Goosenecks State Park, Utah
While Horseshoe Bend is an amazing sight to behold, it’s possible you’ve never heard of the perhaps even more astonishing Goosenecks State Park, named due to the deep meander of the San Juan River.
Where in the West Should I Go 2022
Ashley National Forest, Utah
The massive Ashley National Forest in northeastern Utah is a diverse landscape stretching across nearly 1.4 million acres (most of it is in Utah, but there’s a small portion in Wyoming as well).
Northwest Oregon
The Oregon Coast is a well-known tourist destination. But just inland is a vast green land of rolling hills, beautiful forests, hidden waterfalls and more. Parts seem they could double as Mirkwood from Tolkien’s Middle-earth, such is the thickness of the foliage and lack of sunlight reaching the forest floor.
Eastern Oregon
Rugged Eastern Oregon might not be the first place people think of when they think of luxury. But the Geiser Grand Hotel was once considered the nicest hotel between Salt Lake City and Portland.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Like many favorite national parks in the West, with Crater Lake, it all starts at the rim. Though closed for part of the year, a summer cruise along Rim Drive is a must on your trip to southwestern Oregon.
Bend, Oregon
Perhaps most famously these days, Bend is home to “The Last Blockbuster.” But it’s so much more than the last of that video store chain (though any movie buff really ought to stop there).
White Sands National Park, New Mexico
The world’s largest gypsum dune field at some 275 square miles, it’s perhaps the most otherworldly place on our planet (though some other Western wonders like Bryce Canyon are certainly in the running).
Taos, New Mexico
There might not be anywhere in New Mexico that better exemplifies the state’s “Land of Enchantment” motto than Taos. In the state’s high desert, located northeast of Santa Fe in between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Taos is an artsy city with an array of attractions.
City of Rocks State Park, New Mexico
Situated midway between the towns of Silver City and Deming, City of Rocks State Park has been described as, “In the middle of a place very close to nowhere, just south of somewhere and a little past over there.” In other words, it’s remote.
Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge has cultivated its wetlands to imitate the Rio Grande when it ran wild. Located near Socorro, the 57,000-plus acre refuge is home to the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse, the yellow-billed cuckoo, the Rio Grande silvery minnow and other endangered species. It’s also home to more familiar animals – mountain lions, reptiles, bats, rats and deer.