Rim Trail. Or try the glamping tents at Under Canvas Bryce Canyon, which is 15 minutes from the park, have king-size beds (twins in the kids’ tents) and either private or shared bathrooms. Come nightfall, fix s’mores at the communal fire while you gaze at the stars (Bryce is a certified Dark Sky Park). One last pro tip: Don’t forget about state parks. Goblin Valley State Park is near Capitol Reef and Canyonlands, and its hoodoos are just as otherworldly—and generally less crowded.—Chloe Arrojado

Washington for mossy forests and rugged Pacific Coast

  • Start: Olympia
  • End: Olympia
  • Distance: 335 miles

Explore the Pacific Northwest in all its glory on this Olympic Peninsula road trip. The route mostly follows U.S. 101 before turning to U.S. 12 and 8 at the southern portion and looping back to the state capital of Olympia. Notable stops include Sequim (which draws visitors in summer with its lavender fields) and Forks, the rainiest town in the lower 48 that was made famous by the Twilight series—and serves as a good base for checking out the Pacific coastline.

Deeper in the peninsula is the nearly 1 million–acre Olympic National Park, which packs in mountains characteristic of the Pacific Northwest and blue-green lakes. Hikes abound here, like the three-mile round-trip Hurricane Hill trail that offers 360-degree views of the park. But perhaps the most popular destination in the park is the Hoh Rain Forest—one of four rainforests in the state—a mossy, temperate ecosystem with Sitka spruce, black bears, river otters, and the endangered northern spotted owl.

Kalaloch Lodge at Olympic National Park, 35 miles southwest of Forks, is an ideal overnight base for exploring the Pacific Coast. The waters by the property are part of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, more than 3,100 square miles that are home to at least 300 species of fish and 29 species of marine mammals, including orca and humpback whales. From the wood-paneled cabins, guests can walk to the Pacific, whose waters are especially magnificent come sunset. —Chloe Arrojado

Wyoming for iconic national parks, geothermal pools, and Wild West adventure

Aerial view of flat Grand Prismatic Spring, with blue center and rings of rainbow colored sediment; people on boardwalk in distance

Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring is its largest and, as the name suggests, its most colorful.

Photo by James Lee/Unsplash

  • Start: Cheyenne
  • End: Cody
  • Distance: 1,000 miles

This epic 10-day Wyoming road trip traverses the wide open plains, soaring mountains, and classic national parks that define the Cowboy State. A good launching point is Cheyenne, where you can gear up with cowboy boots and a Stetson at the Wrangler (now owned by Boot Barn), explore the Cheyenne Depot Museum, and—if you’re traveling in July—take in rodeo action at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

From there, head into Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest for scenic hikes along the Snowy Range and 70 million-year-old igneous rock formations at Vedauwoo, with alpine lakes perfect for fishing or paddleboarding.

Continue west to Saratoga, featuring mineral hot springs like Hobo Hot Springs and other natural warm pools along the North Platte River. Next, make your way north to “the Mountains of the Imagination”—Grand Teton National Park, known for its wild and rugged landscapes and memorable hikes such as the 1.8-mile Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point Trail, plus a range of lodging options near Jackson.

Roughly 25 minutes farther north is Yellowstone National Park, a park that speaks in gurgles of geysers, hot springs, and mud pots. Along the way, watch for abundant wildlife (Yellowstone protects the world’s largest public herd of bison) and expansive vistas.

Finish your trip with a drive through Shoshone National Forest, the country’s first, and a stay at the historic Irma Hotel in Cody—named for Buffalo Bill, who founded the town. —Anna Fiorentino

Related: National Parks, Hot Springs, and the Wild West: The Ultimate Wyoming Road Trip

Ashlea Halpern is the cofounder of Minnevangelist, a site dedicated to all things Minnesota. She’s on the road four to six months a year (sometimes with her toddler in tow) and contributes to Afar, New York Magazine, Time, the Wall Street Journal, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Bon Appétit, Oprah, Midwest Living, and more. Follow her adventures on Instagram at @ashleahalpern.
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