PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Western USA .................. 225 Top Experiences ....... 6Need to Know ................. 18If You Like... ..................... 20Month by Month ............. 24Itineraries ........................ 27Route 66 & Scenic Drives ................... 32Outdoors ......................... 40Travel with Children ....... 49Regions at a Glance ....... 52

YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT

Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions

to help you put together your perfect trip

UNDERSTAND WESTERN USA

Western USA Today ....... 400History ............................. 402The People ...................... 412Native Americans ........... 415Western Cuisine ............. 419Arts & Architecture ........ 425The Land & Wildlife ........ 431

History-

--

-

-

Who Came The Land & Wildlife

-

-

The LandWhere the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs

ia QU

AK

ES

Great OutdoorsWestern landscapes inspire ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs,’ but it’s the sound of adventure – Whoosh! Splash! Kathunk! – that gives the scenery its punch. The big draw is the western coastline, stretching from the sunny shores of San Diego north past the blu s of central alifornia to the rocky, mood lled beaches of regon and Washington. Red rocks, plunging gorges and prickly-pear deserts are traveler bait in the Southwest where the biggest wonder is the rand anyon, a -mile stunner that shares its geologic treasures with a healthy dose of fun. In the Rockies, skiing, ice climb-ing and mountain-biking never looked so pretty. The best of the outdoor west? It’s encapsulated in northwest Wyoming, where

beauty and adventure were given their due in with the creation of ma estic ellowstone, merica’s rst national park.

Grapes, Green Chiles & Going LocalTravel in the west isn’t just about ogling the scenery. It’s also about immersing yourself in the culture, which is code for ‘digging into the food.’ Several dishes are represen-tative of local strengths and traditions:

sh tacos in San Diego, Sonoran dogs in Tucson, steak and potatoes in the Rockies, green chile sauces in New Mexico and wild salmon in the aci c Northwest. Regional specialties are as diverse as the landscapes. But these days there is one commonality –

Welcome to Western USA

“All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!”TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET

PAGE

2

PAGE

399GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP

Learn about the big picture, so you

can make sense of what you see

Yellowstone National Park

1 What makes Yellowstone (p276) the quintessential national park? Geologic wonders for one thing, from geysers and hot springs to fumaroles and mud pots. There’s also Mt Washburn, an

impressive central peak with inspiring views from its summit. Add in a towering waterfall, an historic inn and an abundance of bison, elk, moose and bears, and you’ve described perfection. And don’t

has the one-and-only Old Faithful, a beloved geyser still blowing its top for appreciative crowds.

DO

UG

LAS

ST

EA

KLEY / LO

NE

LY PLA

NE

T IMA

GES

©

25 TOP EXPERIENCES

Itiner-aries

Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide a starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet.com/thorntree to chat with other travelers.

#

Moab

LasVegas

Monum

ent

Valley

CanyonlandsNational Park

Grand CanyonNational Park

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ArchesNationalPark

É

#÷

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[ÙI15

#

##

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Nevada

Utah

ArizonaCalifornia

NewMexico

2 7

I SBN 978 -1 -74220 -591 -5

9 781742 205915

99225

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STAY IN TOUCH lonelyplanet.com/contact

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CITY• The original• Comprehensive• Adventurous

DISCOVER• Best-of• Photo-packed• Inspirational

POCKET• Pocket-sized• Easy-to-use• Highlights

REGIONAL• Cultural• Day trips & itineraries• In-depth

NATIONAL PARKS• Detailed itineraries• Hikes & drives• Family-friendly

western-usa-1-cover.indd 2western-usa-1-cover.indd 2 9/12/2011 12:12:12 PM9/12/2011 12:12:12 PM

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

Amy C Balfour Michael Benanav, Andrew Bender, Sara Benson,

Alison Bing, Nate Cavalieri, Sarah Chandler, Lisa Dunford, Bridget Gleeson, Beth Kohn, Bradley Mayhew, Carolyn B McCarthy,

