Western USA

What makes the world's first national park so enduring? Geological wonders for one thing, from geysers and fluorescent hot springs to fumaroles and bubbling mud pots. Then there's the wildlife: grizzlies, black bears, wolf packs, elk, bison and moose, roaming across some 3500 sq miles of wilderness. Pitch a tent in Yellowstone's own Grand Canyon, watch wildlife in Lamar Valley, admire the Upper and Lower Falls, wait for Old Faithful to blow and hike through the primeval, fuming landscape for a real taste of what is truly the Wild West.

Change is afoot in this boom-bust city, currently enjoying a very high-profile boom. Amid the growth, fog and clatter of old-fashioned trams, the diverse neighborhoods of San Francisco invite long days of wandering, with great indie shops, fabulous restaurants and bohemian nightlife. Highlights include peering into Alcatraz, strolling across the Golden Gate and dining inside the Ferry Building. And you must take at least one ride on the trolley. How cool is San Francisco? Trust us – turn that first corner to a stunning waterfront view, and you'll be hooked.

The sheer immensity of the canyon is what grabs you at first – a two-billion-year-old rip across the landscape that reveals the earth's geological secrets with commanding authority. But it's Mother Nature's artistic touches, from sun-dappled ridges and crimson buttes to lush oases and a ribbon-like river, that hold your attention and demand your return. To explore the canyon, take your pick of adventures: hiking, biking, rafting or mule riding. Or simply grab a seat along the Rim Trail and watch the earth change colors before you.

A perpetual influx of dreamers, go-getters and hustlers gives this sprawling coastal city an energetic buzz. Learn the tricks of movie-making during a studio tour. Bliss out to acoustically perfect symphony sounds in the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Wander gardens and galleries at the hilltop Getty Museum. And stargazing? Take in the big picture at the revamped Griffith Observatory or look for stylish, earthbound 'stars' at the Grove. Ready for your close-up, darling? You will be – an hour on the beach guarantees that sun-kissed LA glow.

A drive along America's stunning western coastline is road tripping at its finest. In California, Hwy 1 – also called the Pacific Coast Highway – Hwy 101 and I-5 pass dizzying sea cliffs, idiosyncratic beach towns and a few major cities: laid-back San Diego, rocker LA and beatnik San Francisco. North of the redwoods, Hwy 101 swoops into Oregon for windswept capes, rocky tide pools and, for Twilight fans, Ecola State Park, the stand-in for werewolf haven La Push, Washington. Cross the Columbia River into Washington for wet-and-wild Olympic National Park.

The human-like saguaro cactus is one of the West's most enduring symbols. A denizen of the Sonoran Desert, it's a hardy survivor in a landscape both harsh and unforgiving, but also strangely beautiful. Five deserts – the Sonoran, Mojave, Chihuahuan, Great Basin and high Colorado Plateau – stretch across the Southwest and California, each with its own distinct climate. Each is also home to an amazing array of well-adapted reptiles, mammals and plants. This thriving diversity makes a stroll through the desert a wondrous, one-of-a-kind experience – try it at Saguaro National Park.

Santa Fe is an old city with a young soul. Art lovers have flocked to Canyon Rd and the downtown galleries for years, but openings in the Railyard Arts District and Midtown – hello, Meow Wolf – have added a vibrant edge. Art and history partner up in style within the city's museums, and the food and shopping are first rate. With that turquoise sky as a backdrop, the experience is darn near sublime. Artists also converge in adobe Taos, where the vibe is quirkier, with ski bums and off-the-grid Earthshippers.

The Golden State is home to more than 100 wine regions. The rolling vineyards of Napa, Sonoma and the Russian River Valley lure travelers north from San Francisco. Sample a world-class Cab in chichi Napa, enjoy a picnic in laid-back Sonoma, or cap off an outdoor adventure with a complex Pinot Noir near the Russian River. Further south, day trippers head to the lovely vineyards clustered east of Santa Barbara, a bucolic area made famous by the 2004 wine-centric movie Sideways.

