Photography: Courtesy Fort Worth Convention and Vistors Bureau From Fort Worth, Texas, to Cody, Wyoming, we've identified seven destinations centered around Western culture, entertainment, and history. Explore them all. How did we single out just seven iconic towns that shaped the West from the hundreds of others out there? Being rigorously subjective helped. So did limited paper and ink supplies. And so did the name test. You know what we’re talking about: Say the name of any historic town straight out of the Old West, and if something hits you just like that, there’s your indicator. Maybe that something is an old Gunsmoke episode or a climactic scene from Viva Zapata! shot just outside Durango or on an L.A. movie set stand-in for Dodge City. Maybe it triggers a legendary name — Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane, a corral with the letters O and K. Maybe it’s a Gateway Arch or a Yogi Berra one-liner about a restaurant in St. Louis: “That place is so crowded, nobody goes there anymore.” A Will Rogers quip (oft-repeated by close friend and Star-Telegram publisher Amon Carter) about how “Fort Worth is where the West begins, and Dallas is where the East peters out.” A river called the Shoshone. A narrow-gauge train bound for Silverton. A new retail center in an old cowboy haunt named after the Sundance Kid. Rest assured, there are more than seven iconic towns that shaped the West. But say any of these aloud and we promise you this: Something will hit you, and in an instant, you’ll be transported. And don’t skip over our editors’ picks for people, places, and passions that keep the West alive. 7 Iconic Western Towns Click on the name of each town for our handy guide to its attractions, history, and culture. • Fort Worth, Texas • Dodge City, Kansas • Deadwood, South Dakota • Durango, Colorado • Tombstone, Arizona • St. Louis, Missouri • Cody, Wyoming Order a print copy of the May/June 2017 Best of the West edition of Cowboys & Indians and other back issues here. Explore:DestinationsHistoryTravel

These beautiful National Park trails should be on any hiker’s bucket list. Here are the ultimate trails to hit this season—and the proper footwear.

We’ve got vacation ideas in the West for folks who live on the edge and folks who just want to relax. America’s long infatuation with road trips of all kinds has always transcended the beaten path — especially in the West. Up a glaciated mountain in the Cascades with crampons. Behind a team of huskies in the Alaskan outback. On an endless stretch of mountain bike single track along the Continental Divide. In a sea kayak, jeep, or twin-engine Piper Navajo. By steam-powered train or dual-sport motorcycle. Aboard a Hummer in the Arizona desert, a helicopter in the Black Hills, a sand rail in the Oregon dunes, a bobsled in Park City, Utah, a paraglider off the edge of California ... Or on a horse, of course. What inspired us to list 25 top off-road adventures in the West, featuring just as many different modes of conveyance (including our own two feet)? Well, we had to stop somewhere. Plus, what better way to celebrate the magazine’s silver anniversary than by spotlighting 25 transporting experiences in so many of our favorite places? Some of these trips can be done in an hour or three. Others may require days, weeks, or even months, and some serious planning. And many might be a little too adventurous for your taste. That’s why we’re rounding things out with a bevy of milder experiences. Dog Sled You don’t have to be Iditarod material to have a doggedly good time learning the ropes behind a tireless team of Alaskan canines. Sign up for dog-sledding school with Paws for Adventure and you’ll be warming up to Fairbanks in winter as fast as you can say “mush.” The 20-year-old company introduces clients to the sport with some basic training and terminology: how to harness, snow hook, ride the runners, and safely establish a working relationship with a three- to four-dog team. Then it’s time to put new skills to the test on a 10-mile “Fun Run” through the nearby field and spruce forest. Follow it up with one of several dog-sledding overnight offerings, including a three-day beginner’s tour and a six-day mush along the Denali Highway from Paxson to Maclaren Lodge. Where: Fairbanks, Alaska When: November – March (November – January for mushing school) Why: As much as we can appreciate a good snowmobile ride, mushing is Alaska’s official state sport for good reason. Sandrail No, it’s not a mirage. Those enormous sand dunes rolling from Highway 101 to the Pacific Ocean for 40 miles along the central Oregon coast are really there. Predictably enough, so are a handful of roadside operators in and around the sleepy town of Florence waiting to give you an unforgettable spin through Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal sand dunes on the planet. ATVs and dune buggies have their rightful place in this mini desertscape. But for the real stomach dropper, there’s the sandrail — a low-slung, barebones race-car version of a dune buggy built for handling this terrain like a Lamborghini would. Where: Florence, Oregon When: March – December Why: Best thrill ride on the West Coast’s biggest dunes. Photography: Jason Merlo/Courtesy Tikchik Narrows Lodge Raft It’s where Big Bend National Park gets its name — from that broad canyon-flanked crescent of the Rio Grande where you can “go for days without seeing another boater,” notes the National Park Service. It’s also where dedicated adventure-seekers making it all the way out here are richly rewarded with one of the best float trips between deep West Texas and the rest of the universe. Visitors can opt for single- or multiday floats with veteran local adventure tour operator Far Flung Outdoor Center, headquartered near the old ghost towns of Terlingua and Lajitas. A favorite section: Santa Elena Canyon — featuring 1,500-foot canyon walls, myriad wildlife, and a growing suspicion that you have the whole world to yourself. Where: Big Bend Park, Texas When: Spring and fall — for milder temperatures and more stabilized river flow Why: Coolest Float trip after a very long drive Train Thanks to our resilient fondness for train travel and some dedicated preservationists, vintage trains are still chugging through the California redwoods, Alaskan Klondike Gold Rush country, the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the canyons of Utah and New Mexico. For sheer history, scenery, and vertiginous drama all in one 45.4-mile ride aboard an 1880s-era passenger car pulled by a century-old steam locomotive, there’s no time machine quite like southwest Colorado’s Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Rolling from Durango to the once-booming mining town of Silverton (now a National Historic Landmark), the trip climbs to more than 9,300 feet along a narrow, winding route above the Animas River Valley that could only have been inspired by late-19th-century gold and silver fever. Gape out the window or from a seat in the open-air gondola. See also: the Colorado-New Mexico Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Where: Durango, Colorado When: May 5 – October 27 (shorter winter trips available November – May) Why: The ultimate 19th-century thrill ride on a historic narrow-gauge railway Mountain bike Twenty years ago, the Adventure Cycling Association launched the mother of all off-road “bikepacking” trails — the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route — roughly tracing the Continental Divide for more than 2,700 miles through two Canadian provinces and five Western American states. Yes, hardcore mountain bikers complete the entire trail every year and there is an annual self-supported race open to both single-speed and tandem bicycles. No, you don’t have to go it alone, do the entire GDMBR, or break the current speed record (13 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes) to fully appreciate this ever-evolving mountain-biking masterwork. Favorite doable portions of the largely dirt and gravel route run through Alberta’s Flathead Valley, Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, Colorado’s Boreas Pass, and New Mexico’s remote Gila Wilderness. This year, the ACA will be hosting five guided tours along select spots, ranging from British Columbia’s Wigwam River Valley to Wyoming’s high plains to a sky-scraping spin through the Colorado Rockies. Where: Select routes between Banff, Alberta, and Antelope Wells, New Mexico When: Spring, summer, and fall Why: Pedal the world’s longest mountain-bike route — or a supreme leg of it. Photography: Paul Reiffer Horse Doing the 17-mile scenic drive past the Mittens and other instantly recognizable sandstone mega-sculptures from Stagecoach and several more of your favorite westerns may be the first order of business. Getting on a horse and riding off into the sunset and/or sunrise in this remote 91,000-acre Navajo Tribal Park and iconic movie setting (John Ford alone shot 10 films here) takes you to an entirely different place. Monument Valley horseback rides — bookable through authorized Navajo guides within the park — range from hourlong rambles to full-day trips into the backcountry with an overnight in a traditional Navajo hogan. Where: Monument Valley, Navajo Tribal Park, Utah-Arizona border When: Temperate shoulder seasons — spring or fall Why: It’s the closest you’ll get to starring in your own John Ford movie. Jet Boat Tough as it is to turn your back on southern Oregon’s dramatic sea-stack-adorned Pacific Coast, one of the biggest temptations to point your outboard inland hides in the sleepy town of Gold Beach. Here’s where the historic Rogue River — one of eight original rivers included in 1968’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act — meanders through the state’s most awe-inspiring forest-draped outback. And here’s where visitors can bounce up and down a not-so-lazy river — past schools of steelhead and lone fishermen in waders; through peaceful valleys, roaring canyons, old-growth pinelands, and lost-in-time river towns where the mail is still delivered by watercraft — on a specially designed hydro jet boat. Launched in 1958, Jerry’s Rogue Jets plies the white-water-laced Rogue on 64-, 80-, and 104-mile round-trip river odysseys, piloted by mail-delivering local guides whizzing passengers through outer Oregon’s wildest, wettest, and (since 1895) most die-hard postal route. Where: Gold Beach, Oregon When: May 1 – October 15 Why: The mail just isn’t delivered this way back home. Photography: Rob Hammer Hikingboot How do we get away with recommending a 2,650-mile hiking trail covering the mountain-spined lengths of three giant Western states for your next little walkabout? By singling out a few stellar legs of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) to sample before taking those thru-hiker dreams to the next level. California: The greatest hits of Sierra Nevada backcountry are everywhere along the 215-mile John Muir Trail, stretching from Yosemite National Park to the summit of Mount Whitney. Oregon: Follow the PCT/Timberline Trail into Mount Hood’s Paradise Park for gorgeous wildflower shows and magnificent views of the state’s highest peak. Washington: Way up in the Cascades, Goat Rocks Crest has been called “the PCT’s aesthetic high point” by Backpacker magazine, featuring prize vistas of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens. For hiking and equestrian intel along the PCT — from safety and logistics to permits, gear, and volunteer programs — visit the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Where: Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail When: Late spring (Southern California) – late summer (Northern California through Washington) Why: Any spectacular portion of the West’s epic hiking trail will suffice. Snowmobile Lake Tahoe’s ski resorts hog most of the attention in California/Nevada’s famed winter playground. That leaves miles of prime snowy backcountry open to small convoys of snowmobilers blasting through some of the finest machine-groomed track and off-trail powder “roads” in the Sierras. Ride to the crest of 8,200-foot Mount Watson with Lake Tahoe Snowmobile Tours. Zip through the pine-studded meadows and ridgelines of Tahoe National Forest with Eagle Ridge Snowmobile Tours. Or set out even farther through the Truckee-Tahoe backcountry with Coldstream Adventures. For a full list of snowmobile outfitters, contact the area’s North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe visitors centers. Where: Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada When: Late November — Mid-April Why: Best way to make bigger tracks in Sierra country. Photography: Courtesy West 106 Motorcycle Adventures Dual-Sport Motorcycle What’s even more liberating for easy riders than sharing all those Rocky Mountain freeways with SUV and RV summer traffic? Straddling a dual-sport motorbike and disappearing even deeper into the Wild West, to where the two-lane blacktop ends and the gravel- and dirt-road magic really begins. For able riders looking to push that freedom envelope a touch further, Golden, Colorado-based 106 West Motorcycle Adventures offers some of the most comprehensive guided backcountry runs between greater Denver and outer Utah. With a fleet of BMW and Triumph dual-sport bikes built for this demanding terrain, their trips typically range from eight to 14 days. A best-of-both-worlds “Mountains and Canyons” two-week odyssey loops from Golden through Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and Utah’s canyons, passing Native ruins and old mining towns along the way, with stops in seven national parks and monuments. Where: Colorado and Utah When: June – October Why: Throttle through the real Rocky Mountain and canyon country backroads on the perfect pair of wheels. Stagecoach The most well-heeled 19th-century stagecoach commuters would’ve dreamed of a ride like this, beginning and ending as it does at a Forbes-rated five-star luxury guest ranch nestled in a secluded valley in the heart of Big Sky Country. The Ranch at Rock Creek’s lineup of wilderness adventures includes horseback rides through 6,600 acres of rolling backcountry, mountain biking along 20 miles of scenic trails, and wading through freestone mountain streams with a fly-fishing rod. There’s also the rare opportunity to ride inside the plush upholstered cabin of a fully restored Wells Fargo stagecoach, pulled by two Belgian mares through a particularly beautiful patch of timeless Montana. A vehicular no-brainer for Western culture-seekers of all ages. During winter, the coach’s wood wheels are replaced with runners for horse-drawn sleigh rides — wool blankets, cocoa, and satisfied sighs included. Where: Philipsburg, Montana When: June 1 – September 1 Why: The Pony Express is long gone, but is there a nicer place to briefly pretend? Courtesy Ride The Ducks of Seattle Amphibious Vehicle Much as we love Seattle, rolling past Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, and the Space Needle on the usual tourist bus doesn’t scream off-road adventure — even if your guide is a clever punster in a plastic Viking hat named Clem Chowder. Ride the Ducks of Seattle covers all of those mandatory must-sees on the first leg of what appears to be a standard bus tour. On the second leg, you’re in for a surprise when the vehicle abruptly turns into a watercraft and drives straight into lovely Lake Union, gliding past houseboats, taking in sweet offshore skyline views, and providing a roadless reason to include at least one splashy city tour on this list. Where: Seattle When: Year-round Why: For the sheer novelty of driving into a large urban lake on a fun city bus tour. Hummer You can admire only so much roadside saguaro in southern Arizona before lapsing into cruise-control mode. The cure: a reviving four-hour plunge into the area’s rugged outback in an H1 Hummer chauffeured by a Sonoran Desert naturalist. Leaving Scottsdale in the dust, Arizona Hummer Tours runs half-day adventures along old stagecoach trails, past desolate canyons, and through roadless desertscapes fit for an abnormally wide, resilient 4x4. Highlight stops along the way include visits to an old ghost town and 1,000-year-old Indian fort, indigenous wildlife sightings (tarantulas, scorpions, Gila monsters, coyotes, and more), and a desert sunset vista that could rejuvenate even the most desiccated spirit. Where: Phoenix, Arizona When: Year-round Why: A rental car only gets you so far in the Valley of the Sun. Photography: Courtesy Pink Adventure Tours Pink Jeep Red rock country doesn’t get much more fictitious-looking than Sedona — a feel-good magnet of glowing buttes, canyons, hoodoos, mesas, vortexes, and New Age-y storefronts that, amazingly, have not been color-enhanced in the slightest. Where else could a conspicuous fleet of Pink Jeep Tours vehicles have been launched, acquainting visitors with Sedona’s blindingly beautiful outback for the last half century in extremely color-enhanced 4x4s? Choose from several backcountry rides through some of the reddest rockscapes in the West — along with stops at Native art sites and Sinagua cliff dwellings that predate the earliest pink Wranglers by several centuries. Where: Sedona, Arizona When: Year-round Why: Even the brightest 4x4 can’t upstage Sedona’s natural tones. Mule Not that we would suggest you shrink from the challenge of walking that vertical mile to the bottom of the Grand Canyon — and then (yep) all the way back up again. Just know that the 600,000-plus folks over the last 130 years who have opted to go on muleback have had few regrets about partnering up with the finest hiking companion on four legs. Book your mule at least a year in advance with park concessionaire Xanterra for the overnight ride from the park’s South Rim with an evening at historic Phantom Ranch on the canyon floor. For quieter North Rim mule trips, contact Canyon Trail Rides. Where: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona When: Year-round (South Rim), May 15 – October 15 (North Rim) Why: Whose hooves look sturdier here? Yours or theirs? Photography: Gene Sweeney JR./ Courtesy Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation Bobsled Park City’s proudest property is Olympic Park, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics and a 1,335-meter, 15-curve luge-bobsled-skeleton track that still sees plenty of warp-speed action — and not just for the next crop of world-class sliding hopefuls. Also welcome here: Winter “Comet” Bobsled Ride thrill-seekers eager to climb inside an official three-passenger bobsled behind a certified pilot for an 80-mph, 5G “Comet” ride down one of the world’s fastest sliding tracks. After your adrenaline normalizes, you’ll never think of gravity in the same way again. Where: Park City, Utah When: December – April Why: You don’t have to be a Winter Olympian to blast down an official bobsled track like a human missile. Helicopter Hovering in a helicopter with private panoramic views and noise-reducing headphones is something everyone should try at least once. One of our favorite places to splurge above the crowds: South Dakota’s Black Hills — home to millions of annual Mount Rushmore pilgrims, and a few lucky folks whirlybirding at presidential eye level. Custer-based Black Hills Aerial Adventures runs chopper trips in and around the country’s most iconic memorial. Its flagship, 24-mile Mount Rushmore Tour (out of the Crazy Horse Heliport) includes a memorable face-to-face meeting with the four presidents and a bonus flyby at Crazy Horse Memorial. Where: Custer, South Dakota When: May – October Why: Greet the Mount Rushmore presidents and Crazy Horse at eye level. Photography: Courtesy San Juan Island Outfitters Sea Kayak Glide out of Roche Harbor on the quiet west side of Washington’s San Juan Island in a sea kayak. Paddle into the saltwater tidelands of the Salish Sea. And you’re home. Home, that is, to a natural marine land of seals, otters, sea lions, oystercatchers, great blue herons, bald eagles — and one of the top orca habitats within easy paddling distance from a gorgeous archipelago. Around 80 whales from three resident pods frequent the waters of the newly proposed “Killer Whale Sanctuary” in this sheltered saltwater wilderness featuring postcard-perfect Pacific Northwest isles in every direction. Head out for a half-day, 10-mile West Side Killer Whale Sanctuary Tour with San Juan Outfitters during prime orca-viewing summer months and you stand a reasonable chance of spying a 6-foot dorsal fin along the way. Where: San Juan Island, Washington When: July and August, for best orca viewing Why: Best paddle through prime killer-whale territory. Paraglider Some serious aerial history has been logged off the 300-foot bluffs of Torrey Pines Gliderport, a storied launchpad just north of the tony shores of La Jolla near San Diego. A National Landmark of Soaring and registered Historic Place that’s home to some of the nation’s top paragliders and hang gliders, this is where Charles Lindbergh flew along the coast in a Bowlus sailplane in 1930, along with a who’s who of legendary local aviators (William Hawley Bowlus, Bud Perl, Bill Beuby) who have given this place its nickname: the “Kitty Hawk of the West.” Offering a full lineup of beginner to advanced paragliding classes and clinics, the Gliderport is also popular with first-time tandem riders coming to check this one off the list as a wide-eyed passenger. Where: La Jolla, California When: Year-round Why: Launch your first flight in the Kitty Hawk of the West. Photography: Paul Sundberg Canoe In his 12-chapter classic, Charles Kuralt’s America, the late, great CBS News icon and On the Road correspondent chose a favorite place to spend each month of a single year. July led him to Ely, Minnesota, and a cabin with a canoe in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness — home to more than a million acres of pristine lake country with almost no sign of human interference save the occasional Indian pictograph or faded portage footprint. “If it is absolute solitude you want, you have only to paddle far enough,” Kuralt wrote about northern Minnesota’s vast liquid landscape preserved to sustain the spirit of the French Voyageurs of 200 years ago. “You could keep this up, visiting a different lake every day, for a hundred years, and you still wouldn’t get to all the lakes.” Today, Ely and its neighboring Boundary Waters are still commonly called “The Canoe Capital of the World.” A quick “BWCA-Outfitters” Google search will lead you to more rental and tour operators than you could shake a paddle at. Where: Ely, Minnesota When: Summer – early fall Why: Charles Kuralt would never steer you wrong. 1970s Australia Army Vehicle Hiding off a lonely stretch of I-80 in southwestern Wyoming’s high desert that might otherwise still pass for Overland Trail country, Sweetwater County doesn’t draw the same tourism hordes as Jackson Hole, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone a few hundred miles north. But if you want to see the wild horses, this is your place. For 15 years, Green River Wild Horse Tours has been introducing visitors to one of the largest remaining populations of wild and feral horses roaming the West. Specifically on a vast sagebrush- and sandstone-blanketed swath of backcountry called Pilot Butte that interstate drivers whiz right past without a blink. The off-road vehicle: a 1970s all-terrain Austrian Pinzgauer military truck that almost always finds its herd. Where: Green River, Wyoming When: Late spring – early fall Why: Roam the West’s most underappreciated wild-horse reserve. Photography: Jeff Schultz Flightseeing Plane Of course there are roads in Alaska. But in the nation’s largest, wildest corner, you won’t be doing much driving if you want to see brown bears up close on a remote beach in a national park (with Homer Air). Or gape down at the “Grand Canyon of the North” in Misty Fjords National Monument (with Misty Fjords Air). Or meet the fish in Lake Clark National Park & Preserve (with Lake Clark Air). Or land on a glacier in Denali National Park (with Talkeetna Air Taxi). Notice an upward trend here? In a state with hundreds of commercial airline operators, Alaska is flightseeing nirvana. Typically aboard a Cessna, Piper Navajo, or DeHavilland Beaver operated by a seasoned commercial bush pilot flying you about as far off the Delta and United Airlines grid as you can get in one big country. For a first glimpse of carriers offering a range of destinations and itineraries, visit the Alaska Air Carriers Association. Where: Coastal Alaska When: May – late September Why: Look 500 feet below you. See any roads? Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) Mention Moab to singletrack fans and the immediate connotation is two wheels, a good set of bicycle shocks, and the world-famous Slickrock Trail. Double-trackers opting for a gas pedal have their run of Utah’s red-rock recreation mecca, too — along hundreds of miles of old mining roads and 4x4 routes that feel specially designed for the latest Polaris or Kawasaki. Guided UTV tours cater to every off-road comfort level here, from beginner-friendly backcountry routes with names like Secret Spire and Chicken Corners to more adrenaline-pumping four-wheel drive experiences like the favorite Hell’s Revenge Trail. For rentals and tour outfitters, contact the Moab Information Center. Where: Moab, Utah When: March – October Why: Four wheels are at least as fun as two in the Southwest’s prime red-rock ’n’ rolling adventure playground. Photography: Stephen Matera Crampon Few voluntary endeavors are as humbling and exhilarating as climbing a big snowy mountain. Novice climbers can learn the ropes safely and thrillingly with the Bellingham-based American Alpine Institute, one of the country’s most respected climbing schools and guide services. AAI’s classic climbing 101 class — Alpinism I — is the six-day Alpine Mountaineering course in and around Washington’s North Cascades. Day 1 has students belaying and rappelling at an idyllic rock climbing site on the Pacific Coast, followed by five days of camping and mountaineering training on the glaciers of Mount Baker, with a final day summit push, conditions permitting. If you’ve caught the mountaineering bug after that, AAI leads trips even higher, in the Alps, Andes, and Himalayas. Where: Bellingham and Mount Baker, Washington When: May – September Why: Learn the ropes of mountaineering with a top climbing school in the Cascades. Back Country Skis Or Snowshoes When the snow falls and the sun shines in Sun Valley (which it does in reliably equal measure at the West’s original ski resort), there’s no better place to snap on the cross-country boards, skins, or snowshoes and vanish into your own private Idaho. The Pioneers. The Smokies. The Sawtooths. Those magnificent mountain ranges ringing Sun Valley are secretly equipped with some of the finest backcountry ski trails and cozy rustic digs for multiday backcountry ski adventurers of all levels. Two favorite overnight hideaways here — Fishhook Yurt (comfy bunks, heating and cooking stoves, and a hot tub perched at 6,800 feet beside a trickling mountain creek) and Bench Hut (wood-fired sauna, powdery hills right outside the door, board games if you need them) — are just 4 miles apart on a set of hut-to-hut trails that don’t see any lift lines. Book through local outfitter and guide service Sun Valley Trekking. Where: Sun Valley, Idaho When: Winter Why: Yurt euphoria in the Sawtooths. From the 2018 May/June Issue. More Best of the West Visit These Iconic Western Towns People, Places, and Passions 100 Best Westerns Ever Made Explore:DestinationsTravel

