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1. The Tetons
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The youngest range in the Rockies sits along Wyoming’s border with Idaho and exhibits all the jaggedness and drama you’d expect from mountains that have only seen around nine million years of erosion. Grand Teton, at just under 14,000 feet, rises in the center, with several other 10k+ peaks strung out in either direction. This is the namesake of the surrounding You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., as well as one of the premier mountaineering destinations in the country. Summitting is typically a two-day affair, with gnarly exposed stretches and some technical sections, along with the ever-present threat of lightning storms in summer. Taking in the view next to the historic homesteads of Mormon Row is less risky but equally dramatic.
2. Yellowstone’s geysers and springs
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As if the Tetons weren’t enough, just up the highway sits the world’s very first national park and home of some of America’s most unique landscapes: You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.. The park is huge, covering and protecting over 3,400 square miles, but it’s probably the geothermal features found here that are most celebrated. In fact, the supervolcano simmering under Yellowstone’s surface is so powerful that an estimated one half of all the geothermal features in the world exist within the borders of the park. They include the Old Faithful Geyser, which spouts boiling water 100+ feet into the air every 60 minutes or so; the ultra-colorful Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the US; and the travertine terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, among many, many others.
3. Wind River Range
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The 100-mile run of the You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. angles southeast to northwest, beginning near Lander and intersecting the Greater Yellowstone region close to Dubois. Apart from Grand Teton, the Winds comprise most of the tallest mountains in the state, including Gannett Peak, which takes the title at just over 13,800 feet. This is high country, but it’s also incredible backcountry — two different national forests and multiple wilderness areas cover parts of the range, where trailheads themselves often require a serious hike in to access. Long-distance trekking, climbing, multi-night camping, and fishing the mountain lakes and streams are popular activities; there’s a scenic byway that skirts the range, if you want to get a closer look before choosing your point of entry.
4. Lamar Valley, Yellowstone
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What the various geyser basins are to geothermals in Yellowstone, the You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. is to its wildlife. With a number of creeks feeding the Lamar River along this stretch of valley in the north of the park, food and water are abundant. And where food and water are abundant, you’ll see herds of bison, bighorn sheep, elk, antelope, moose, and deer. And where those big herbivores are present, you can expect to catch glimpses of the park’s apex predators, if you’re lucky: grizzlies and wolves. If you really want to get a sense of what the Lamar Valley is all about, visit during winter, when crowds are small, snow blankets the ground, and the animals are going about the business of surviving another season.
5. Devils Tower
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The youngest range in the Rockies sits along Wyoming’s border with Idaho and exhibits all the jaggedness and drama you’d expect from mountains that have only seen around nine million years of erosion. Grand Teton, at just under 14,000 feet, rises in the center, with several other 10k+ peaks strung out in either direction. This is the namesake of the surrounding You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now., as well as one of the premier mountaineering destinations in the country. Summitting is typically a two-day affair, with gnarly exposed stretches and some technical sections, along with the ever-present threat of lightning storms in summer. Taking in the view next to the historic homesteads of Mormon Row is less risky but equally dramatic.
2. Yellowstone’s geysers and springs
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As if the Tetons weren’t enough, just up the highway sits the world’s very first national park and home of some of America’s most unique landscapes: You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.. The park is huge, covering and protecting over 3,400 square miles, but it’s probably the geothermal features found here that are most celebrated. In fact, the supervolcano simmering under Yellowstone’s surface is so powerful that an estimated one half of all the geothermal features in the world exist within the borders of the park. They include the Old Faithful Geyser, which spouts boiling water 100+ feet into the air every 60 minutes or so; the ultra-colorful Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the US; and the travertine terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, among many, many others.
3. Wind River Range
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The 100-mile run of the You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. angles southeast to northwest, beginning near Lander and intersecting the Greater Yellowstone region close to Dubois. Apart from Grand Teton, the Winds comprise most of the tallest mountains in the state, including Gannett Peak, which takes the title at just over 13,800 feet. This is high country, but it’s also incredible backcountry — two different national forests and multiple wilderness areas cover parts of the range, where trailheads themselves often require a serious hike in to access. Long-distance trekking, climbing, multi-night camping, and fishing the mountain lakes and streams are popular activities; there’s a scenic byway that skirts the range, if you want to get a closer look before choosing your point of entry.
4. Lamar Valley, Yellowstone
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What the various geyser basins are to geothermals in Yellowstone, the You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. is to its wildlife. With a number of creeks feeding the Lamar River along this stretch of valley in the north of the park, food and water are abundant. And where food and water are abundant, you’ll see herds of bison, bighorn sheep, elk, antelope, moose, and deer. And where those big herbivores are present, you can expect to catch glimpses of the park’s apex predators, if you’re lucky: grizzlies and wolves. If you really want to get a sense of what the Lamar Valley is all about, visit during winter, when crowds are small, snow blankets the ground, and the animals are going about the business of surviving another season.
5. Devils Tower
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