COLORADO
KOA camping in Colorado
Estes Park
A bronze sculpture of an elk-Samson-welcomes visitors to Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Take a ranger-led tour to look for these majestic creatures (hear elk bugle in the fall), hike to alpine lakes and waterfalls, and take an amazing car trip over the Continental Divide.
Ouray
Once a silver-mining boomtown, Ouray is a fascinating place to explore. Take a walking tour of the historic downtown (on the National Register of Historic Places), tour old mines and nearby ghost towns, and go 4-wheeling in the San Juan Mountains. Take the scenic route (I-550) from Ouray to Durango through the San Juan National Forest.
IDAHO
KOA camping in Idaho
Coeur d'Alene
Once they've discovered Lake Coeur d'Alene, the kids won't want to leave. This resort community has a walkable downtown (with a great penny-candy store), a wonderful bike path (the Centennial Trail), and all the wet-and-wild action you could hope for-swimming, fishing, boat rentals. The nearby arts community of Sandpoint is worth a visit, too.
MONTANA
KOA camping in Montana
Glacier National Park Area
With more than one million pristine acres, Glacier-Waterton Peace Park is a must-see destination. Drive scenic Going-to-the-Sun Highway, walk along trails lined with ancient cedar trees and white-blossomed Montana beargrass, and look for bears and mountain goats on the mountain slopes and hillsides.
Whitefish/Kalispell
Its wonderful downtown will captivate you at a glance, but there's more to Whitefish than cute shops and restaurants. This is A River Runs through It country. There's rafting and fishing on the Flathead River (local guides will have you fly-casting better than Brad Pitt in no time), boating on Flathead Lake, and great golf. Drive or take the train to Glacier.
NEBRASKA
KOA camping in Nebraska
Grand Island
More than 80,000 people flock to this region from March to mid-April to witness the annual spring stopover of a half-million sandhill cranes. It's really something to see-these three-and-a-half-foot tall birds seem to fall from the sky, landing feet-first into the Platte River. Nearly 90 percent of the world's sandhill crane population congregates here along a 60-mile stretch of the river between Grand Island and Kearney. Best viewing is in the mornings; on warm days, drive the roads north and south of the Platte, or get a great look from the wooden viewing platform located just south of the Alda exit. Everybody celebrates this magical event at Wings Over the Platte, a birding festival held annually in late March.
UTAH
KOA camping in Utah
Green River
Utah's Green River area is a paradise for outdoors-lovers. Fly fishers perfect their art in the Green River (several outfitters offer guide service), while brave souls take on the whitewater thrills of the Colorado, Green, and Salmon rivers on guided rafting trips. To completely get away from it all, simply drop a line in one of the area's pristine high mountain lakes.
Moab
It's not a stretch to call Canyonlands National Park one of the most dazzling landscapes in America. Set along dramatic cliffs of Wingate sandstone, Canyonlands Park is a colorful vista of canyons, mesas, and buttes sculpted by Mother Nature, criss-crossed by rivers. It's a perfect playground for hiking, biking, boating, and four-wheel-drive back country touring.
For day trippers, the Island in the Sky section of the park is the most accessible. Bring your mountain bikes and travel 100-mile White Rim Road for awesome views of a primitive desert environment.
WYOMING
KOA camping in Wyoming
Jackson
Breathtaking. Awesome. It's impossible to overstate the grandeur of the Tetons. Of course you'll want to explore Grand Teton National Park (the wildlife is as phenomenal as the scenery), but allow time to savor Wild West-flavored Jackson, with its cowboy bar and elk-antlered archway, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and perhaps a float trip on the Snake River.
Cody
A land of breathtaking scenery infused with the spirit of the West will capture your heart, as you relive the days of cowboy adventures. The remarkable Buffalo Bill Historical Center presents the largest collection of American West cultures, history and art in the world. You'll also delight in rodeos, panoramic mountain views and a whole host of outdoor adventure. Cowboy influence is still evident in Cody Country, and the area also hosts a selection of premiere outdoor recreation, rich history, Native American artifacts and the spectacular Shoshone National Forest. Ride or float a wild river, catch a trout, ride horses or check out nearby Yellowstone - America's First National Park.
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