Al Pastor, El Tejavan Type: Classic MexicanRating: 4.75Price: $8.99/platterHere in cattle country, it’s beef—not pork—that’s cooked al pastor. The

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Al Pastor, Taqueria Guadalajara Type: Classic MexicanRating: 4.25Price: $2At this American Graffiti–meets–Mexico joint, the baskets of

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Photography: Courtesy St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission St. Louis is one of the seven iconic Western towns featured in our 2017 Best of the West issue. Being the historic “Gateway to the West” is never easy. Who wants to be that place everyone was leaving from en masse? In covered wagons, stagecoaches, steamboats, trains, single-engine monoplanes, or President Thomas Jefferson-sponsored westward expansion expeditions. And usually with very uncertain return dates. Lewis and Clark. Samuel Clemens. Charles Lindbergh and his Spirit of St. Louis. Countless homesteaders, pioneers, and French fur traders. The Los Angeles Rams. They were all in St. Louis at various points — for a time — before overlanding to the Pacific, finding literary fame and Mark Twain pseudonyms out West, flying solo (OK, east) across the Atlantic, striking gold in mid-19th-century California, packing up the pelts after the Louisiana Purchase, or losing a bunch more games back in L.A. last year. The flip side, of course, is that so much has arrived in St. Louis as well, shaping the rich history and proud legacy of a town that has welcomed World’s Fairs, the Olympics (first-ever in the United States), giant arches, a beer empire, and Ted Drewes frozen custard, just to name a few. St. Louis has weathered its share of hard times — buoyed by revitalized riverfront projects along the Mississippi, beautiful parks and botanical gardens, world-class (and often free) art and cultural institutions, neighborhoods brimming with character, and some of the tastiest food and entertainment on either side of the Great River. All just-passing-through complexes aside, St. Louis remains a tough gateway town to turn your back on. “It is self-evident that St. Louis affected me more deeply than any other environment has ever done,” T.S. Eliot reflected about his pleasant childhood here, long after the Nobel-Prize-winning poet would reinvent himself as a rather unhappy Englishman. “I feel that there is something in having passed one’s childhood beside the big river which is incommunicable to those people who have not.” START HERE “Neither an obelisk nor a rectangular box nor a dome seemed right on this site ... but here, at the edge of the Mississippi River, a great arch did seem right,” noted Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, whose 1947 contest-winning design for St. Louis’ iconic Gateway Arch would be completed posthumously in 1965. The westward expansion symbolism fueling the nation’s tallest man-made national monument and its Jefferson National Expansion Memorial grounds are tough to miss from any vantage point. But for a 630-foot-high perspective that would’ve blown Lewis and Clark’s spyglasses (even through those tiny windows), take the four-minute tram ride to the top of this awesome parabola before the crowds arrive, take in that timeless gateway view beyond modern St. Louis, and feel grateful that the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers (15 miles north) isn’t the only route to take you farther west these days. GO GREEN — AND BLUE — AND MUDDY One of the country’s largest urban green spaces, Forest Park is a regular on top 10 city park lists and contains a lineup of world-class institutions, including the Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Zoo, and the Missouri History Museum. Chronicling the origins and lasting impact of America’s most influential musical genre in a new 23,000-square-foot facility filled with high-tech exhibits and a 150-seat performance room, downtown’s long-awaited National Blues Museum reminds guests St. Louis is a vital crossroads on many fronts. As for Ol’ Man River, aka The Big Muddy — which helped define the city’s history, topography, and character — you can ply the Mississippi’s brown waters and take in the skyline on a replica 19th-century paddle-wheeler. It’s hardly Huck Finn’s raft, but it’s Twain-appropriate. With vessel names like the Becky Thatcher and the Tom Sawyer, you’ll get a feel for the famed adventures based upriver in Clemens’ boyhood hometown of Hannibal. HEAD FOR THE HILLS For a UNESCO-protected look at why St. Louis was once nicknamed Mound City, drive 20 minutes to Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in neighboring Collinsville, Illinois — home to the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the Americas. A thousand years ago, the area was inhabited by a vast, highly sophisticated Native Mississippian civilization farming these grounds and erecting architectural and ceremonial mounds of various sizes (large, extra-large, and massive) with hand tools and baskets of transported earth. Most of them, including numerous mounds blanketing St. Louis, have been long destroyed or built over by the new residents. Cahokia’s huge main attraction, Monks Mound (100 feet high, 14-acre base, 22 million cubic feet of transported earth), helps regain a lost appreciation. SAVE ROOM FOR A CONE Smokin’ hot barbecue (try Pappy’s Smokehouse), classic square-cut pizza (Imo’s), and gooey butter cake (McArthur’s Bakery) are just a few reasons to forgo all dietary restrictions in one of the best cities on either side of the Mississippi to eat like there’s no tomorrow. But don’t forget to celebrate the most important edible summer invention here: the ice cream cone. According to local legend, when an ice cream vendor ran out of dishes at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, his quick-thinking waffle-concessionaire neighbor in the next booth suggested using a rolled up waffle as a substitute. Over a century later, here’s your excuse to cruise old Route 66 southwest from downtown to legendary ice cream stop Ted Drewes for a cone that was ranked No. 1 in the world in a recent international competition. Psst — it’s technically frozen custard. MARK YOUR CALENDAR The town’s biggest birthday bash happens July Fourth weekend with Fair Saint Louis, a free city-sponsored event featuring three days of live entertainment, air shows, climactic fireworks, and an estimated 250,000 revelers in Forest Park. For an encore in late summer, Big Muddy Blues Festival hosts one of the town’s top annual outdoor music concerts on the cobblestone streets of Laclede’s Landing over Labor Day weekend, followed by Forest Park’s LouFest (30 bands, four stages, two days) the following week. More info: explorestlouis.com Explore more iconic Western towns: • Fort Worth, Texas • Dodge City, Kansas • Deadwood, South Dakota • Durango, Colorado • Tombstone, Arizona • Cody, Wyoming Explore:Destinations

These are the best hikes in Sedona, Colorado, Oahu, Yosemite, and other places with the most scenic coastal and mountain trails.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North DakotaThe wild horses living in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park bear more resemblance to horses you’d see in a Russell or Remington painting than today’s equines. The park’s horses tend to be large-headed, short-backed, and well-built. Many are roans, with white patches on their sides—a pattern called an apron that […]

Baja Fish, The Original Mexican Café Type: Modern AmericanRating: 4.25Price: $10.25/plateFounded in 1916, in a rambling two-story building downtown, this

The ultimate Charleston travel guide on where to eat, where to stay, what to do, and what to see in Charleston, South Carolina. This city is jam-packed with activities for everyone whether you’re going to Charleston on a bachelor / bachelorette party, a girl’s getaway, a romantic couples’ weekend, or a family vacation.

