Great American West

Best time to visit the Great American West

The best time to visit the Great American West depends on what you want to experience and which specific destinations you're interested in.

June and September are generally considered the best times to visit due to the cooler, clear days, and there being fewer visitors to the national parks. 

In the height of summer, July and August, you can take advantage of the longer days and for certain national parks, such as Yellowstone, this is the best time to visit for wildlife viewing. However it is important to note that the parks are likely to be crowded, prices can be higher and there is the potential for extreme heat.

Winter is great for skiing or snow boarding but you only want to visit the parks if you're going on a winter guided tour of Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Parks. Generally speaking the season in the Great American West is May to September.

Discover the Great American West

Underlying the stunning natural beauty of the Great American West is a culture rich with history and heritage, from cowboys, rodeos, and ranches to Native Americans, Indian reserves, and legendary monuments. And with bears, wolves and bison roaming free, you’ll find more wildlife here than people. Often epitomising the “real” America that so many visitors come in search of, this region promises more authentic American experiences than anywhere else.

No adventure to this region is complete without a visit to the world’s first national park. Yellowstone boasts the world’s most extensive area of geothermal activity, harbouring more than 10,000 geysers and hot springs – more than half the world’s total! It has to be seen to be believed!

States of the Great American West

What states comprise the Great American West?

• Idaho
• Montana
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Wyoming

Swipe left or right to learn more about each destination.

Idaho

The ‘Gem State’ of Idaho is the less known state of the Great American West, but it should not be dismissed. With acres and acres of unspoilt beauty, wilderness, and soaring mountain ranges, it’s been truly blessed by the works of Mother Nature. Hit the road in your car or motorhome on the states’ 31 picturesque scenic byways, take in the dramatic views of Shoshone Falls, which is taller than Niagara Falls or relax in one of the hundreds of hot springs. One of the states most visited attractions is Craters of the Moon National Monument, walking on the expansive lava field with caves and craters feels like walking on the moon!

Montana

Montana is known as ‘Big Sky Country’ and the state gives a new meaning to the phrase ‘wide open spaces’. Montana represents the untamed, the wild and the natural, a blend of spectacular scenery, intriguing history, and recreation. To the north is breath-taking Glacier National Park, to the south is fascinating Yellowstone. In between you’ll find ranches, cattle drives, rodeos, old mining towns and Little Bighorn Battlefield where General Custer infamously made his last stand.

North Dakota

In North Dakota, you can create your own legend. Take a step back in time at the Custer House in Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park orsoak up the atmosphere of the United Tribes Pow Wow every September.,. The state’s main attraction is the rippling expanse of Theodore Roosevelt National Park – that covers 70,000 acres of rugged, untamed landscape.

South Dakota

South Dakota, the land of ‘Great Faces, Great Places’, offers infinite variety, reflected in the rolling prairies and glittering lakes, granite peaks and towering pines. The Black Hills, Badlands, and Lakes region in the west of the state has one of the largest concentrations of national parks, monuments, memorials and caves in the Midwest. The stark crags of the Badlands are home to some of the country’s most dramatically eroded formations including buttes, pinnacles, and spires, while the Black Hills are rich with the Native American heritage of the Sioux including Crazy Horse Memorial and the state’s most visited attraction the spectacular Mount Rushmore, the nation’s Shrine to Democracy.

Wyoming

Wyoming is America at its best – 100,000 square miles of mountains, prairies, crystal-blue rivers, and alpine lakes; the place to witness geysers bursting skyward, bald eagles soaring overhead and herds of bison roaming the plains. Grand Teton National Park is made up of the ‘newest’ range in the Rocky Mountains-young mountain peaks which are some of the most pointed and dramatic in the world.. Whether watching a small-town rodeo in Cody – the home of Buffalo Bill – skiing or boarding some of the USA’s most challenging terrain or taking an outdoor hike, there's never a shortage of things to do.

Things to do on holiday in the Great American West

Craters of the Moon National Monument

One of the most unique places to visit in Idaho is Craters of the Moon National Monument, which has a huge lava field of dark black rocks, cinder cones and underground caves. It showcases what the landscape will look like if the super volcano under Yellowstone National Park ever erupted. There is a choice of well laid out hiking trails across the lunar-moon like landscape. Stay in the nearby mountain towns of Ketchum and Sun Valley, home to an array of activities from biking, hiking, fishing, and world-class skiing in the winter months.

Glacier National Park

Spreading over a million acres in the northern Rocky Mountains in northwest Montana, the scenery in Glacier National Park is sublime. Although the park has two dozen glaciers, it is the place you go to see what glaciers created, not necessarily the glaciers themselves. The Going to the Sun Mountain Road is not only an engineering marvel and National Historic Landmark, it is the way into the park and the best entrance to exploring the park’s dramatic features. High alpine meadows, glacial-carved peaks and valleys, cascading waterfalls and snowfields await.

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Devil’s Tower National Monument

Rising more than 1200ft above the surrounding plains in northeast Wyoming, this impressive flat-topped volcanic butte is a sacred Native American site. A top attraction for adrenaline junkies to rock climb, or for those who prefer less strenuous exercise you can walk around the 1.3-mile base. It was also the first National Monument in the USA and was used as the filming location for ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’.

Mount Rushmore National Monument

In western South Dakota, the four Presidents Roosevelt, Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson are carved 60ft high into a monument described as “a tribute to the soul of America”. Commemorating not just one person or era, the statues symbolise the forming 200 years of the United States, along with the ideals of freedom and independence that Americans hold dear. Visit in the morning to get the best photos, as by the afternoon when the sun starts to set, shadows may appear over the Presidents faces.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Medora

In deepest, remotest Dakota Territory in 1883, Theodore Roosevelt came on a visit to hunt bison and to find himself after the death of his mother and wife within hours of each other, and the world has a lot to thank him for as he was instrumental in creating America’s National Park Service. Roosevelt fell in love with the park, and its rugged pristine wilderness which is now home to bison, prairie dogs and beautiful scenic vistas. Divided into three different units, the South, North and Elkhorn Ranch which was the home of Theodore Roosevelt. The gateway to the South Unit is the cute cowboy town of Medora and the delightful Medora Musical which runs from June to September. Combine it with a Pitchfork Steak Fondue for an authentic western style meal.