Brendan Sainsbury, Andrea Schulte-Peevers, John A Vlahides

p56California

p301Southwest

p235Mountains

Rocky

p175Northwest

Pacific

TX

OK

KS

NE

SD

ND

WY

MT

ID

WA

OR

CO

UT

NMAZ

NVCA

YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE

In-depth reviews, detailed listings

and insider tips

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Directory A–Z ................. 440Transportation ............... 452Index ................................ 467Map Legend .................... 477

VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO

HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP

ON THE ROAD

seats for around $12 per day, but you must reserve them when booking.» In some states, motorcyclists are required to wear helmets.» On interstate highways, the speed limit is sometimes raised to 75mph. Unless otherwise posted, the speed

mit is generally 55mph or mph on highways, 25mph

mph in cities and towns w as 15mph in school

tly enforced ours). It’s for

isco

a Fe

Seattle

Yellowstone National Park

PAGE

54

PAGE

439

Look out for these icons:

o Our author’s recommendation S A green or

sustainable option F No payment required

CALIFORNIA . . . . . . . .56LOS ANGELES . . . . . . . . . . . . 61SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Disneyland & Anaheim . . . .85Orange County Beaches . . 89San Diego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Around San Diego . . . . . . . 101PALM SPRINGS & THE DESERTS . . . . . . . . . . . 101Palm Springs . . . . . . . . . . . .102Joshua Tree National Park . . . . . . . . . . .104Anza-Borrego Desert State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Mojave National Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106Death Valley National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107CENTRAL COAST . . . . . . . . 108Santa Barbara . . . . . . . . . . .108Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo . . . . . . . . . 111San Luis Obispo . . . . . . . . . 112Morro Bay to Hearst Castle . . . . . . . . . . . 113Big Sur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Carmel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Monterey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Santa Cruz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Santa Cruz to San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120SAN FRANCISCO & THE BAY AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . 121Marin County . . . . . . . . . . .146

Berkeley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA . .149Wine Country . . . . . . . . . . .149North Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . .154Sacramento . . . . . . . . . . . . .158Gold Country . . . . . . . . . . . .160Northern Mountains . . . . .162SIERRA NEVADA . . . . . . . . .163Yosemite National Park . . .163Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks . . . . . . . . . .168Eastern Sierra . . . . . . . . . . . 170Lake Tahoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

PACIFIC NORTHWEST . . . . . . . 175WASHINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . 181Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Around Seattle . . . . . . . . . .195Olympic Peninsula . . . . . . .196Northwest Washington . . .199San Juan Islands . . . . . . . .201North Cascades . . . . . . . . 203Northeastern Washington 204South Cascades . . . . . . . . 205Central & Southeastern Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

OREGON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Around Portland . . . . . . . . 220Willamette Valley . . . . . . . 220Columbia River Gorge . . . 223Oregon Cascades . . . . . . . 223Southern Oregon . . . . . . . 226

On the Road

See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.

Eastern Oregon . . . . . . . . . 229Oregon Coast . . . . . . . . . . 230

ROCKY MOUNTAINS . . .235COLORADO . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241Denver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241Front Range . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Central & Northern Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257Southern Colorado . . . . . 265

WYOMING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273Cheyenne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274Laramie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275Lander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275Cody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276Yellowstone National Park . . . . . . . . . . .276Grand Teton National Park . . . . . . . . . . 282Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283MONTANA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286Bozeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286Gallatin & Paradise Valleys 288Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288Billings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289Helena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289Missoula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290Flathead Lake . . . . . . . . . . 292Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex . . . . 292Whitefish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293Glacier National Park . . . 293IDAHO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295Boise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Ketchum & Sun Valley . . . 297Stanley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299Idaho Panhandle . . . . . . . 300

SOUTHWEST . . . . . . .301NEVADA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306Las Vegas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306Around Las Vegas . . . . . . .318Western Nevada . . . . . . . . .319Nevada Great Basin . . . . . 323

ARIZONA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324Phoenix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325Flagstaff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334Central Arizona . . . . . . . . . 335Grand Canyon National Park . . . . . . . . . . 339Around the Grand Canyon 344Northeastern Arizona . . . 344Western Arizona . . . . . . . . 347Tucson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348Around Tucson . . . . . . . . . .351Southeastern Arizona . . . 352