Photography: Courtesy Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation Don’t just stick to the obvious haunts — Music City offers all manner of eats and treats off the beaten path. There is so much to see, hear, and do every year during the CMA Music Festival in Nashville that, whether you’re a seasoned regular or a first-time participant, you may think there’s little time for anything that isn’t accessible with a four-day festival ticket. But trust us, there are scads of other things to enjoy while you’re in Music City for the June 8 – 11 festivities. Here are a few suggestions. Nashville Cats The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum always has an exceptional array of exhibits timed for display during the CMA Music Festival. This year, the lineup includes career-spanning tributes to Charlie Daniels, Zac Brown Band, and the Southern country-rock group Alabama. But the main attraction remains, for the third consecutive year, Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City, an exhaustive and extraordinary assemblage of items that collectively documents that epochal period in the 1960s and ’70s when artists of all stripes — including Joan Baez, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, and The Byrds — were drawn to Nashville and other parts of Tennessee to record with an amazing crew of local session musicians. The influx reached flood level thanks in large part to the close friendship and creative collaborations of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, who repeatedly joined forces in various mediums — Cash sang “Girl From the North Country” with Dylan on the latter’s 1969 Nashville Skyline album and earned a Grammy Award for writing the LP’s liner notes; Dylan later appeared on the premiere episode of The Johnny Cash Show on ABC — thereby calling attention to how easily the seemingly insurmountable gap between different American cultures could be bridged. Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats will keep you away from CMA Fest for the better part of an afternoon, and you’ll wind up treasuring the time as uniquely well spent. More Museums Take a few steps off the Broadway strip, and you’ll find the Johnny Cash Museum, an intimate Mecca for faithful fans of the Man in Black. Tastefully organized and impressively inclusive, the museum has earned the prestigious AAA Gem rating — and raves from Forbes and National Geographic as a must-visit destination — for its collection of artifacts — clothing, posters, rare photos, handwritten notes, informative signs, and more — that trace the life and career of the late, great superstar who cut his first record for Sun Records in 1955 and whose recording of “Guess Things Happen That Way” holds the distinction of being the 10 billionth download on iTunes. Our favorite area in the place: a screening room where visitors can view snippets of Cash’s TV and movie appearances, including the priceless moment when, while hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live, he introduced Elton John while sporting the gaudy attire and feather boa of Captain Fantastic himself. Just around the corner on Second Avenue North, there’s the George Jones Museum, another celebratory display of smartly curated memorabilia. Many of the exhibits frankly — and affectionately — reference Jones’ lifelong penchant for overindulgence; in one area, prominent display is given to a John Deere lawn mower similar to the one Jones used to ride from his home to a liquor store after concerned family members conspired to hide his car keys. Elsewhere, among the correspondence from Waylon Jennings and other country music contemporaries, there’s a note from a kindred spirit, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, thanking Jones for boosting Richards’ career by inviting him to record the title track of the duets album Burn Your Playhouse Down. The Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum over at 401 Gay Street casts its net much wider, to present everything from a display of vintage recording devices — including an exceedingly rare Edison phonograph — to musical instruments played by artists during historic recording sessions at Stax, Sun Records, and FAME Studios at Muscle Shoals. But rest assured, country music is well-represented in a Nashville Studio Pickers exhibit dedicated to the likes of Chet Atkins, Hank Williams, Charlie Rich, Tammy Wynette, and Merle Haggard. Also on view: the brown leather jacket worn by Glen Campbell on the cover of his By the Time I Get to Phoenix LP, the Music Man bass guitar used by E Street Band founding member Garry Tallent during the recording of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. — and a tribute to the Fisk Jubilee Singers that, no kidding, explains how Nashville earned the nickname Music City. Inexpensive Eats Nashville abounds in world-class restaurants where master chefs — some of them telegenic celebrities — prepare haute cuisine that even the most dedicated country music fans might set aside a night to sample. But when we’re strolling on and around Broadway to enjoy free concerts and other festivities, we’re more likely to drop in to Robert’s Western World for the $5 “Recession Special” — a fried bologna sandwich, chips, and a PBR. (Just in case you’re one of the craft-beer snobs: PBR means Pabst Blue Ribbon.) And if we hit this fabled honky-tonk at just the right time, we’re likely to stick around for a heaping helping of traditional country music or a tasty sampling of Brazilbilly (country with an irresistible Latin flair), performed live on the Western World stage. Hearty souls with a major jones for cayenne pepper likely will want to try Nashville hot chicken, a Music City specialty that’s guaranteed to leave you grinning (or wincing) and teary-eyed. There are several places in town that serve some variation of the dish — including Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, where it originated. But we’ve always been partial to Hattie B’s Hot Chicken — the midtown branch at 112 19th Ave. S. in particular — when we want to flame on and get plucky. But keep in mind before you drive there: The midtown branch has limited parking space available, especially during lunchtime. And be forewarned that Hattie B’s may not be gentle if this is your first time. The behind-the-counter menu offers the choice of “Southern,” “Mild,” “Medium,” “Hot!” “Damn Hot!!” and “Shut the Cluck Up!!!” Order carefully. If you want a break from the full-throttle bustle of the Broadway area, you can head over to the Nashville Farmers’ Market and savor a cost-conscious meal at one of the varied eateries available there. The possibilities range from Indian to Italian, Korean-style sushi to traditional New Orleans favorites. We’ve always been partial to the Jamaicaway Restaurant, which has been hailed by Guy Fieri on his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Food Network program as one of the best places to eat in Music City. You might consider such praise to be hyperbolic, but only until you sample the jerk chicken or curry goat and wash it down with an imported Jamaican soda. (By the way: If you have time to linger before or after dining, head across the street from the farmers market to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the 19-acre Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.) And when you need to find a place to order a late-night dinner — or a late, late-night breakfast — after an evening of concertgoing and honky-tonking, keep your eyes peeled for Sun Diner, open 24/7 and located next door to the Johnny Cash Museum right off Broadway. As the name would indicate, the décor can be described as a wall-to-wall tribute to Sun Records. The menu includes such standouts as “Love Me” Tenders and “Cry, Cry, Cry” Hot Wings. At 3 a.m., however, you may be more appreciative of another item: Hangover Flatbread. History Lesson The 1864 Battle of Franklin, often and aptly described as the bloodiest five hours in Tennessee history, was an unmitigated disaster for the Confederate forces led by Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood, a near-defeat for the Union troops commanded by Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield, and a horrific experience for noncombatants caught in the crossfire near the violent clash. (How violent? Confederate casualties — including 14 generals and 60 regimental commanders — numbered more than 7,000.) If you’re a Civil War buff, you should take an afternoon away from Nashville for a drive to nearby Franklin, where The Battle of Franklin Trust offers daily tours of the painstakingly preserved Carnton Plantation, whose main house was commandeered as a field hospital; and The Carter House, where residents were forced to hide in their basement while, on the grounds outside, the clash between armies degenerated into hand-to-hand skirmishes between men brandishing bayonets, rifle butts, picks, and axes. (The stand-alone farm office on the Carter property is said to be the most bullet-damaged building to survive the Civil War). The tour guides at both locations are thoroughgoing professionals who bring infectious enthusiasm to their running commentaries. And while you’re in the area, you can also visit Lotz House, which continued to serve as a hospital for soldiers on both sides for months after the Battle of Franklin. Consult the Lotz House website for personalized battlefield tours — lotzhouse.com. Standbys If you’ve budgeted only for day passes to Fan Fair X inside the Music City Center, don’t worry: There are free concerts every day on multiple downtown stages, and other free shows inside Fan Fair X (where, we’re not ashamed to admit, we’ve lined up to get autographs from, and photos with, some of our favorites). If you’ve got a little money in your pocket but can’t finagle tickets to the big shows at Nissan Stadium, keep cool — there are plenty of other entertainment opportunities every night in Nashville during CMA Fest. (Actually, there are plenty of other entertainment opportunities every night in Nashville, period. But that’s another story.) If you’ve never made the pilgrimage to the storied Tootsies Orchid Lounge right behind Ryman Auditorium, well, you really should, as long as you don’t mind crowds. But if you’re seeking something a bit more, ahem, family-friendly, keep in mind: Even during the hubbub of CMA Fest, there are programs on tap at Ryman Auditorium itself and, yes, weekend shows at the Grand Ole Opry. The full June 8 – 11 lineups at both venues had not been confirmed at press time, but you can obtain info and make reservations at ryman.com and opry.com. Go Early, Stay Late The official start date of the CMA Fest is June 8 — but don’t let anyone tell you that’s when the real festivities begin. The sartorially splendid multi-hyphenate Marty Stuart — singer, songwriter, photographer, and historian par excellence — has established a hot-ticket tradition with Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam, a rambunctious revue always scheduled for the night before the festival commences. Fittingly billed as equal parts country music throw-down and hillbilly homecoming rave-up, the freewheeling event boasts an artful mix of living legends, contemporary artists, and up-and-comers. But don’t expect to know too much about the 16th annual Late Night Jam — slated to start at 10 p.m. June 7 at Ryman Auditorium — in advance of your ticket purchase: Stuart customarily remains circumspect when it comes to announcing just who’s on the bill before showtime. Indeed, every year, he kicks things off by asking the audience, “Do you trust me?” You can always tell which folks seated around you have attended previous Jams: They’re the ones who sound most fervent in their affirmative responses. Entertainers as diverse as Charley Pride, The Mavericks, Eric Church, The Oak Ridge Boys, Bobby Bare, Jamey Johnson, and Travis Tritt have popped up in recent years and jammed with Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives band until the wee small hours of the morning. And this year? Well, Stuart and his band recently released a terrific new album — Way Out West — so you probably can count on hearing a few cuts from it. After that, it’s all up for grabs. (For additional info, check out martystuart.net.) And if you plan on staying in Nashville an extra day, consider a trip to The Listening Room Cafe for Song Suffragettes, an entertaining weekly showcase for some of country music's newest and most promising female singer-songwriters. (The show’s slogan — “Let the Girls Play!” — also serves as a mission statement.) Starting at 6 p.m. every Monday, five newcomers share The Listening Room stage for a cabaret-style program that provides the artists an invaluable opportunity to reach a receptive audience — and, not incidentally, gives the audience a chance to possibly catch some stars of tomorrow on the rise. You can appraise some past shows online — yes, you guessed it, Song Suffragettes has its very own YouTube channel — and check out additional info at songsuffragettes.com. From the May/June 2017 issue. Explore:DestinationsEntertainmentFood & DrinkMusicTravel

Famous for their food, atmosphere, and hospitality, these establishments—from old-school diners to special occasion spots—have stood the test of time. These places might not be the most popular or even nationally known, but they are some of the most iconic restaurants in the South, and in America.

These are the best hikes in Sedona, Colorado, Oahu, Yosemite, and other places with the most scenic coastal and mountain trails.

Photography: Adam Goldberg Photography Durango is one of seven iconic Western towns featured in our 2017 Best of the West issue. Long before Durango and its natural movie set slice of southwestern Colorado would come to star in generations of western classics like Viva Zapata!, How the West Was Won, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and City Slickers, the biggest little railroad town that could was born ready for its close-up. The city got its official start in the 1880s (preceded by Ancestral Puebloans inhabiting the Animas River Valley for millenniums) as a railroad junction for the neighboring Gold Rush boomtown of Silverton. The exotic-sounding name? That came from Durango, Mexico, picked up by a traveling 19th-century Colorado territory governor who’d noticed a striking physical resemblance between the two bewitching mountain regions. Many moons and mining fluctuations later, Durango and its famous narrow-gauge railroad continue to chug and thrive. So has its Main Avenue lined with historic Old West landmarks. And an eco-tourism magnet spurred by surrounding San Juan National Forest, nearby Mesa Verde National Park, and one of the best hiking, biking, fly-fishing, skiing, rafting, and horseback riding “secrets” in the lower Rockies still resisting Aspen-ization. “I know you probably hear ‘friendliest place in the West’ a whole lot at Cowboys & Indians, but I’m telling you Durango is truly that place,” says third-generation local and Buck’s Livery owner Ben Breed, who has been guiding horseback trips for decades through his San Juan National Forest backyard and was raised on stories about his grandparents and great-uncles and -aunts moving here from Oklahoma in covered wagons. “Durango has evolved over the years — new faces and all — but by and large, this is a place that really sticks to its old mountain-town traditions and Western roots,” Breed says. “To Durango-tangs like me, that’s a big salvation.” Breed’s favorite thing about Durango? That’s a tough one. “There’s so much to see and do and marvel upon here. It’s just the most beautiful place with that nearly perfect Southwest mountain weather, which rarely disappoints,” Breed says, adding, “I don’t know of any small town like this that hosts as many parades and big Western celebrations.” Or horseback trips for folks who want a real Southwestern Colorado riding experience — nothing nose to tail about it — featuring a lookout point beyond description. “It’s about 40 minutes from my stable,” Breed says. “You’re staring straight out at the Needle Mountains with this giant view of Purgatory Flats and Cascade Creek running straight through the middle of it. It’s tough to put into words. You really just have to see it to believe it.” START HERE Shortlisted as one of the world’s Top 10 Most Exciting Train Rides by the Society of American Travel Writers, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is the town’s top-draw time machine — a coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive plying the same tracks as the area’s original 1880s miners, cowboys, and settlers. The 45-mile, 3½-hour ride (one way) winds past precipitous canyons and spectacular 14er peaks along the Animas River Valley from Durango (elevation 6,512 feet) to Silverton (elevation 9,305 feet). Reserve well ahead. SADDLE UP What’s our favorite way to explore Durango’s stunning backyard? On a horse, of course. Veteran local outfitter Buck’s Livery (26 miles north of town, near Purgatory Resort) has been guiding trail rides, pack trips, hunting and fishing expeditions, and winter sleigh rides through select areas in the San Juan National Forest and Weminuche Wilderness for repeat guests since the early 1980s. TAKE A HIKE A quick drive from downtown Durango to Junction Creek Trailhead brings hikers to a favorite local spot and also the terminus of the 486-mile Colorado Trail, which starts in Denver. High-five through-hikers and keep it manageable on an 8-mile sampler (round trip) along a mountain stream and up a short (steep) set of switchbacks to the area’s big payoff overlook at Gudy’s Rest. DIG IN For a top Old West steakhouse with vintage southwestern Colorado ambience and some good local yarns if you want one, enter the Ore House. (“You have to ask them if they’ve ever had a horse or mule in there,” Breed nudges. “All I’m gonna say.”) For tasty chuck wagon barbecue and a live cowboy music ’n’ comedy chaser, head to the Bar D Chuckwagon Supper Show, a summer crowd-pleaser tucked in a woodsy area just north of town. SEE THE RUINS The ancient Anasazi pithouses and cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park — home to 4,000 Ancestral Puebloan sites inhabited between A.D. 600 and A.D. 1300 — are just 35 miles west of Durango. Hands-on attractions at the World Heritage Site include the enormous Cliff Palace, the intricate Long House, and the acrophobia-inducing Balcony House, all open for guided tours between spring and fall. MARK YOUR CALENDAR Durango’s “whitewater rodeo” Animas River Days (June 3) hosts some of the country’s top paddlers and shoreline crowds of kayak and canoe racing fans along the raging Animas River flowing right through downtown. The town’s summer festival-of-festivals Durango Fiesta Days (July 22 –  30) enters its 82nd year with a street parade and pro rodeo events at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. Come on back in early October for fall foliage and the equally colorful Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering (October 5 – 8), featuring a top lineup of musicians and cowboy poets performing at the historic Henry Strater Theatre. More info: durango.org Explore more iconic Western towns: • Fort Worth, Texas • Dodge City, Kansas • Deadwood, South Dakota • Tombstone, Arizona • St. Louis, Missouri • Cody, Wyoming Explore:Destinations

