The Best of the Northwest: Wyoming, Montana and Washington

You’ll be leaving Salt Lake City as quickly as you arrived, because today is all about road-tripping. Pick up your car this morning and hit the open road for roughly five hours, crossing the state line to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Drop your bags at your modern mountain hotel, where roaring fires, indoor pools and steaming saunas are considered standard, and spend the day getting acquainted with the town’s false-front roof lines, covered wooden walkways and saloons. Art exhibits and museums abound in the town, too, so if you catch yourself needing to escape the heat, ogling at colourful canvases in air-conditioned galleries is sure to do the trick.

Your next two days in Jackson Hole are for grand exploration in Grand Teton National Park. Choose between a sunrise or sunset safari and prepare to be amazed as you weave through craggy peaks to crystal-clear alpine lakes and coniferous forests. Watch as elk, bison, antelope, black bears and mule deer come to take their morning/evening drink and, with the knowledge of your naturalist guide, discover how these stoic creatures have learnt to adapt to the area’s harsh conditions. For the rest of your time, we recommend doing as locals do: sipping on craft ales in saloons, cheering on riders at the rodeo and taking a dip in the nearby hot springs. You can’t leave without learning how to swing and line dance at the local honkytonks either.

The next part of your road trip will take you two-and-a-half hours to Yellowstone National Park. Enjoy the views of the great plains that stretch before you and the 13,000ft-tall Teton mountain range that rises up behind them. Say hello to the resident bison and deer that’ll be sure to greet you as you enter the park boundary and look on in awe as you speed past its showstopper geysers and hot springs. Check in to your rustic lodge, where you’ll spend the next two nights. Tuck into a well-deserved lunch at the hotel’s grill before heading over to the world-famous Old Faithful geyser. Spend the rest of your time exploring its natural beauties, including Artist Point, the Morning Glory Pool and Norris Geyser Basin, which bubbles like a kettle at over 232°C. Reserve your evenings for drinks on the veranda, watching the sun sink behind its sweeping grassland.

Another day, another state. Back in your trusty rental, it’s just a two-and-a-half-hour drive north to Gardiner. Located on the border between Wyoming and Montana, this town has the best of both worlds. The Yellowstone River runs right through it, meaning, once you’ve settled into your next rustic lodge, you’ve got plenty of opportunity to explore its banks on boat and foot. A stay in Gardiner isn’t complete without a visit to the famous Lamar Valley, near the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. With a private naturalist guide leading the way, you’ll have no problem finding the best vantage points to spot wild animals such as wolves, bears, bison, antelopes and birds.

Today you’ll leave small-town America for small-city America. After a quick (in American terms) four-hour 280-mile car ride, you’ll be right in the thick of it in Montana’s second-largest city, Missoula. Steeped in history, this university town has been everything from a pitstop on Lewis and Clark’s famous expedition and a movie star in the Brad Pitt-starred A River Runs Through It. Now, it's most known for its vibrant art, culture and literary scene. See a ballet, opera or play, catch a concert or festival at bustling Caras Park downtown on the Clark Fork River. Or, stretch your legs on a hike up the nearby Blodgett Canyon Overlook.

With Missoula’s skyline getting smaller and smaller in your rearview mirror, it’s onto your next destination: Whitefish. Put your rental in cruise control for the two-and-a-half-hour drive along the US-93 and Highway 35 to this small mountain town, nestled in the neck of the state’s Big Mountain. This vibrant town was built around a shared appreciation of the wild, so expect the next four days to be about the great outdoors. Head into its surrounding 3,000 acres of uncrowded terrain or venture further afield to Glacier National Park for ranger-led tours and biking and hiking adventures. With a three-day reservation for the park too, you’ll have plenty of time to see all that it has to offer. Spend your evenings at your luxurious lodge overlooking Whitefish Lake, or head into the town for dinner and drinks at its grills and boat club bars.

Today, you’ll be up and at ‘em for another four-hour road trip across state to Washington. Just across the state line, in Spokane, you’ll drop your bags at a downtown hotel where you’ll spend the night. Rest your legs in its pool or hot tub before heading into town for a spot of retail therapy and mooch around its many museums and art galleries. If you time it right, you may be able to catch an ice hockey game, cheering on the Spokane Chiefs, or a baseball game at the Avista Stadium.

Hit the highway one last time to Seattle. The journey should take just over four hours, so crank up the tunes, pass a drive-thru’ or two (it's the American way, after all) and enjoy the open road. Once you’ve reached your Seattle hotel and dropped your bags at your boutique hotel, just a few blocks from the city’s waterfront, the day is yours to explore the ‘Emerald City’. If you’re peckish, head to Pike Place. If you’re thirsty, get in line at the nearby Starbucks (the first in the world). And, if you’re craving a hit of pop culture, spend a few hours at the city’s museum dedicated to it.

A stay in Seattle wouldn’t be complete without a trip up the futuristic Space Needle. Originally built for the 1963 World Fair, it has since become an icon of the city. Enjoy 360-degree views at its top and, if you fancy, enjoy lunch in its rotating restaurant. Fans of Grey’s Anatomy should stop by Kerry Park for a familiar sight over the city, and continue on to Queen Anne Hill to ogle at Meredith’s original home.

Head out of the city for a day to Discovery Park, which offers 534 acres of lush urban respite. Take on its twelve miles of walking trails to coastal bluffs, tidal beaches, serene meadows and wooded groves. Or, hop on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Explore its book and coffee shops, clothing boutiques and cafés that line Winslow Way, or head to Waterfront Park and City Dock for an easy hike along the shore.