UTAH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353Salt Lake City . . . . . . . . . . 354Park City & the Wasatch Mountains . . . . . 359Northeastern Utah . . . . . . 363Southeastern Utah. . . . . . 364Southwestern Utah . . . . . 368

NEW MEXICO . . . . . . . . . . . 373Albuquerque . . . . . . . . . . . .374Along I-40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379Santa Fe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379Around Santa Fe . . . . . . . . 385

Taos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387Northwestern New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . 390Northeastern New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . .391Southwestern New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . .391Southeastern New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

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OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their fi rst travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.

Today, Lonely Planet has offi ces in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

Amy C Balfour Coordinating Author, Southwest Amy has hiked, biked, skied and gambled her way across the Southwest, fi nding herself returning again and again to Flagstaff , Monument Valley and, always, the Grand Canyon. On this trip she fell hard for Bisbee and Chiricahua National Monument. When she’s not daydreaming about red rocks and green chile hamburgers, she’s writing about food, travel and the outdoors. Amy has authored or co-authored 11 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, including Los Angeles Encounter, California, Hawaii and Arizona.

Michael Benanav Southwest Michael came to New Mexico in 1992 and quickly fell under its spell; soon after, he moved to a rural village in the Sangre de Cristo foothills, where he still lives. A veteran international traveler, he can’t imagine a better place to come home to after a trip. Aside from his work for Lonely Planet, he’s authored two nonfi ction books and writes and photographs for magazines and newspapers. Read more about Michael at www.michaelbenanav.com.

Andrew Bender California Andy is a true Angeleno, not because he was born in Los Angeles but be-cause he’s made it his own. Two decades ago, this native New Englander packed up the car and drove cross-country to work in fi lm production, and eventually realized that the joy was in the journey (and writing about it). His work has since appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Forbes and over two dozen Lonely Planet titles. Current obsessions: discovering LA’s next great ethnic enclave, and winter sunsets over the bike path in Santa Monica. Read more about Andy at www.wheres-andy-now.com.

Sara Benson California After graduating from college in Chicago, Sara jumped on a plane to California with just one suitcase and $100 in her pocket. She has bounced around the Golden State ever since, in between stints living in Asia and Hawaii and working as a national park ranger. The author of 50 travel and nonfi ction books, Sara dodged avalanches in Lake Tahoe and rockslides along Big Sur’s splendid coast while writing this guide. Follow her adventures online at www.indietraveler.blogspot.com and www.twitter.com/indie_traveler.

Read more about Amy at:lonelyplanet.com/members/amycbalfour

Read more about Sara at:lonelyplanet.com/members/Sara_Benson

OUR WRITERS

Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason-able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi-mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9831st edition – April 2012ISBN 978 1 74220 591 5© Lonely Planet 2012 Photographs © as indicated 201210 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Printed in SingaporeAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.

OVERPAGE

MORE WRITERS

Alison Bing California After 18 years in San Francisco, Alison has done everything you’re supposed to do in the city and some things you’re defi nitely not, including falling in love on the Haight St bus and eating a Mission burrito in one sitting. Alison contributes to Lonely Planet’s Venice, USA, San Francisco and Morocco guides from home bases in San Francisco and Central Italy. Alison holds de-grees in art history and international relations – respectable diplomatic creden-

tials she regularly undermines with opinionated culture commentary for newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and books, including Lonely Planet’s USA Trips, California, San Francisco and San Francisco Encounter guides.

Nate Cavalieri California A native of central Michigan, Nate Cavalieri lives in Northern California and has crisscrossed the region’s back roads by bicycle, bus and rental car on a tireless search for the biggest trees, the best camping and the hoppiest pints of craft beer. In addition to authoring guides on California and Latin America for Lonely Planet, he writes about jazz and pop music and is the Jazz Editor at Rhapsody Music Service. His website is www.natecavalieri.com.