Determined to keep their family ranch, Wyoming brothers Cody and Chase Lockhart have created a Jackson Hole niche: local beef. Bruce Porter’s descendants imagine their ancestor gazing out at the Teton Mountains from the piece of earth he purchased in the 1930s, their family land in Jackson, Wyoming. For Porter’s great-grandsons, Cody and Chase Lockhart, the bounds of that rooted landscape motivated a new model of ranching. When the youngest brother, Chase Lockhart, graduated from college in 2009, the family ranch pastures — bordered by Jackson Hole Community School, Smith’s Food and Drug, and Snow King Mountain Resort — were devoid of cattle. Five years earlier, in 2004, the family’s Lockhart Cattle Company was forced to euthanize its entire cattle herd because of brucellosis, a bacterial infection that can be contracted from elk, swine, or bison, among other animals. “We lost close to 900 animals,” Chase recalls. “We had to file nonuse, because we had no cattle to put on our grazing permit in Grand Teton National Park. My family held the last remaining permit in the park, and our nonuse of the permit provided a reason for the park to close entirely to livestock grazing.” Losing their grazing lease compelled Cody and Chase’s parents to reevaluate how to best use the family land. First, they chose to lease it out to other ranchers so the land would not stand idle. A few years later, hearing their sons’ request to run the ranch, they decided to hand over management to the next generation. Initially, the brothers followed the agriculture model they knew: Raise registered Hereford cattle, grow quality hay, and sell bulls. “It became clear that our small ranch would not be profitable doing this,” Chase says. “So we looked around at Jackson’s tourism industry. If half of the 5 million tourists eat hamburgers while they’re here, and if we could sell them a fifth of that hamburger, that’s still a lot of hamburger.” Lockhart’s parents were skeptical that Lockhart beef could be sold solely direct to consumers within the valley. “I think my parents’ doubts were merited,” Chase says. “Cody and I were young, and while the idea sounded fun, we didn’t know how to do it. Also, selling a ranch’s entire output of grass-finished beef to local customers hadn’t been done here.” “It’s not like we ranch differently than our great-grandfather,” Cody adds. “The part that’s different is that we wanted to run the food supply chain at the end of the product cycle.” Jackson is not known for manufacturing, but resident ranchers do produce beef. “It always seemed crazy to me that we raise beef here and ship it out for other people to eat, then we ship in beef for us to eat,” Chase says. “So we decided to sell Lockhart beef — that is born, raised, and butchered in our valley — for us to eat here.” “Our ranch is in town,” Chase says. “I live in the main ranch house and it’s really convenient to our neighbor Smith’s grocery when I run out of coffee. We figured our location would help sell beef.” Chase and Cody’s initial marketing plan was simple: Get people eating Lockhart beef. To do this, Chase and Cody hoofed around town giving free beef to restaurant chefs, holding taste tests at the farmers market, and inviting groups to the ranch for tours. In every conversation the brothers emphasized not only grass-finished beef’s flavor and quality, but also how Lockhart cattle never leave the valley from birth to butcher. Chase and Cody took any order for beef, no matter how small or difficult to fulfill. “We would get an order for 50 tenderloins for a wedding next weekend,” Chase explains. “To get 50 tenderloins, we need to process 25 cattle. For a long time, I would tell people yes, and then get off the phone and swear.” Now, eight years later, increased beef production allows the Lockhart brothers to keep a frozen inventory to meet such requests. Most customers want specialty cuts, like the restaurant that weekly purchases 30 pounds of high-quality beef — sirloin, tenderloin, eye of round — for tartare. One of the contracts that solidified the financial success of selling local was Signal Mountain Lodge, a concessionaire in Grand Teton National Park. “The lodge sells an absurd amount of hamburgers,” Chase says. “The lodge orders 12,000 pounds of one-third-pound burger patties a year. I’m like, ‘36,000 patties coming up!’ ” Lockhart beef is also sold at Jackson Whole Grocer & Cafe, which orders beef from an entire steer every week. The Lockharts have yet to secure a chain grocery store as a customer, though. “We’ve tried,” Chase says with a shrug. “I even have a friend that works the meat counter at Albertsons. Corporate management doesn’t want to mess with me, wearing muddy cowboy boots, bringing whatever beef we have available. And at Smith’s, when our cows get out, they’re standing in that grocery store’s parking lot, which you would think would help marketing.” He admits that it is harder for big customers to deal with small suppliers. If vacuum seals fail on a batch of meat, the Lockharts can’t immediately replace the order. “We’re not the Sysco truck with 60 more packages sitting on a shelf,” he says. “As a small business, we need to make sure that our quality is worth the extra effort.” To add product value and pocket slim profit margins, the Lockhart brothers decided to control the whole supply chain. They learned of a wild game processor located 7 miles down the road from Lockhart ranch headquarters. The plant’s owner wanted to expand from a wild game processing business to a state-inspected facility for livestock. Lockhart Cattle Company purchased a partnership in the business to fund expansion, which also bought dedicated processing time for the company’s cattle. This arrangement worked for a time. Increased demand for Lockhart beef meant cattle needed to be processed five days a week in the facility, which bumped other processing customers. Last year, Lockhart Cattle Company bought out its meat business partner. Now the constraint is that the Wyoming Department of Agriculture can only provide an inspector two days of the week, which limits the number of cattle handled in the facility. As the business grows, Chase and Cody are continually reminded that ranching is the easy part. Now they must consider food safety regulations, shelf-life tracking, packaging, and labeling along with their needs for equipment such as the refrigerated trailer for beef deliveries. “I still have trouble getting the label-maker to talk to the computer,” Chase says with exasperation. “I’m the front office,” Cody jokes. “If it involves a phone or a computer, it’s my department. If it involves a horse or a John Deere, it’s normally Chase’s department.” The Lockharts must have cattle ready to process every week of the year to provide fresh beef to customers. But Lockhart cows only calve once a year, in the spring. It takes at least 18 months to finish a bovine on a grass-only diet in a climate where winter lasts five to six months. There are often three generations of cattle grazing Lockhart pastures at once: the mother cow and its 2018 unweaned calf, the calf from 2017, and the 2016 model almost ready for processing. “It takes significantly longer to grow a beef on grass its whole life than it does to finish a steer on a grain diet,” Cody says. “It’s a frustration to us that some ranchers finish their cattle on corn the month before processing but still market the beef as grass-fed. This is misleading marketing, and there’s no one to police that except for the consumer.” To continue growing their ranch business, the brothers initially considered purchasing more cows, leasing more pasture, and breeding batches of cows to calve twice a year. “But we already spend a lot of time cowboying,” Chase says. They nixed the idea because a bigger herd would mean hiring more hands. Instead, the Lockharts reached out to other small ranchers in the valley with a proposal: Lockhart Cattle Company would commit to purchase their calves at weaning if they are born and raised in Teton County with all-natural methods — no hormones or antibiotics — and on grass-only diets. Several ranchers have accepted the offer. "It would be really easy to go buy 18-month-old cattle out of California, stick them on green grass here for the summer, and then sell them as local beef,” Chase says. “But we want our customers to drive by [the ranches] to watch the cattle and their whole life circle go around.” The Lockhart brothers’ experiment to raise beef and sell it locally for neighbors and tourists to eat has proven to be a feasible model of ranching. While their family applauds and supports it, they know there are continuing challenges for beef producers in Teton County. The valley maintains a high cost of living, and employment wages are inflated by tourism. Land values continue to rise, and with the increase comes pressure on the Lockharts to develop their ranch for uses beyond agriculture. Developers have visions of skating rinks, soccer fields, community colleges. “Jackson is rapidly growing and running out of places to put things,” Chase says. He has no desire to take the money and start a ranch somewhere else with more room, though. “Jackson is where I grew up. My family and friends all live here. It’s home,” he says. “It’s where I want to hunt, fish, and ski. If I couldn’t ranch here, I’d probably quit ranching to continue living here. “And as a lifetime Jackson local, I want us to find a way to protect open spaces that are quickly being developed. Agriculture seems like the best way to do that. I think open spaces are less likely to get developed if they aren’t just a scenic vista, if they’re actually a living, breathing benefactor to the community by producing food.” From the June/July 2018 Issue. More Living West The Ranch at the Edge of the West Western Homestead: Your Spring Checklist Riders on the Storm Explore:Living WestTravel

Photography: David Zickl Tombstone is one of the seven iconic Western towns featured in our 2017 Best of the West issue. “The only rock you’ll find out there will be your own tombstone.” As the story goes, this was the bon voyage that prospecting hopeful Ed Schieffelin got from his U.S. Army scouting buddies at Camp Huachuca after laying out his plan to venture deeper west into Apache-riddled Arizona Territory in search of giant silver deposits just waiting to be claimed by the right crazy guy. After months of fruitless searching, Schieffelin’s resolve would win out. Filing his first mining claim on September 21, 1877, he would dub his stake “Tombstone.” The eponymous town would arrive by 1879, swiftly sprouting to 10,000 residents with a Grand Hotel, an opera house, a bowling alley, and a Wine House stocked with European imports. “Tombstone, back in the day, was not this crazy, wild, and dangerous place everyone pictures, but actually a very modern, sophisticated, and massively wealthy town,” says official town historian Don Taylor, who notes that by the early 1880s there was also a tennis club here; five ice cream parlors; fresh seafood delivered daily from Baja, California; and a respectable baseball club. “There have been at least 27 movies made about Tombstone, Wyatt Earp, and the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” Taylor adds, “and all of them have gotten the place wrong.” Several generations and many billion dollars (by modern estimates) of harvested silver later, today’s Tombstone (population 1,300) welcomes about half a million annual tourists. Most of them aren’t coming to hear about the old tennis courts and late 19th-century baseball scores, but to set foot on the soil that hosted some of the biggest names in Old West lore and its most Hollywood-ized gun battle. The 24-second, 30-bullet ordeal on October 26, 1881, between the Earp boys, Doc Holliday, and the McLaury-Clanton gang in a vacant lot near (but not actually at) the O.K. Corral left three men dead, three wounded, and an unscathed deputy sheriff Wyatt Earp primed for future 20th-century rebranding. The real Wyatt likely wouldn’t recognize the Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner he’s become, but no matter. This is still Tombstone, in its satisfying blend of authentic Wild West history with a dime-novel chaser — and the man was here all right. Wander along the wood plank sidewalks of the National Historic District. Browse the shops, saloons, and theaters of Allen and Toughnut streets. Take in that mandatory gunslinger reenactment. And stand underneath a world-record-size rose tree that confirms what we’ve always suspected: Flowers outlast bullets. “It’s still about the only place you can really experience the Old West this close to the way it really was,” Taylor says. “In Tombstone, you can walk where those legendary folks walked, talked, ate, drank, counted their money — and, yeah, occasionally drew their guns.” START HERE “For the comprehensive history of the town, your first stop should be the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park,” Don Taylor says. “It’s the original 50,000-brick building, built in 1882, and still such an integral park of Tombstone.” The former judicial quarters, sheriff’s office, and jail is now a museum filled with historical exhibits, vintage Tombstone relics, and a sobering gallows replica. For more memorabilia, including personal items of the Earps, broaden the local history lesson at Tombstone Western Heritage Museum. PAY RESPECT The town’s original cemetery, Boothill Graveyard, purportedly got its name because several of its inhabitants were shot dead with their boots still on. The interred in these rows of refurbished graves include O.K. Corral casualties and other victims of Tombstone-esque circumstance — including a wrongly accused horse thief hanged by mistake in 1882 and epitaphed accordingly: “He was right, we was wrong, but we strung him up and now he’s gone.” DON’T MISS If there’s a single room that conveys the spirit of 1880s Tombstone, it’s the impressively preserved interior of the Bird Cage Theatre, which enjoyed a brief but storied run from 1881 to 1889. Take a self-guided tour through what’s been called the largest opera house of its day between El Paso, Texas, and San Francisco — still pretty much how it looked in full swing. STAND (APPROXIMATELY) WHERE THEY STOOD Of course you’re going to visit the O.K. Corral Historic Complex, peruse its five museums, and pay four bucks to witness a live gunfight reenactment, held several times daily. And you may even be smarter for it. “The man doing the gunfight show there is also a historian, so it’s an accurate show and you’ll get the real story,” Taylor says. STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES Home to one of Tombstone’s oldest families, the Rose Tree Museum’s biggest exhibit (by far) is blooming in the backyard. The world’s largest rosebush — a 9,000-square-foot Lady Banksia with a 12-foot-diameter trunk — was a sapling gift sent from Scotland when it was planted here in 1885. Now it’s a fragrantly surreal site to behold and a Guinness World Record holder. PARTY LIKE IT’S 1881 Memorial Day weekend brings Wyatt Earp Days (this year, May 27 – 29), with historical reenactments and one of Arizona’s last remaining 1880s fashion shows on Historic Allen Street. The cowboy-strutting three-day street fest Helldorado Days, on the third weekend of October, remains the town’s oldest, biggest event since 1929. More info: tombstonechamber.com Explore more iconic Western towns: • Fort Worth, Texas • Dodge City, Kansas • Deadwood, South Dakota • Durango, Colorado • St. Louis, Missouri • Cody, Wyoming Explore:DestinationsTravel

