81 pages with 105+ photographs (1.4 MB PDF)

This itinerary has a wide variety of dramatic scenery, with jagged mountains, lakes, geysers, glaciers, extinct volcanic action and abundant wildlife.  Many of the routes are 'Scenic Byways', chosen to add interest when travelling between other beautiful places.

Salt Lake City is a beautiful Mormon city.  Additionally, there is historical interest of old mining areas, mansions of the wealthy, the Lewis and Clark Trail, the Oregon Trail and even the first nuclear reactor.

Visit up to 3 National Parks:

Yellowstone	world-famous for wildlife, geysers and other geothermal activities, including 'Old Faithful'
Glacier	on the Continental Divide, this has dramatic scenery with lakes, mountains and glaciers
Grand Teton	a magnificent area with 8 lakes, and jagged peaks rising up to 7,000 feet from the valley floor

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Visit up to 6 National Monuments and similar places (in the USA, Monuments are like small National Parks) including:

Sawtooth Recreation Area	a wild area area with 30 miles of peaks like the teeth of a saw.  There are more than 50 peaks over 10,000 feet high, and about 300 lakes
Craters of the Moon	an area of past volcanic action, with spatter cones, lava tubes and miles of lava
Fossil Butte	fossils here are world-respected for being almost perfectly preserved
Lewis and Clark Center	the national centre for the the Lewis and Clark expedition.  It particularly relates to the Native Indians

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Visit up to 4 State Parks and Heritage Parks, including:

Antelope Island	a popular area for recreation, including swimming, walking, boating, cycling, and camping.  There is an abundance of wildlife, including bison, coyote, bobcat, deer, elk, sheep, badger, porcupine, antelope and many varieties of waterfowl and other birds
Fort Bridger	on the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Pioneer Trail, this became the second most important fort, after Fort Laramie
This is the Place	this includes a living history museum, with over 40 historic buildings

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Visit Salt Lake City, and other towns, including:

Salt Lake City	a beautiful city, the capital of Utah, the world headquarters of the Mormon faith, with its magnificent temple, and host to the 2002 Winter Olympics
Jackson	enjoyed by the rich and famous, including celebrities and politicians, it is the gateway to Jackson Hole - a dramatic, glaciated valley.  The National Museum of Wildlife Art is also here
Sun Valley	a year-round sports area for the rich, with scenery like the Swiss Alps.  It was the final resting place for Ernest Hemingway

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Visit other fascinating places, including:

Mining ghost towns	such as Oatman, Custer, and Bayhorse
Mansions	showing off the wealth of bygone days
Earthquake fault	the earthquake measured 7.3 on the Richter Scale, and lasted 40 seconds.  Mount Borah rose by 6 inches, and the valley dropped by 9 feet
Hill Aerospace Museum	with over 60 vintage aircraft, including a B-52 bomber, and a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft
Fort Hall replica	a full-size replica of the original 1834 trading post, built on the Oregon Trail
Copper mine	the largest open pit copper mine in the world, and one of the only two man-made features that can been seen from space
Nuclear energy reactor	the world's first nuclear power plant, producing electricity in 1951.  There are also 2 aircraft nuclear engine prototypes

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Suggested walking/hiking: In addition to visiting the many interesting places on this itinerary, separate walks are also described, where appropriate back to top