Meander through wildflower-strewn meadows in valleys carved by rivers and glaciers, whose hard, endless work makes everything look simply colossal here. Thunderous waterfalls tumble over sheer cliffs, ant-sized climbers scale the enormous granite domes of El Cap and Half Dome, while hikers walk beneath ancient groves of giant sequoias, the planet's biggest trees. Even the subalpine meadows of Tuolumne are magnificently vast. For the most sublime views, perch at Glacier Point on a full-moon night or drive the high country's dizzying Tioga Rd in summer.

The Southwest is home to a fascinating array of Native American sites. To learn about America's earliest inhabitants, climb into the ancient clifftop homes of Ancestral Puebloans at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. For living cultures, visit the modern-day Pueblo of Taos, or Arizona's Navajo and Hopi nations. As you'll discover here and in regional museums, many designs have religious significance. The baskets, rugs and jewelry crafted today often put a fresh spin on the ancient traditions – you may even see pottery emblazoned with a Harry Potter theme!

A cutting-edge Pacific Rim city with an uncanny habit of turning locally hatched ideas into global brands, Seattle has earned its place in the pantheon of 'great' US metropolises with a world-renowned music scene, a mercurial coffee culture and a penchant for innovation and political progressiveness. But, while Seattle's trendsetters rush to unearth the next big thing, city traditionalists guard its soul with distinct urban neighborhoods, a home-grown food culture and what is arguably the nation's finest public market, the recently renovated Pike Place.

From behind the line of RVs growling along Trail Ridge Rd, Rocky Mountain National Park can feel a bit overrun. But with hiking boots laced and the trail unfurling beneath your feet, the park's majestic, untamed splendor becomes unforgettably personal. From epic ascents along the Longs Peak Trail and the Continental Divide to family-friendly romps to Calypso Falls, there's a vista for every ability and ambition. Don't be surprised if you find yourself suddenly humming the bars to America the Beautiful – Colorado is where it was written.

Go back in time by hopping on a ferry to the San Juan Islands, a low-key archipelago north of Puget Sound between Washington and Vancouver Island. Of the more than 450 'islands' (most are only rocky promontories), only about 60 are inhabited and just four are regularly served by ferries. Nature is the main influence here and each island has its own personality, both geographic and cultural. What can you do here? Start with cycling, kayaking and spotting orcas – then just sit back and relax.

Towering red cliffs hide graceful waterfalls, narrow slot canyons and hanging gardens in Zion National Park. This lush wonderland lies in the shadow of Angels Landing, the lofty terminus of one of the great North American day hikes. Upstream is the equally famous Narrows, where an overnight backpacking trip through the river takes you to the neck-craning spectacle of Wall Street. Photographers should scoot north to Bryce Canyon National Park, where pastel-colored rock spires shimmer like trees in a magical forest of stone – a hypnotic, Tolkienesque place.

Just when you think you've got a handle on the West – majestic, sublime, soul-nourishing – here comes Vegas shaking her thing like a showgirl looking for trouble. Beneath the neon lights of the Strip, she puts on a dazzling show: dancing fountains, a spewing volcano, the Eiffel Tower. But she saves her most dangerous charms for the gambling dens – seductive lairs where the fresh-pumped air and bright colors share one goal: separating you from your money. Step away for fine restaurants, Cirque du Soleil, Slotzilla and the Mob Museum.

Moab is the mountain-biking capital of the world, where the desert slickrock surrounding the town makes a perfect ‘sticky’ surface for knobbly tires. Challenging trails ascend steep bluffs, twist through forests and slam over 4WD roads into the wilds of canyon country. And you'll surely redefine adventure after ripping down 8000ft from Burro Pass through alpine streams, aspen groves, juniper scrub and desert slickrock along the Whole Enchilada. There’s a reason why some Moab hotels have showers for bikes. One trip and you’ll be hooked.