Cody, Wyoming, is one of seven iconic Western towns featured in our 2017 Best of the West issue. It takes some doing for a little mountain town to live up to a name as big as Col. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Founded in the 1890s by a small group of developers including the Wild West icon himself, Cody, Wyoming (current population 9,830), has steadily risen to the challenge with characteristic grace, grit, and, most important, good attitude. “Cody people are real, friendly, and very patriotic — a great combination,” observes two-term Cody mayor and local gallery owner Nancy Tia Brown. “Visitors comment continually on the beauty, hospitality, and, of course, authentic Western history here.” Brown, a former Denver teacher, moved to Cody with her husband in the early 1980s to open their Big Horn Gallery, which now represents numerous Western artists in a town long known for its prized crop of homegrown creatives as diverse as Jackson Pollock, Harry Jackson, and Western furniture innovator Thomas Molesworth. “Art is part of the fabric of Cody,” Brown says. “And because of the famous Buffalo Bill Center of the West, there is a great deal of culture and sophistication here.” Also here: one of the most beloved nightly summer rodeo seasons on the circuit, a Wyoming-worthy adventure industry, and a spectacular 50-mile drive to the eastern gates of neighboring Yellowstone National Park along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway. Perhaps most important, Cody instills a comforting sense that the West has a firm grasp of its roots. That’s evidenced by landmarks like the 1902 Irma Hotel (built by Buffalo Bill and named for his daughter), Old Trail Town (a frontier town re-creation celebrating its 50th anniversary this year), and the nation’s finest collective of Western museums housed under a single mythical name. Back in 1895, Cody the man (1846 – 1917) — not yet 50 years old but already having worn several lifetimes’ worth of hats — was standing right here. Climbing to a perch, staring down at a mountain-ringed landscape, the indefatigable soldier, cowboy, dime novel hero, dude ranch pioneer, and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show impresario was moved enough to add “town founder” to his portfolio. Cody would persuade President Teddy Roosevelt to establish the Bureau of Reclamation and to construct the Shoshone Dam and Reservoir (later renamed after Buffalo Bill). Cody’s development team would insist that their nascent town (incorporated in 1901) could only be named after one guy — who’d be proud of what he started here. START HERE The breadth of Western art, history, Native American exhibits, weaponry, and William Cody memorabilia housed under five separate museums at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West means you’ll want to book an extra day or two in Cody just to do the town’s flagship attraction justice. Highlights include a reconstructed studio of Frederic Remington at the Whitney Western Art Museum, more than 7,000 guns at the comprehensive Cody Firearms Museum, one of the nation’s finest collections of Native art and artifacts at the Plains Indian Museum, and the Buffalo Bill Museum filled with relics and multimedia exhibits dedicated to the man himself and his enduring legacy. GET WET Flowing right through town, the Shoshone River is one of Yellowstone country’s favorite rafting roads. Veteran float-trip outfitter Wyoming River Trips (founded by a pair of brothers who originally came to Cody to ride bulls) has been leading some of the wildest and prettiest closeups since the 1970s — including at exclusive sections in aptly named Red Rock Canyon and the Shoshone’s North Fork near Yellowstone National Park. ART HOP Housing enough fine galleries along Sheridan Avenue to give all those souvenir and ranchwear shops a run for their audience, Cody is known for famous painters as well as a Western-style furniture tradition pioneered by Thomas Molesworth here in the mid-20th century. “There’s a recent movement to elevate the profile of furniture and honor its unique history in the Cody area by a group called By Western Hands,” says Nancy Tia Brown of Cody’s Big Horn Gallery. “An exhibit by members of this organization has been held in conjunction with the Buffalo Bill Art Show [September 22 – 24, 2017] for the last several years.” PAY RESPECTS No, that’s not a mirage or movie set hiding at the west end of town on the way to Yellowstone. Old Trail Town’s collection of historical buildings, artifacts, and period furnishings were gathered from remote locations throughout Wyoming and Montana and impeccably reassembled here by a local Western historian. Adding to the haunting authenticity of the place are real cabins used by Butch Cassidy and Sundance and the gravesites of local notables, including notorious mountain man John “Jeremiah” Johnson. BRONC BINGE There are summer rodeo towns and then there’s Cody — which designates itself (OK, like a few other places) “the Rodeo Capital of the World.” Supporting that claim: Stampede Park’s Cody Nite Rodeo, a tradition since 1938, happens every evening at Stampede Park between June 1 and August 31, capped by the PRCA Cody Stampede Rodeo, a July Fourth weekend tradition since 1919. More info: yellowstonecountry.org Explore more iconic Western towns: • Fort Worth, Texas • Dodge City, Kansas • Deadwood, South Dakota • Durango, Colorado • Tombstone, Arizona • St. Louis, Missouri PHOTOGRAPHY: Furkah/Wikimedia Commons Explore:DestinationsTravel

Photography: Courtesy Kansas Tourism Dodge City is one of seven iconic Western towns featured in our 2017 Best of the West issue. Once upon a time in the Old West, a drunken cowboy climbed aboard the Santa Fe train in Newton, Kansas, and was asked by the conductor where he was heading. “To hell,” said the cowboy. “Well, give me $2.50 and get off at Dodge, then,” replied the conductor. Or so goes another weathered yarn about one of the most colorful Western outposts of its day. “Stories like this and tales of wild nightlife and gun battles gave Dodge City the reputation of being the toughest town in America,” Kansas historian Floyd Benjamin Streeter would note in Prairie Trails and Cow Towns: The Opening of the Old West — while qualifying that “the perpetuation of this impression does Dodge City an injustice.” Founded in 1872, it was soon dubbed the Cowboy Capital of the World (or Queen of the Cowtowns or the Beautiful Bibulous Babylon of the Frontier, depending on whom you asked). Dodge City’s rapid transformation from desolate Army post (Fort Dodge) to stockyard boomtown by the mid-1870s with the rerouting of the Great Western Cattle Trail has launched the lion’s share of its Lonesome Dove tales and memorable Gunsmoke episodes. In fact, the city’s historical heyday was rather short-lived, peaking in the early 1880s before the cattle trail was again rerouted and legendary residents like Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday (his dental office was here) moved on to busier pastures and corrals. Nearly a century and a half later, plenty of pride, heritage, and history remain in a town still famous for beef production, brick roads, cowboy culture, singular Old West attractions — and some of the friendliest Midwestern hospitality this side of Wichita. “One of the things folks really like to see here is the feedlots and sale of cattle on sale days — a very organic and earthy experience and something most ‘city’ folks have never experienced,” says Jan Stevens, director of the Dodge City Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It’s just one of those ‘open-the-door-for-you, cowboy-hat-tipping’ kind of towns. Everyone knows the old ‘Get the hell out of Dodge’ phrase. But around here, we like to say, ‘Get the heck into Dodge.’ ” START HERE Whiz through the town’s historic district on a Trolley Historic Tour and save some steps for the Dodge City Trail of Fame, which starts at Wyatt Earp Boulevard and honors every big name that made the place Dodge. Ground zero is Front Street’s Boot Hill Museum, packed with Old West relics, interactive exhibits, and (in summer) a cast of historical interpreters and storytellers that lend extra character to the city’s premier historical showpiece. HIT THE TRAIL Stretching through five states between Missouri and New Mexico, the Santa Fe National Historic Trail preserves one of its remaining sets of original wagon tracks at the Dodge City Ruts — 9 miles west of town, with an interpretive walkway. COOL OFF Last summer, downtown’s Long Branch Lagoon (largest water park between Wichita and Denver, they say) went Western-themed — chuck wagon concessions included — and continues to be an obvious family solution to a hot July day. Float along Cowboy Creek Lazy River, ride the Wrangler Rapids wave pool, and scream down Doc’s Plunge, the park’s signature boomerang slide. RAISE A GLASS Fun fact: Dodge City’s first business was an 1872 “whiskey bar” constructed from a wooden plank and two sod pillars exactly 5 miles from the edge of Fort Dodge, where soldiers could legally drink. Funner fact: The new Boot Hill Distillery (western Kansas’ first craft distillery) picks up where that barrel left off — welcoming a new era of whiskey appreciation with locally sourced, milled, distilled bottles and cocktails. MARK YOUR CALENDAR The 57th annual Dodge City Days (July 28 – August 6) has evolved from its earliest years (when rodeo tickets cost 75 cents) into one of the state’s largest community festivals. Drawing 100,000 guests, the 10-day event celebrates Dodge’s roots with rodeo, parades, and the year’s hottest barbecue contest. More info: visitdodgecity.org Explore more iconic Western towns: • Fort Worth, Texas • Deadwood, South Dakota • Durango, Colorado • Tombstone, Arizona • St. Louis, Missouri • Cody, Wyoming Explore:Destinations

Smack-dab in the middle of California, lesser-known wine regions craft vintages that rival those of their big-time neighbors to the north. When it comes to American wine, California is the first state that comes to mind. It has more than 100 American Viticultural Areas, or wine grape growing regions, and its vintners produce 90 percent of the country’s wine. And when it comes to California wine, Napa and Sonoma get top billing. But there are wineries and vineyards on sweeping tracts of land elsewhere throughout the state that are bottling impressive vintages worthy of a toast. Among these swaths of California wine country is the Central Coast region, where roughly 100,000 acres are devoted to grape growing. With a centuries-old heritage of grape cultivation and wine production dating back to the Spanish mission era, the AVAs that comprise the Central Coast offer diverse geography and climates for wines as distinct as a crisp vermentino and a jammy pinot noir. Our favorites are the counties of Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo. Get to know more about these wine regions, and perhaps you’ll be tempted to bring a bottle of lesser-known California to your table. Santa Barbara County First vines planted: 1782 Predominant varietal: Pinot noir Bottle to uncork: Alma Rosa Winery 2013 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir Munch to match: Roast Duck Big wine event: Celebration of Harvest Weekend Non-potable claim to fame: The 2004 film Sideways “When people think of California’s coast, they think it all runs north-south,” says Richard Sanford, founder of Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. “But Santa Barbara is different. The coast runs east-west. The geography, soil, and the Mediterranean climate make for a unique place that is similar to a south-facing coastline in France and Italy.” Sanford knows just how special Santa Barbara is. After earning a degree in geography at UC Berkeley and a tour in Vietnam during the war, he moved to the area to plant vines and develop the county’s viticulture. It’s been his life’s work. Split into five AVAs — Ballard Canyon, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley, and Sta. Rita Hills — the county is probably most famous as the setting of Sideways, the 2004 wine-fueled comedy starring Thomas Haden Church and Paul Giamatti. In the movie, Giamatti’s character, Miles, sings the praises of Santa Barbara pinot noirs. “It’s a hard grape to grow. ... [I]t’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. ... No, pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked-away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. ... Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they’re just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle ... .” A taste of that passion can be found in the beautiful blueberry and black cherry flavors of Sanford’s recommendation for Santa Barbara wine: a bottle of Alma Rosa’s 2013 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir. San Luis Obispo County First vines planted: 1772 (SLO Wine Country), 1790s (Paso Robles) Predominant Varietals: Pinot noir (SLO) and Syrah (Paso Robles) Bottle to uncork: Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Tablas Munch to match: Braised short ribs Big wine event: Vintage Paso: Zinfandel and Other Wild Wines Non-potable claim to fame: Hearst Castle, built by newspaper titan William Randolph Hearst in 1919 San Luis Obispo is really two wine regions in one: the warm upper section, Paso Robles, and the cooler south, SLO Wine Country. The dichotomy is evident in everything that is San Luis Obispo. Paso, with approximately 200 wineries, has more of a cow town feel. San Luis and the SLO Wine Country, often called “The Happiest Place on Earth,” is an easygoing college town spot nearer the coast, with 30 wineries and an average high temperature of 70 degrees. “There is a lot of diversity in San Luis Obispo County,” says Ali Rush Carscaden, sommelier and owner of 15 Degrees C Wine Shop & Bar in Templeton. “You have ranches, ocean, hiking, and surfing. There are locally made foods. All of it is centered on the wine industry.” That diversity, she says, extends to the wine-growing areas: “[E]verything is close and very different in a very short distance. You can drink some incredible chardonnays and pinot noirs in San Luis. Thirty minutes later you can be up in Paso Robles enjoying 80-degree weather and nice big Rhône varietals.” For those looking for a glass of SLO, Carscaden recommends the Tangent Albariño, a dry, crisp white wine with tropical fruit notes. “It’s exciting to find such a cool northern Spanish varietal on the Central Coast,” she says. For Paso in a bottle, there’s the Tablas Creek Vineyard 2012 Esprit de Tablas. Carscaden calls it the royalty of Rhône varietals on the Central Coast, sans the stuffiness. As she puts it, “San Luis County is less serious.” Monterey County First vines planted: Late 1700s Predominant varietals: Chardonnay and pinot noir Bottle to uncork: 2008 Caraccioli brut rosé Munch to match: Halibut with a serrano-mango salsa Big wine event: Pebble Beach Food & Wine Non-potable claims to fame: Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel; seasonal whale watching of blue, humpback, and orca migrations. Monterey may be more notable as the home of the Pebble Beach Golf Links or as the home of The Man With No Name, but the buzz should also be about its wine production. About 55 percent of the wine grapes produced in the county’s nine AVAs are bought up by out-of-county operations. Although there’s a quiet demand for Monterey wines, there’s still an untapped potential, says Ian Brand, owner and winemaker of I. Brand & Family Winery in Salinas. Brand has spent countless hours traveling the county’s back roads, getting to know the area and its wine culture. From the Santa Lucia Highlands (widely regarded as Monterey’s premier AVA) to the San Antonio Valley AVA (where smaller vineyard holdings are working on finding their way), he sees promise: “I think as the American market and American palate develop, more operations will be targeting that bright minerality that Monterey does better than anybody else on the coast.” The defining characteristics of Monterey wine are great billowing aromatics, the tight acidity befitting a cold-climate region, minerality (especially outside the Santa Lucia Highlands region), and a light salinity that amplifies the other characteristics. The distinct minerality is unique in California — and less costly, too. Quality coastal wines, Brand points out, can be made in Monterey at prices other coastal regions can’t touch. He recommends the 2008 Caraccioli Brut Rosé sparkling wine as a prime exemplar of Monterey’s wine. “It’s a rosé pinot noir made in the traditional Champagne style,” Brand says. It has strawberry, cranberry, and apple notes, and is silky-smooth overall. “The grapes used hail from Santa Lucia Highlands, but they are expressed in a totally different manner than the still wines common in the region. The result is one of the best, most sophisticated sparkling wines in the United States.” From the July 2015 issue. Explore:DestinationsFood & DrinkTravel

