Great American West and the Pacific Coast: from Denver to Portland

Founded in 1859 by gold seekers from Kansas and Georgia, Denver marks the boundary between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains that provide a splendid backdrop. A university town and the capital of American craft beer, it is called the 'Mile High City' because it is located exactly one mile (about 1600 meters) high, as noted on the 13th step of its Capitol building. Modern and youthful, it has trendy neighborhoods for all tastes and is pleasant to explore on foot, featuring diverse architectures ranging from Victorian to postmodern, along with art, history, culture, shopping, and a vibrant nightlife.

Vail, approximately 200 km west of Denver, was created out of nothing as a ski resort in 1952. The skiing is excellent, perhaps the best in the USA, with a wide variety of slopes. Along with Aspen, it is the most famous and fashionable ski resort in the Elk Mountains, set in a picturesque landscape. It is highly frequented by the wealthy and famous, and is a resort town centered around Vail Village, with top-notch shops and restaurants.

Grand Junction is the main town in western Colorado and an excellent starting point for exploring the vast and spectacular canyon region with the pinnacles of the Colorado National Monument; here the Green River merges into the Colorado River.

Say "Vernal" to most Utahns and the word that most often comes to mind is "dinosaurs." Vernal is close to Dinosaur National Monument and downtown Vernal offers the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum.

Rock Springs is a transit town in the middle of the desert, which developed in the late 1800s with the coal mining boom of the Union Pacific and a large number of immigrants looking for work. An interesting fact: the outlaw "Butch" Cassidy worked here as a butcher when he was young, hence the nickname Butch.

Jackson is the typical base-camp for visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton. This lovely, Old Western town has turned into a popular winter and summer resort for hipster youth; it offers several sushi bars and fashionable clubs.

The landscape between Jackson Hole and Yellowstone is marked by the magnificent Teton mountains, rising sheer from the flat, large prairie, amidst lakes, waterfalls and forests where moose and bison roam free. The tallest peak of the range is Grand Teton, with a height of more than 4,000 m. Yellowstone is one of the largest parks in the USA, and the oldest national park in the world (it was opened in 1872). What truly makes it unique, though, is its enormous central area, which is in fact the huge caldera of a dormant volcano (the last eruption dates back to 640,000 years ago). Thousands of geysers outburst in the caldera, and several other geothermal features can be seen there – hot springs, mudpots, acid lakes. The area is also home to many animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, moose, deer, cougars and coyotes.

Idaho Falls is an ideal town that serves as a starting point to explore the natural attractions of this corner of Idaho. In the city, you will find the pleasant River Walk along the Snake River.

Boise, the capital of Idaho, still strongly preserves its Basque cultural heritage from its early settlers. Known as "the city of trees," it is crossed by the Boise River and the Boise River Greenbelt Trail, which offer numerous outdoor activities accompanied by a vibrant cultural scene, beautiful venues, and craft breweries.

The town of Fossil is located near the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, which houses one of the most impressive collections of fossils in the world. The area is divided into three units, spread over approximately 150 km of winding roads. The most scenic area to visit is the Painted Hills Unit, which consists of a series of plateaus where colorful stripes of rocks formed millions of years ago are visible.

Hood River is located at the foot of the scenic Mount Hood, a dormant volcano since the late 1700s. It is extremely picturesque with its snow-capped peak all year round, surrounded by forests and meadows, and situated on the banks of the Columbia River. It is an excellent starting point for the numerous outdoor activities in the area.

The largest city in Oregon, famous for rose cultivation, is surrounded by spectacular landscapes: the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood, waterfalls, forests, ski slopes, and streams. It is also a vibrant city, rich in culture and art, with excellent bars, microbreweries, restaurants, and many green areas.