Sarah Chandler Southwest Long enamored of Sin City’s gritty enchantments, Sarah jumped at the chance to sharpen her blackjack skills while delving into the atomic and alien mysteries of rural Nevada. In Vegas, Sarah learned the secret art of bypass-ing velvet ropes, bounced from buff ets to pool parties, and explored the seedy vintage glamour of downtown. Sarah is currently based between the US and Amsterdam, where she works as a writer, actress, and lecturer at Amsterdam University College. When in doubt, she always doubles down.

Lisa Dunford Southwest As one of the possibly thousands of great, great grand-daughters of Brigham Young, ancestry fi rst drew Lisa to Utah. But it’s the incredible red rocks that keep her coming back. Driving the remote backroads outside Bluff , she was once again reminded how here the earth seems at its most elemental. Before becoming a freelance Lonely Planet author 10 years ago, Lisa was a newspaper editor and writer in South Texas. Lisa co-authored Lonely Planet’s Zion & Bryce Canyon National Parks.

Bridget Gleeson California A journalist who divides her time between California and Argentina, Bridget has written about food, wine, hotels and adventure travel for Budget Travel, Afar, Delta Sky, Jetsetter, Continental, Tablet Hotels and Mr & Mrs Smith. Follow her travels at www.bridgetgleeson.com.

Beth Kohn California A lucky long-time resident of San Francisco, Beth lives to be playing outside or splashing in big puddles of water. For this guide, she hiked and biked Bay Area byways, lugged a bear canister along the John Muir Trail and selfl essly soaked in hot springs – for research purposes, of course. An author of Lonely Planet’s Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks and California guides. You can see more of Beth’s work at www.bethkohn.com.

Bradley Mayhew Rocky Mountains An expat Brit, Bradley currently calls southeastern Montana home. Half a lifetime of travels through Central Asia, Tibet and Mongolia has made him feel quite at home in Big Sky country. He is the coordinating author of a dozen Lonely Planet guides, including Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Central Asia and Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks and he hikes nearby Yellowstone Park and the Beartooth Mountains every chance he gets. Read more about Bradley at www.bradleymayhew.blogspot.com.

Read more about Bridget at:lonelyplanet.com/members/bridgetgleeson

Carolyn B McCarthy Rocky Mountains Carolyn became enamored of the Rockies as an undergraduate at Colorado College. She studied, skied and hiked her way through the region, even working as a boot fi tter. In the last seven years she has contributed to over a dozen Lonely Planet titles and has written for National Geographic, Outside, Lonely Planet Magazine and other publications. You can follow her Americas blog at www.carolynswildblueyonder.blogspot.com.

Brendan Sainsbury Rocky Mountains, Pacifi c Northwest UK-born Brendan lives in White Rock in Canada within baseball-pitching distance (well, almost) of the USA and the Pacifi c Northwest. He has been researching the area for Lonely Planet since 2007 and his forays across the border have included fi ne-dining in the San Juan Islands, hitchhiking in western Montana and running 100 miles unassisted across the Cascade Mountains in a so-called endurance race. Brendan is also a co-author of Lonely Planet’s current Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

Andrea Schulte-Peevers California Andrea fell in love with California – its pizzazz, people and sunshine – almost the instant she landed in the Golden State. She grew up in Germany, lived in London and traveled the world before getting a degree from UCLA and em-barking on a career in travel writing. Andrea has written or contributed to some 60 Lonely Planet books, including several editions of this one as well as the guides to California and Los Angeles & Southern California.

John A Vlahides California John A Vlahides co-hosts the TV series Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled, screening on National Geographic Channels International. John studied cooking in Paris, with the same chefs who trained Julia Child, and is a for-mer luxury-hotel concierge and member of Les Clefs d’Or, the international union of the world’s elite concierges. He lives in San Francisco, where he sings tenor with the San Francisco Symphony, and spends free time skiing the Sierra Nevada. Read more about John at JohnVlahides.com, Twitter.com/JohnVlahides.

Read more about John at:lonelyplanet.com/members/johnvlahides

Read more about Brendan at:lonelyplanet.com/members/brendansainsbury

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