Photography: Nick Jurich/Courtesy Radiator Whiskey Whiskey bars are generally inviting places, but this brown-water gem has more going for it than most. Whiskey bars are generally inviting places, but Radiator Whiskey has more going for it than most. For starters, its Pike Place Market location, with a view onto First Avenue, is in the hub of Seattle’s buzzing downtown tourist district. Opened in 2013, it looks far older, thanks to the use of reclaimed materials, such as a set of old bleachers from a local high school used to make bar tops and tables. Then there’s the smoked half pig face, an order-ahead menu item. Yes, it’s really half a pig’s face presented in profile on your plate — cheek and snout meat intact, tongue and ears prepared separately. Whoever eats the eyeball gets a free shot of whiskey. Gratis or otherwise, it’s the drinks that keep folks coming back. Photography: Nick Jurich/Courtesy Radiator Whiskey, Illustration by Jonathan Fehr “We specialize in American whiskeys because it’s what we love, but we still offer a fair share of single malts,” says general manager and beverage director Sara Rosales. Radiator stocks 200 or so whiskeys with about 20 regional spirits, including a local Bainbridge Battle Point organic wheat whiskey — yet another warm reminder that, yes, we’re in Seattle. One reviewer called its profile “reminiscent of a heavily buttered slice of banana walnut bread.” Make that organic banana walnut bread, please. Radiator Whiskey, 94 Pike St., Suite 30, Seattle, 206.467.4268, radiatorwhiskey.com Explore:DestinationsFood & DrinkTravel

We’ve got vacation ideas in the West for folks who live on the edge and folks who just want to relax. America’s long infatuation with road trips of all kinds has always transcended the beaten path — especially in the West. Up a glaciated mountain in the Cascades with crampons. Behind a team of huskies in the Alaskan outback. On an endless stretch of mountain bike single track along the Continental Divide. In a sea kayak, jeep, or twin-engine Piper Navajo. By steam-powered train or dual-sport motorcycle. Aboard a Hummer in the Arizona desert, a helicopter in the Black Hills, a sand rail in the Oregon dunes, a bobsled in Park City, Utah, a paraglider off the edge of California ... Or on a horse, of course. What inspired us to list 25 top off-road adventures in the West, featuring just as many different modes of conveyance (including our own two feet)? Well, we had to stop somewhere. Plus, what better way to celebrate the magazine’s silver anniversary than by spotlighting 25 transporting experiences in so many of our favorite places? Some of these trips can be done in an hour or three. Others may require days, weeks, or even months, and some serious planning. And many might be a little too adventurous for your taste. That’s why we’re rounding things out with a bevy of milder experiences. Dog Sled You don’t have to be Iditarod material to have a doggedly good time learning the ropes behind a tireless team of Alaskan canines. Sign up for dog-sledding school with Paws for Adventure and you’ll be warming up to Fairbanks in winter as fast as you can say “mush.” The 20-year-old company introduces clients to the sport with some basic training and terminology: how to harness, snow hook, ride the runners, and safely establish a working relationship with a three- to four-dog team. Then it’s time to put new skills to the test on a 10-mile “Fun Run” through the nearby field and spruce forest. Follow it up with one of several dog-sledding overnight offerings, including a three-day beginner’s tour and a six-day mush along the Denali Highway from Paxson to Maclaren Lodge. Where: Fairbanks, Alaska When: November – March (November – January for mushing school) Why: As much as we can appreciate a good snowmobile ride, mushing is Alaska’s official state sport for good reason. Sandrail No, it’s not a mirage. Those enormous sand dunes rolling from Highway 101 to the Pacific Ocean for 40 miles along the central Oregon coast are really there. Predictably enough, so are a handful of roadside operators in and around the sleepy town of Florence waiting to give you an unforgettable spin through Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal sand dunes on the planet. ATVs and dune buggies have their rightful place in this mini desertscape. But for the real stomach dropper, there’s the sandrail — a low-slung, barebones race-car version of a dune buggy built for handling this terrain like a Lamborghini would. Where: Florence, Oregon When: March – December Why: Best thrill ride on the West Coast’s biggest dunes. Photography: Jason Merlo/Courtesy Tikchik Narrows Lodge Raft It’s where Big Bend National Park gets its name — from that broad canyon-flanked crescent of the Rio Grande where you can “go for days without seeing another boater,” notes the National Park Service. It’s also where dedicated adventure-seekers making it all the way out here are richly rewarded with one of the best float trips between deep West Texas and the rest of the universe. Visitors can opt for single- or multiday floats with veteran local adventure tour operator Far Flung Outdoor Center, headquartered near the old ghost towns of Terlingua and Lajitas. A favorite section: Santa Elena Canyon — featuring 1,500-foot canyon walls, myriad wildlife, and a growing suspicion that you have the whole world to yourself. Where: Big Bend Park, Texas When: Spring and fall — for milder temperatures and more stabilized river flow Why: Coolest Float trip after a very long drive Train Thanks to our resilient fondness for train travel and some dedicated preservationists, vintage trains are still chugging through the California redwoods, Alaskan Klondike Gold Rush country, the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the canyons of Utah and New Mexico. For sheer history, scenery, and vertiginous drama all in one 45.4-mile ride aboard an 1880s-era passenger car pulled by a century-old steam locomotive, there’s no time machine quite like southwest Colorado’s Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Rolling from Durango to the once-booming mining town of Silverton (now a National Historic Landmark), the trip climbs to more than 9,300 feet along a narrow, winding route above the Animas River Valley that could only have been inspired by late-19th-century gold and silver fever. Gape out the window or from a seat in the open-air gondola. See also: the Colorado-New Mexico Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Where: Durango, Colorado When: May 5 – October 27 (shorter winter trips available November – May) Why: The ultimate 19th-century thrill ride on a historic narrow-gauge railway Mountain bike Twenty years ago, the Adventure Cycling Association launched the mother of all off-road “bikepacking” trails — the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route — roughly tracing the Continental Divide for more than 2,700 miles through two Canadian provinces and five Western American states. Yes, hardcore mountain bikers complete the entire trail every year and there is an annual self-supported race open to both single-speed and tandem bicycles. No, you don’t have to go it alone, do the entire GDMBR, or break the current speed record (13 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes) to fully appreciate this ever-evolving mountain-biking masterwork. Favorite doable portions of the largely dirt and gravel route run through Alberta’s Flathead Valley, Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, Colorado’s Boreas Pass, and New Mexico’s remote Gila Wilderness. This year, the ACA will be hosting five guided tours along select spots, ranging from British Columbia’s Wigwam River Valley to Wyoming’s high plains to a sky-scraping spin through the Colorado Rockies. Where: Select routes between Banff, Alberta, and Antelope Wells, New Mexico When: Spring, summer, and fall Why: Pedal the world’s longest mountain-bike route — or a supreme leg of it. Photography: Paul Reiffer Horse Doing the 17-mile scenic drive past the Mittens and other instantly recognizable sandstone mega-sculptures from Stagecoach and several more of your favorite westerns may be the first order of business. Getting on a horse and riding off into the sunset and/or sunrise in this remote 91,000-acre Navajo Tribal Park and iconic movie setting (John Ford alone shot 10 films here) takes you to an entirely different place. Monument Valley horseback rides — bookable through authorized Navajo guides within the park — range from hourlong rambles to full-day trips into the backcountry with an overnight in a traditional Navajo hogan. Where: Monument Valley, Navajo Tribal Park, Utah-Arizona border When: Temperate shoulder seasons — spring or fall Why: It’s the closest you’ll get to starring in your own John Ford movie. Jet Boat Tough as it is to turn your back on southern Oregon’s dramatic sea-stack-adorned Pacific Coast, one of the biggest temptations to point your outboard inland hides in the sleepy town of Gold Beach. Here’s where the historic Rogue River — one of eight original rivers included in 1968’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act — meanders through the state’s most awe-inspiring forest-draped outback. And here’s where visitors can bounce up and down a not-so-lazy river — past schools of steelhead and lone fishermen in waders; through peaceful valleys, roaring canyons, old-growth pinelands, and lost-in-time river towns where the mail is still delivered by watercraft — on a specially designed hydro jet boat. Launched in 1958, Jerry’s Rogue Jets plies the white-water-laced Rogue on 64-, 80-, and 104-mile round-trip river odysseys, piloted by mail-delivering local guides whizzing passengers through outer Oregon’s wildest, wettest, and (since 1895) most die-hard postal route. Where: Gold Beach, Oregon When: May 1 – October 15 Why: The mail just isn’t delivered this way back home. Photography: Rob Hammer Hikingboot How do we get away with recommending a 2,650-mile hiking trail covering the mountain-spined lengths of three giant Western states for your next little walkabout? By singling out a few stellar legs of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) to sample before taking those thru-hiker dreams to the next level. California: The greatest hits of Sierra Nevada backcountry are everywhere along the 215-mile John Muir Trail, stretching from Yosemite National Park to the summit of Mount Whitney. Oregon: Follow the PCT/Timberline Trail into Mount Hood’s Paradise Park for gorgeous wildflower shows and magnificent views of the state’s highest peak. Washington: Way up in the Cascades, Goat Rocks Crest has been called “the PCT’s aesthetic high point” by Backpacker magazine, featuring prize vistas of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens. For hiking and equestrian intel along the PCT — from safety and logistics to permits, gear, and volunteer programs — visit the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Where: Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail When: Late spring (Southern California) – late summer (Northern California through Washington) Why: Any spectacular portion of the West’s epic hiking trail will suffice. Snowmobile Lake Tahoe’s ski resorts hog most of the attention in California/Nevada’s famed winter playground. That leaves miles of prime snowy backcountry open to small convoys of snowmobilers blasting through some of the finest machine-groomed track and off-trail powder “roads” in the Sierras. Ride to the crest of 8,200-foot Mount Watson with Lake Tahoe Snowmobile Tours. Zip through the pine-studded meadows and ridgelines of Tahoe National Forest with Eagle Ridge Snowmobile Tours. Or set out even farther through the Truckee-Tahoe backcountry with Coldstream Adventures. For a full list of snowmobile outfitters, contact the area’s North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe visitors centers. Where: Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada When: Late November — Mid-April Why: Best way to make bigger tracks in Sierra country. Photography: Courtesy West 106 Motorcycle Adventures Dual-Sport Motorcycle What’s even more liberating for easy riders than sharing all those Rocky Mountain freeways with SUV and RV summer traffic? Straddling a dual-sport motorbike and disappearing even deeper into the Wild West, to where the two-lane blacktop ends and the gravel- and dirt-road magic really begins. For able riders looking to push that freedom envelope a touch further, Golden, Colorado-based 106 West Motorcycle Adventures offers some of the most comprehensive guided backcountry runs between greater Denver and outer Utah. With a fleet of BMW and Triumph dual-sport bikes built for this demanding terrain, their trips typically range from eight to 14 days. A best-of-both-worlds “Mountains and Canyons” two-week odyssey loops from Golden through Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and Utah’s canyons, passing Native ruins and old mining towns along the way, with stops in seven national parks and monuments. Where: Colorado and Utah When: June – October Why: Throttle through the real Rocky Mountain and canyon country backroads on the perfect pair of wheels. Stagecoach The most well-heeled 19th-century stagecoach commuters would’ve dreamed of a ride like this, beginning and ending as it does at a Forbes-rated five-star luxury guest ranch nestled in a secluded valley in the heart of Big Sky Country. The Ranch at Rock Creek’s lineup of wilderness adventures includes horseback rides through 6,600 acres of rolling backcountry, mountain biking along 20 miles of scenic trails, and wading through freestone mountain streams with a fly-fishing rod. There’s also the rare opportunity to ride inside the plush upholstered cabin of a fully restored Wells Fargo stagecoach, pulled by two Belgian mares through a particularly beautiful patch of timeless Montana. A vehicular no-brainer for Western culture-seekers of all ages. During winter, the coach’s wood wheels are replaced with runners for horse-drawn sleigh rides — wool blankets, cocoa, and satisfied sighs included. Where: Philipsburg, Montana When: June 1 – September 1 Why: The Pony Express is long gone, but is there a nicer place to briefly pretend? Courtesy Ride The Ducks of Seattle Amphibious Vehicle Much as we love Seattle, rolling past Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, and the Space Needle on the usual tourist bus doesn’t scream off-road adventure — even if your guide is a clever punster in a plastic Viking hat named Clem Chowder. Ride the Ducks of Seattle covers all of those mandatory must-sees on the first leg of what appears to be a standard bus tour. On the second leg, you’re in for a surprise when the vehicle abruptly turns into a watercraft and drives straight into lovely Lake Union, gliding past houseboats, taking in sweet offshore skyline views, and providing a roadless reason to include at least one splashy city tour on this list. Where: Seattle When: Year-round Why: For the sheer novelty of driving into a large urban lake on a fun city bus tour. Hummer You can admire only so much roadside saguaro in southern Arizona before lapsing into cruise-control mode. The cure: a reviving four-hour plunge into the area’s rugged outback in an H1 Hummer chauffeured by a Sonoran Desert naturalist. Leaving Scottsdale in the dust, Arizona Hummer Tours runs half-day adventures along old stagecoach trails, past desolate canyons, and through roadless desertscapes fit for an abnormally wide, resilient 4x4. Highlight stops along the way include visits to an old ghost town and 1,000-year-old Indian fort, indigenous wildlife sightings (tarantulas, scorpions, Gila monsters, coyotes, and more), and a desert sunset vista that could rejuvenate even the most desiccated spirit. Where: Phoenix, Arizona When: Year-round Why: A rental car only gets you so far in the Valley of the Sun. Photography: Courtesy Pink Adventure Tours Pink Jeep Red rock country doesn’t get much more fictitious-looking than Sedona — a feel-good magnet of glowing buttes, canyons, hoodoos, mesas, vortexes, and New Age-y storefronts that, amazingly, have not been color-enhanced in the slightest. Where else could a conspicuous fleet of Pink Jeep Tours vehicles have been launched, acquainting visitors with Sedona’s blindingly beautiful outback for the last half century in extremely color-enhanced 4x4s? Choose from several backcountry rides through some of the reddest rockscapes in the West — along with stops at Native art sites and Sinagua cliff dwellings that predate the earliest pink Wranglers by several centuries. Where: Sedona, Arizona When: Year-round Why: Even the brightest 4x4 can’t upstage Sedona’s natural tones. Mule Not that we would suggest you shrink from the challenge of walking that vertical mile to the bottom of the Grand Canyon — and then (yep) all the way back up again. Just know that the 600,000-plus folks over the last 130 years who have opted to go on muleback have had few regrets about partnering up with the finest hiking companion on four legs. Book your mule at least a year in advance with park concessionaire Xanterra for the overnight ride from the park’s South Rim with an evening at historic Phantom Ranch on the canyon floor. For quieter North Rim mule trips, contact Canyon Trail Rides. Where: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona When: Year-round (South Rim), May 15 – October 15 (North Rim) Why: Whose hooves look sturdier here? Yours or theirs? Photography: Gene Sweeney JR./ Courtesy Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation Bobsled Park City’s proudest property is Olympic Park, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics and a 1,335-meter, 15-curve luge-bobsled-skeleton track that still sees plenty of warp-speed action — and not just for the next crop of world-class sliding hopefuls. Also welcome here: Winter “Comet” Bobsled Ride thrill-seekers eager to climb inside an official three-passenger bobsled behind a certified pilot for an 80-mph, 5G “Comet” ride down one of the world’s fastest sliding tracks. After your adrenaline normalizes, you’ll never think of gravity in the same way again. Where: Park City, Utah When: December – April Why: You don’t have to be a Winter Olympian to blast down an official bobsled track like a human missile. Helicopter Hovering in a helicopter with private panoramic views and noise-reducing headphones is something everyone should try at least once. One of our favorite places to splurge above the crowds: South Dakota’s Black Hills — home to millions of annual Mount Rushmore pilgrims, and a few lucky folks whirlybirding at presidential eye level. Custer-based Black Hills Aerial Adventures runs chopper trips in and around the country’s most iconic memorial. Its flagship, 24-mile Mount Rushmore Tour (out of the Crazy Horse Heliport) includes a memorable face-to-face meeting with the four presidents and a bonus flyby at Crazy Horse Memorial. Where: Custer, South Dakota When: May – October Why: Greet the Mount Rushmore presidents and Crazy Horse at eye level. Photography: Courtesy San Juan Island Outfitters Sea Kayak Glide out of Roche Harbor on the quiet west side of Washington’s San Juan Island in a sea kayak. Paddle into the saltwater tidelands of the Salish Sea. And you’re home. Home, that is, to a natural marine land of seals, otters, sea lions, oystercatchers, great blue herons, bald eagles — and one of the top orca habitats within easy paddling distance from a gorgeous archipelago. Around 80 whales from three resident pods frequent the waters of the newly proposed “Killer Whale Sanctuary” in this sheltered saltwater wilderness featuring postcard-perfect Pacific Northwest isles in every direction. Head out for a half-day, 10-mile West Side Killer Whale Sanctuary Tour with San Juan Outfitters during prime orca-viewing summer months and you stand a reasonable chance of spying a 6-foot dorsal fin along the way. Where: San Juan Island, Washington When: July and August, for best orca viewing Why: Best paddle through prime killer-whale territory. Paraglider Some serious aerial history has been logged off the 300-foot bluffs of Torrey Pines Gliderport, a storied launchpad just north of the tony shores of La Jolla near San Diego. A National Landmark of Soaring and registered Historic Place that’s home to some of the nation’s top paragliders and hang gliders, this is where Charles Lindbergh flew along the coast in a Bowlus sailplane in 1930, along with a who’s who of legendary local aviators (William Hawley Bowlus, Bud Perl, Bill Beuby) who have given this place its nickname: the “Kitty Hawk of the West.” Offering a full lineup of beginner to advanced paragliding classes and clinics, the Gliderport is also popular with first-time tandem riders coming to check this one off the list as a wide-eyed passenger. Where: La Jolla, California When: Year-round Why: Launch your first flight in the Kitty Hawk of the West. Photography: Paul Sundberg Canoe In his 12-chapter classic, Charles Kuralt’s America, the late, great CBS News icon and On the Road correspondent chose a favorite place to spend each month of a single year. July led him to Ely, Minnesota, and a cabin with a canoe in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness — home to more than a million acres of pristine lake country with almost no sign of human interference save the occasional Indian pictograph or faded portage footprint. “If it is absolute solitude you want, you have only to paddle far enough,” Kuralt wrote about northern Minnesota’s vast liquid landscape preserved to sustain the spirit of the French Voyageurs of 200 years ago. “You could keep this up, visiting a different lake every day, for a hundred years, and you still wouldn’t get to all the lakes.” Today, Ely and its neighboring Boundary Waters are still commonly called “The Canoe Capital of the World.” A quick “BWCA-Outfitters” Google search will lead you to more rental and tour operators than you could shake a paddle at. Where: Ely, Minnesota When: Summer – early fall Why: Charles Kuralt would never steer you wrong. 1970s Australia Army Vehicle Hiding off a lonely stretch of I-80 in southwestern Wyoming’s high desert that might otherwise still pass for Overland Trail country, Sweetwater County doesn’t draw the same tourism hordes as Jackson Hole, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone a few hundred miles north. But if you want to see the wild horses, this is your place. For 15 years, Green River Wild Horse Tours has been introducing visitors to one of the largest remaining populations of wild and feral horses roaming the West. Specifically on a vast sagebrush- and sandstone-blanketed swath of backcountry called Pilot Butte that interstate drivers whiz right past without a blink. The off-road vehicle: a 1970s all-terrain Austrian Pinzgauer military truck that almost always finds its herd. Where: Green River, Wyoming When: Late spring – early fall Why: Roam the West’s most underappreciated wild-horse reserve. Photography: Jeff Schultz Flightseeing Plane Of course there are roads in Alaska. But in the nation’s largest, wildest corner, you won’t be doing much driving if you want to see brown bears up close on a remote beach in a national park (with Homer Air). Or gape down at the “Grand Canyon of the North” in Misty Fjords National Monument (with Misty Fjords Air). Or meet the fish in Lake Clark National Park & Preserve (with Lake Clark Air). Or land on a glacier in Denali National Park (with Talkeetna Air Taxi). Notice an upward trend here? In a state with hundreds of commercial airline operators, Alaska is flightseeing nirvana. Typically aboard a Cessna, Piper Navajo, or DeHavilland Beaver operated by a seasoned commercial bush pilot flying you about as far off the Delta and United Airlines grid as you can get in one big country. For a first glimpse of carriers offering a range of destinations and itineraries, visit the Alaska Air Carriers Association. Where: Coastal Alaska When: May – late September Why: Look 500 feet below you. See any roads? Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) Mention Moab to singletrack fans and the immediate connotation is two wheels, a good set of bicycle shocks, and the world-famous Slickrock Trail. Double-trackers opting for a gas pedal have their run of Utah’s red-rock recreation mecca, too — along hundreds of miles of old mining roads and 4x4 routes that feel specially designed for the latest Polaris or Kawasaki. Guided UTV tours cater to every off-road comfort level here, from beginner-friendly backcountry routes with names like Secret Spire and Chicken Corners to more adrenaline-pumping four-wheel drive experiences like the favorite Hell’s Revenge Trail. For rentals and tour outfitters, contact the Moab Information Center. Where: Moab, Utah When: March – October Why: Four wheels are at least as fun as two in the Southwest’s prime red-rock ’n’ rolling adventure playground. Photography: Stephen Matera Crampon Few voluntary endeavors are as humbling and exhilarating as climbing a big snowy mountain. Novice climbers can learn the ropes safely and thrillingly with the Bellingham-based American Alpine Institute, one of the country’s most respected climbing schools and guide services. AAI’s classic climbing 101 class — Alpinism I — is the six-day Alpine Mountaineering course in and around Washington’s North Cascades. Day 1 has students belaying and rappelling at an idyllic rock climbing site on the Pacific Coast, followed by five days of camping and mountaineering training on the glaciers of Mount Baker, with a final day summit push, conditions permitting. If you’ve caught the mountaineering bug after that, AAI leads trips even higher, in the Alps, Andes, and Himalayas. Where: Bellingham and Mount Baker, Washington When: May – September Why: Learn the ropes of mountaineering with a top climbing school in the Cascades. Back Country Skis Or Snowshoes When the snow falls and the sun shines in Sun Valley (which it does in reliably equal measure at the West’s original ski resort), there’s no better place to snap on the cross-country boards, skins, or snowshoes and vanish into your own private Idaho. The Pioneers. The Smokies. The Sawtooths. Those magnificent mountain ranges ringing Sun Valley are secretly equipped with some of the finest backcountry ski trails and cozy rustic digs for multiday backcountry ski adventurers of all levels. Two favorite overnight hideaways here — Fishhook Yurt (comfy bunks, heating and cooking stoves, and a hot tub perched at 6,800 feet beside a trickling mountain creek) and Bench Hut (wood-fired sauna, powdery hills right outside the door, board games if you need them) — are just 4 miles apart on a set of hut-to-hut trails that don’t see any lift lines. Book through local outfitter and guide service Sun Valley Trekking. Where: Sun Valley, Idaho When: Winter Why: Yurt euphoria in the Sawtooths. From the 2018 May/June Issue. More Best of the West Visit These Iconic Western Towns People, Places, and Passions 100 Best Westerns Ever Made Explore:DestinationsTravel

