Great Destinations in the American West

The American West Travelogue offers commentary and information on great destinations in the American West, accompanied by thousands of beautiful photographs. Our focus is on outdoor recreation and beautiful scenery, but we also include many cultural, educational, historical and lifestyle features, in order to show the diversity of the American West. See below for information on using this site.

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 NEW! Travel writer, April Davila, contributes Sandpoint, Idaho and Lake Pend Oreille , a look at four-season recreation in the remote Idaho Panhandle: "At the northern tip of the Idaho Panhandle, nestled between the mountains of Montana to the east and Washington state to the west, is Lake Pend Oreille (photo, left). Until 200 years ago it was known only to the Plateau Tribes of the Columbia River Basin..."(More...)

 NEW! A look at an excellent desert hiking loop in Arizona's Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area and the adjacent Tonto National Forest. The area features a choice, unspoiled selection of the Sonoran Desert, ranging from lush riparian areas along Cave Creek, which flows most of the year to rugged desert uplands with sweeping vistas as you ascend. Abundant vegetation provides a rich habitat for wildlife... (More...)

Our Grand Canyon Area Travel Guide covers Grand Canyon National Park and other locations in and around the Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona. The area features diverse outdoor recreation and some of the world's most spectacular sightseeing. Coverage includes North Rim, South Rim, Inner Canyon, Toroweap, Havasu Canyon, Grand Canyon West, and Grand Canyon Skywalk.

 The Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon Travel Guide is a resource for those planning to tour the famed Red Rock Country of northern Arizona. This guide includes coverage of Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, Prescott, and the Verde Valley including the historic town of Jerome. The area features diverse outdoor recreation, spectacular sightseeing, shopping and culture, Indian ruins, historic sites, even wine tasting.

 Hiking the Zion Narrows, the Ultimate Slot Canyon. Zion National Park's most amazing canyon, the Zion Narrows, features vertical walls soaring thousands of feet above the Virgin River, sometimes less than thirty feet apart. There is no road, no trail. You must wade the river to see this fantastic sight. A wonderful hiking challenge! Feature includes an overview, hiking narrative, and hiker's guide.

Our New Best in the West Guide takes a look at some of the west's greatest places by category. The first category is Spectacular Scenic Routes. New categories will be added from time to time.

 The Glacier / Waterton Lakes Travel Guide is a resource for those planning to tour Glacier National Park and/or Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park.

 The Yellowstone / Grand Teton Travel Guide is a resource for those planning to tour either or both of these national parks.

  The California Central Coast Travel Guide is a road trip resource for the magnificent California coast from Santa Barbara through San Luis Obispo County to Monterey and Carmel.

• Ute Mountain Tribal Park - Spectacular Anasazi Clff Dwellings & Rock Art.
• Manzanar National Historic Site, California - When Fear Was Stronger Than Justice
• Bodie, California - The West's Best Ghost Town
• Kartchner Caverns Revisited - The Big Room Tour
• Exploring Sedona, Arizona's Schnebly Hill Road.
• Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona's Garden in the Desert.
• Fossil Discoveries in the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.
• San Diego's Balboa Park - America's Largest Urban Cultural Park.
• Rocky Mountain National Park's Fabulous Sky Pond Hike.
• From San Francisco Bay, a tour of Alcatraz Island and its infamous federal penitentiary.
• "Where the Buffalo Roam", Custer State Park, in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
• From Canyon Country, Rainbow Bridge, Retracing a Historic Journey.
• Our feature story on Mount Rushmore includes a look at the Crazy Horse Memorial.
• A visit to Trinity Site, New Mexico, the world's first "ground zero".
• Grand Canyon Trek: Death March or Grand Adventure?
• Historic Tombstone, Arizona. A Triple Feature story! (part 1)
• Arizona's, Antelope Canyon: Photographers' Fantasyland.