Can you ever have too many waterfalls? Carved by the mighty Columbia as the Cascade Range was uplifted, the Columbia River Gorge is a geological marvel. With Washington State on its north side and Oregon on its south, the state-dividing gorge offers countless waterfalls and spectacular hikes, as well as an agricultural bounty of apples, pears and cherries. If you're into windsurfing or kiteboarding, head to Hood River, ground zero for these extreme sports. Whether you're a hiker, an apple lover or an adrenaline junkie, the gorge delivers.

It's easy to brag about PDX, and locals are sure to, but no one will think worse of you for it – after all, everyone loves this city. It's as friendly as a big town, and home to a mix of students, artists, cyclists, hipsters, young families, old hippies, eco-freaks and everything in between. It has great food, music and culture aplenty, plus it's as sustainable as you can get. Come visit, but be careful – like everyone else, you might just want to move here.

Inside Disneyland, beloved cartoon characters waltz down Main Street USA, thrilling Space Mountain rockets through the darkness, and fireworks explode over Sleeping Beauty castle. And yes, those upbeat Audio-Animatronic dolls are still singing 'It's a Small World After All' – an eerily unshakable tune. Next door, Disney California Adventure showcases the best of the state with a re-created Hollywood back lot, a coastal boardwalk and a patio that's perfect for sipping California wine. The most impressive aspect of both parks? The amazing attention to detail.

'May I walk in beauty' is the final line of a famous Navajo prayer. Beauty takes many forms on the Navajos' sprawling reservation, but makes its most famous appearance at Monument Valley, an otherworldly cluster of rugged buttes and stubborn towers. Beauty swoops in on the wings of birds at Canyon de Chelly, where farmers till the land near age-old cliff dwellings. Elsewhere, beauty is in the connections, from the docent explaining Navajo clans, to the guide sharing photography tips in the flickering light of Antelope Canyon.

Microbreweries are a specialty of the West, and you'll find at least one good one in outdoorsy towns all across the West, from Missoula to Moab. Though usually closely identified with their home towns, these popular watering holes share a few commonalities: boisterous beer sippers, deep-flavored brews with locally inspired names, and cavernous tap rooms that smell of hops, sweat and adventure. Hiking, biking or climbing near Boulder? Celebrate post-adventure with one of the 30 beers on tap at Avery.

The softest, lightest snow you'll ever ski combined with outrageous scenery and every type of terrain imaginable: Western resorts are among the world's best. Aspen, Vail, Park City and Jackson Hole may sound like playgrounds for the rich and famous, but shredders and ski bums – and copious amounts of powder – have always found a way to keep it real. Launch off a cornice, slalom through trees, grind in a terrain park or faceplant repeatedly while learning to snowboard: one thing's certain, you'll end the day with a snow-encrusted smile.

Yep, the rumors are true. The namesake attractions at Glacier National Park are melting away. There were 150 glaciers in the area in 1850; today there are 26. But even without the giant ice cubes, Montana's sprawling national park is worthy of an in-depth visit. Road warriors can maneuver the thrilling 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road; wildlife-watchers can scan for elk, wolves and grizzly (but hopefully not too close); and hikers have 700 miles of trails, trees and flora – including mosses, mushrooms and wildflowers – to explore.

As you step up to the counter at the Snow Cap Drive-In at Seligman, Arizona, you know a prank is coming – a squirt of fake mustard, perhaps, or ridiculously incorrect change. Though it's all a bit hokey, you'd be disappointed if the owner forgot to 'get you.' It's these kitschy, down-home touches that make the Mother Road – which crosses California, Arizona and New Mexico – so memorable. Begging burros, the Wigwam Motel, the neon signs of Tucumcari – and a squirt of fake mustard beats a mass-consumption McBurger every time.

Another thing the West does well? Mountain towns. Where outdoorsy types drop in from the trail and the slopes to swap stories and savor the microbrews. Many of the best double as gateways to the country's finest national parks. One favorite? Flagstaff, which sits ruggedly on the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. Highlights include a thriving ale trail, innovative farm-to-table eateries, an observatory and Route 66's awesome Museum Club. And we almost forgot to mention the Grand Canyon, just 80 miles north.