If you’re headed out to Big Bend National Park, you’ll appreciate this itinerary of towns along the route — and a few flavorful local recipes. Photography: Courtesy Hotel Settles Stop 1: Big Spring Eat: Executive chef Rob Cook’s dishes at Settles Grill offer cuisine that combines West Texas comfort food with Southern elegance. Over the years, the restaurant has hosted notable guests such as Elvis Presley, Lawrence Welk, and President Herbert Hoover. Play: Big Spring State Park opened in 1936 and offers dramatic views off the 200-foot bluff. Catch the sunrise or sunset, hike, bike, or have a picnic on this preserved land and take in the fresh air. Don’t forget to check out the historic totem pole and the Native American artifacts and fossils from the area, on display at a seasonal interpretive center. Stay: Hotel Settles originally opened in 1930, when the building consisted of a hotel, restaurant, and pharmacy that served as a hub for the bustling community. After recently undergoing a $30 million renovation, Hotel Settles reopened in 2012 and evokes Southern charm honoring the building’s original elegance. Photography: Courtesy White Buffalo Bar Stop 2: Marathon Eat: White Buffalo Bar is a legendary watering hole that features an extensive tequila selection, fresh-squeezed margaritas, and delicious signature cocktails that can be sipped inside by the fireplace or outside on the patio while listening to live music. Play: Evans Gallery — Austin transplant James H. Evans has been a Marathon fixture since 1989, capturing breathtaking shots of the West Texas landscape, flora, and fauna. You can see his work in the Evans Gallery down the street from the Gage Hotel and are likely to find Evans himself in the gallery on Saturdays and Sundays. Klepper Gallery — Native Texan E. Dan Klepper, one of the featured artists in C&I’s February/March 2018 issue, exhibits his work in a 100-year-old adobe building he converted into a gallery. Unless he’s on the road, you’ll find him there, just around the corner from the Gage Hotel. Stay: Gage Hotel — Built in 1927 by acclaimed architect Henry Trost, the legendary Gage Hotel is located just outside Big Bend National Park. It offers authentic laid-back luxury with premier accommodations, top-notch service, and first-class dining. On March 24, the hotel’s new Brick Vault Barbecue and Brewery is set to open on Main Street with barbecue, beer, and music on the menu. The brewery — serving Howdy Cream Ale and Capt. Sheppard’s Pecan Porter, among others — was named after an actual 1886 vault on the premises. The only thing that survived a fire that burned the original mercantile building to the ground, it’s a focal point of the renovation. Photography: Courtesy Reata Alpine Stop 3: Alpine Eat: The original Reata Restaurant, nestled in the southern end of the breathtaking Davis Mountains in West Texas, has been providing fine dining to residents and visitors of the Big Bend for nearly two decades. Play: Big Bend Brewing is located in the backyard of Big Bend National Park. Venture out West and visit the tap room, tasting brews that are a tribute to the spirit of West Texas and trailblazers of the Big Bend region. For a great introduction to the history of the Big Bend region, visit the Museum of the Big Bend located on the campus of Sul Ross State University. Built in 1936, the museum has been preserving the area’s history for more than 80 years, collecting artifacts since 1921. Numerous exhibits include the Texas pterosaur, historical maps, and early Native Americans and buffalo soldiers. Every April, the Trappings of Texas exhibit and sale, one of the longest continuously running exhibits of its kind in the country, features fine Western art and custom cowboy gear. Stay: The Holland Hotel has been open since 1928 and still serves as the epicenter of the Big Bend community. Located within walking distance of shopping, galleries, dining, and entertainment, the hotel offers a home away from home full of Southern charm and hospitality. Photography: Courtesy Stellina Stop 4: Marfa Eat: Stellina — Hip, sophisticated, and super-social, this restaurant, next to the beautiful pink-stucco historic landmark Presidio County Courthouse (1886), features an ever-changing menu of delicious Mediterranean fare, along with an impressive wine selection and craft beers. Play: Chinati Foundation — The Chinati Foundation is a contemporary art museum based on the ideas of its founder, Donald Judd, who envisioned bringing art, architecture, and nature together in a coherent whole in this remote landscape. Intended to preserve and present permanent large-scale art installations, Chinati, which opened to the public in the mid-1980s, was an early attraction in Marfa, along with the famed mysterious Marfa lights. Stay: Hotel Saint George — This reincarnation of the old Hotel St. George, originally built in 1886, incorporates locally sourced elements and repurposed materials from the original building, all melded with world-class contemporary works by artists living in or tied to the community. Recipes From West Texas Photography: Courtesy Hotel Settles Bourbon Cider Sour Courtesy Pharmacy Bar & Parlor, Hotel Settles (Serves 2) 3 ounces (2 shots) Jim Beam Bourbon (or your preferred bourbon) 1 cup apple cider ½ cup orange juice ¼ cup sugar Crushed or cubed ice 1 Gala or Honeycrisp apple, sliced for garnish Mix the bourbon, apple cider, orange juice, and sugar together. Place the ice in the serving cups and pour the liquid over the ice. Garnish with apple slices. Jalapeño-Cilantro Soup Courtesy Reata Restaurant This rich and creamy pepper bisque always seems to surprise guests at the Reata Restaurant the first time they try it. “The subtle flavors are as comforting as a warm wooly blanket on a softy downy bed — in fact, it’s really had not to curl up for a nap after you’ve had a bowl.” (Serves 6) ½ tablespoon unsalted butter 5 jalapeños, seeded and minced 2 tablespoons garlic, minced ¾ cup red onion, finely chopped 1 avocado, peeled and diced 4 Roma tomatoes, diced 8 cups heavy cream (use the highest fat content available) Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped Tortilla crisps (recipe follows) In a large stockpot, heat the butter over medium heat. Sauté the jalapeños, onions, and garlic for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the peppers turn soft. Remove from the heat and add the avocado, tomatoes, and cream. Lower the heat; then return the pot to heat, stirring constantly so the cream doesn’t separate. Slowly bring the soup back to a simmer, cooking to reduce by about 30 percent, stirring often to prevent scorching or sticking. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the cilantro, reserving about 1 teaspoon per serving for garnish. Sprinkle with the reserved chopped cilantro and [tortilla crisps]. Tortilla Crisps 6 corn tortillas Peanut oil, for frying Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet or deep fryer to approximately 350 degrees. Cut the tortillas into ¼-inch strips. Fry the strips for about 1 minute on each side until they’re crispy and lightly toasted. Pan-Seared Pepper-Crusted Tenderloin With Port Wine Glaze Courtesy Reata Restaurant This is the Reata Restaurant’s all-time bestselling dish. “We predict once you’ve had your tenderloin glazed with port wine, nothing else will ever do. The black pepper for the coating must be coarse and freshly ground, and for goodness’ sake, please don’t let the amount of pepper scare you away. We promise it makes the meat melt-in-your-mouth good!” (Serves 6) 6 (8- to 10-ounce) beef tenderloins, well-trimmed 12 tablespoons cracked black pepper, or coarsely ground Kosher salt 2 – 3 tablespoons oil, for sautéeing 2 cups port wine glaze (recipe follows) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat both sides of each tenderloin with the cracked pepper. Season each side with salt. Heat a dry sauté pan to smoking hot. Add the oil 1 – 2 tablespoons at a time. When the oil is hot, add the crusted tenderloin and sear for about 3 minutes. This is really important, because a good, hot sear holds in the juices. Turn the steak and sear 3 minutes more on the other side. Repeat for all 6 steaks. Reserve the seared steaks in a baking dish. Remove the sauté pan from the heat and set aside to use with the sauce. Finish the steaks in the preheated oven for 8 – 10 minutes to achieve medium-rare temperature. Serve immediately on a bed of about ⅓ cup of the port wine glaze. Port Wine Glaze (Makes about 2 cups) ½ (750-mm) bottle port wine (because the sauce reduces so much, an inexpensive bottle is fine) ⅓ cup honey 2 quarts veal stock (recipe follows) Combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot. Cook over high heat for about 1 hour, until the liquid has reduced by about 75 percent and is the consistency of syrup. Veal Stock “We’ll fess up,” the folks at Reata Restaurant admit in the headnotes for this recipe. “This takes a long time to cook — but we swear it’s not that hard. It’s just not always practical to make it before you prepare a big meal, where maybe only one recipe calls for veal stock. So, if you must, you can combine equal parts of chicken stock and beef stock and get a flavor that’s pretty close. But promise us you’ll try this one day, okay? We promise it will be worth your while!” 10 pounds veal bones 3 yellow onions, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 head fresh garlic, cloves peeled ¼ cup fresh thyme, diced 5 dried bay leaves ½ cup tomato paste 2 gallons water Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the bones in a large, dry, covered roasting pan and cook for 3 hours. Add the water (be very careful, as the pan will be extremely hot and the water might spatter!) Add all the remaining ingredients, cover, and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven. Carefully pour everything, including the bones, into a large stockpot. Cover, and cook over medium heat for at least 12 hours. More on West Texas and Big Bend E. Dan Klepper and the Middle of Nowhere Birds and their Earthbound Companions The Craft Beer Revolution Recipe: Reata’s Habanero Margarita Explore:DestinationsFood & DrinkLiving WestTravel

Collective Retreats is an assemblage of luxury destinations where the location of your individual room—or, in this case, your tent—is what matters most. The concept is simple: Give five-star accommodations where traditional hotels can’t be built. That is exactly what Peter Mack, founder and CEO of Collective Retreats, has done with his company that operates seasonal […]

You may be in the middle of the wilderness, but a local IPA isn’t that far away

Photography: Courtesy Travel Oregon Come along as C&I takes readers on a tour of the Beaver State. This time around Cowboys & Indians dedicates its July travel issue to the great state of Oregon. Wallowa Mountains When Travel Oregon came up with its award-winning Seven Wonders of Oregon ad campaign, it wisely made sure the Wallowa Mountains made it through the winnowing process for the final list. The wonder of this range in the Columbia Plateau of the northeastern part of the state is its natural beauty — it is, after all, known variously as America’s Little Switzerland and Oregon’s Alps. But it’s also wonder-worthy for its many outdoor attractions and special place in Western history. Long before they became a tourist destination, the Wallowa Mountains were home to the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce tribe. In 1834, French-born Capt. Benjamin Bonneville of the U.S. Army, traveling through the Wallowas, ran into the Nez Perce on his way to Fort Walla Walla and developed a trading relationship with the tribe. After settlers invaded the land for gold, the Nez Perce, under Chief Joseph, took active measures of resistance, resulting in the Nez Perce War of 1877. Chief Joseph, who was born in the Wallowa Valley, is the namesake of the town of Joseph, Oregon, which is nestled in the valley just a mile from Wallowa Lake. Once called Silver Lake and Lake City, the town was officially named after the great Nez Perce leader in 1879. In late July, Joseph puts on the Nez Perce Tamkaliks Celebration (this year, July 21 – 23) and the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo (July 25 – 30), but it’s also a hub of activity in August, when it hosts the Bronze, Blues & Brews Festival (August 11 – 12) and again in the fall when it stages Oregon’s Alpenfest (September 28 – October 1), complete with yodeling and alp-horn playing. Joseph is also one of the largest bronze-producing areas in the world. Visitors can tour the foundries and browse the life-size wildlife and Western sculptures that line Main Street. The events and shops of Joseph don’t disappoint, but the real star here is the Oregon outdoors. At least 18 different peaks in the Wallowas rise above 9,000 feet, including Sacajawea Peak (9,838 feet) in the adventure-filled Eagle Cap Wilderness, which boasts 500 miles of marked trails and 52 lakes. To take full advantage of crown jewel Wallowa Lake, there’s the breathtaking and family-friendly Wallowa Lake State Park. Hiking and camping, horseback riding and go-carting, boating and fishing, water skiing and wakeboarding, white-water rafting in Hells Canyon (where you can explore historical Native American sites) — there’s so much to do outdoors in the Wallowas. For a truly memorable view, take the Wallowa Lake Tramway to the top of Mount Howard; then stick around to take it all in from an outdoor table at the Summit Grill and Alpine Patio. There you can have an Oregon microbrew and a bite to eat while overlooking the lake and the wondrous peaks. josephoregon.com, traveloregon.com — Kristin Brown Photography: Satoshi Eto/Courtesy Travel Oregon Smith Rock State Park This is the kind of landscape that would look right at home in a classic western. You can just picture a posse on horseback chasing outlaws holed up among 600-foot-tall rock spires that look like a craggy cathedral with a river running through it. There’s a ton of geology to thank for the dramatic, cinematic Smith Rock scenery: the eroding action of the Crooked River slowly cutting its way through eons of layers of rock, old ash and tuff formations, basalt lava flows, calderas, and lava chambers to make deep canyons, cliffs, and gullies. But Smith Rock is beloved as more than a geologist’s paradise and super selfie backdrop: It’s a premier destination for fresh-air-and-sunshine activities. A 35-minute drive from the adventure gateway of Bend in Central Oregon, Smith Rock is widely considered the high-desert birthplace of the sport of rock climbing. The state park boasts several thousand climbs, more than 1,000 of which are bolted routes. It’s also a Mecca for hikers and mountain bikers (with many miles of trails to accommodate them, too) and campers. One of the best, if tough, hikes follows the Crooked River, climbs to the top of Misery Ridge for a 360-degree view from 3,360 feet, and finally takes you on a loop of the park. Whatever you do in Smith Rock State Park, keep your dog leashed, your feet on marked trails, and your eyes and telephoto lens peeled for golden eagles, prairie falcons, mule deer, river otters, and beavers. (Note: Climbing closures are periodically in effect in areas where golden eagles nest within 1,100 feet.) oregonstateparks.org — Dana Joseph Photography: Satoshi Eto/Courtesy Travel Oregon Crater Lake Crater Lake National Park, established in 1902, has one of the most iconic views found in the American West — a wide lake encircled by cliffs and a single, conical island poking out from the middle. Originally known as Mount Mazama, an active volcano, Crater Lake now consumes the volcanic basin with the peak of the mountain resting as Wizard Island. It’s the deepest lake in the country and fed almost completely by precipitation, giving it a brilliant blue hue. But Crater Lake is more than an opportunity for splendid postcard-worthy pictures. Open 365 days a year, the park is always accessible to visitors. Although some roads may be closed due to snow and the lake might be difficult to spot with low cloud coverage at times, camping and hiking are always options for the adventurous. The national park has two campgrounds and two lodges open in the summer season, but during the winter, only backcountry camping is permitted. For a different view of the park, consider a volcano boat cruise, taking visitors around the lake. Or opt for the Wizard Island exploration trip for an opportunity to stomp around on the mysterious island at the center of the lake. Only available during the summer months, the tours offer a chance to get up close with the formations and geological wonders of the lake. nps.gov/crla, craterlakelodges.com — Victoria Mechler Treetop Resort Tucked away in the Illinois Valley of southwest Oregon, Takilma offers an experience unlike any other. Considered an artists’ haven, the small town is home to one of the country’s most incomparable destination resorts: the Out’n’About Treesort. It’s a bed-and-breakfast in the sky, made up of treehouse bungalows built on 36 acres of private pasture and woods bordering the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. It’s a true oasis for owner and master builder Michael Garnier, a treehouse pioneer who has overseen custom builds all over the world. And enjoying the great outdoors is exactly what this resort is all about. You won’t find a television in your luxury treehouse suite, but you certainly won’t be bored. There are plenty of what the resort calls “activitrees” to keep you engaged. Embark on horseback and river rafting adventures through the valley, hike along the nearby Redwood Coast, or sign up for any number of the resort’s workshops and courses, from treehouse construction to cooking up the perfect s’more. But the highlight of the property is the Mountain View Zipway — a zip-line course that takes approximately three hours to complete, ascends 75 feet in the air, and hits speeds up to 45 mph. treehouses.com/joomla — Holly Henderson Photography: Steve Terrill Photography Mount Hood The most recognizable peaks in Oregon, Mount Hood and its surrounding territory are full of adventures for every season. During the warm summers, the Mount Hood Railroad takes daily trips from Hood River to Parkdale Station near the base of the mountain, taking riders on scenic routes of the region’s blooming fruit trees. Festivals are also a big part of the green summers in Oregon. With all the fresh flowers, visitors can see the natural beauty of the state. In the festival lineup is Pickathon, a four-day music event at Pendarvis Farm, where bluegrass, Americana, and country artists gather and celebrate roots music. With mostly melted snow in the summer, the Timberline National Historic Trail becomes a popular hiking trail for backpackers and day hikers. The route circumnavigates the mountain and can take a few days to complete in whole, or hikers can take shorter trails for day trips. In the heart of Mount Hood National Forest, the trail passes through glacial-fed streams and crevices — which provide the surrounding farmlands mineral-rich irrigation from runoff. Come winter and snow, the area heats up with skiers from around the world visiting the slopes of the longest ski season in North America — Olympic hopefuls and medalists can be found zipping downhill on skis or testing new snowboarding tricks. The historic Timberline Lodge, known for its architectural design, has been hosting guests since opening in 1938 and is open year-round. Hit the slopes during the day or at night, or swing by Mount Hood Skibowl for more night skiing and tubing. If alpine skiing is too much, the area boasts snowshoeing and cross-country skiing routes as well. mthoodterritory.com — Victoria Mechler The Portland Culinary Experience Japanese. Iranian. Mexican. French. Local. The Portland, Oregon, food landscape is a culinary Disneyland — not only reflective of the city’s current international makeup but also of its founding. The city is home to renowned chefs who emphasize the local or look beyond the horizon, including Naomi Pomeroy, who before opening her award-winning restaurant, Beast, owned and operated the historically focused Clarklewis. Andy Ricker doles out Thai street food favorites at Pok Pok. And Rodney Muirhead does Texas barbecue at Podnah’s Pit and Tex-Mex at La Taq next door. Spirited accompaniments are well-represented in the Multnomah Whiskey Library, an exclusive whistle-wetting joint accessible by reservation (for members) or waiting list, home to nearly 1,600 bottles of distilled spirits, most of them whiskey. It’s a brown-water aficionado’s sanctuary. Craft beer lovers are also a happy lot. The Portland Metro area is home to 105 breweries, according to the Oregon Brewers Guild, making it one of the densest craft brewing capitals worldwide. And being the No. 2 state for hops production, Oregon — and Portland — is heavy on the resin-lapped, citrus-twisted India pale ales. Arguably more diverse than the restaurant and bar scene is the food cart phenomenon making Portland a mobile food vending hot spot. Indeed, the Alder Street pod (a cluster of food carts) that rings a downtown parking lot offers customers everything from gourmet grilled cheeses to Japanese dumplings. Take your order to go and sit a spell in the 12-acre Portland Japanese Garden with meandering streams, intimate walkways, and a picture-perfect view of Mount Hood. Don’t skip Portland’s International Rose Test Garden, the oldest continuously operating rose garden in the United States. Stroll along paths featuring more than 10,000 roses and learn why Portland is known as The City of Roses. If you’re like us, that’s barely a day’s worth of sightseeing and sustenance, which is why we recommend picking up a handcrafted chocolate bar or two from Cacao and a cortado from Stumptown Coffee Roasters before hopping to your next Portland destination. travelportland.com — José R. Ralat Photography: Barbara Kraft/Courtesy The Allison Inn & Spa Oregon Wine Country Portland may be known for its bustling craft beer scene, but Oregon has more to offer than just hops. A little way south of the ale-ing city, the Willamette Valley is rich with vineyards and winemakers fermenting a different crop: grapes. The hills of wine country are flooded with the delicate pinot noir grapes. Tasting rooms beckon tourists and locals alike to enjoy a glass — or a flight — of the fruity red wine and share thoughts on different flavors that stand out depending on the harvest year. Amid more than 80 wineries in the Newberg area is a boutique hotel with a vineyard of its own. The Allison Inn & Spa blends naturally into the rolling hills of the countryside, and with its 85 rooms and suites, the hotel offers luxury accommodations, an expansive spa, and a world-class restaurant — not to mention the fine art. The hotel grounds are decked out with paintings and sculptures by Oregon’s own, including one work by Jay Noller that incorporates soil found on The Allison’s land. The 15,000-square-foot spa offers classic and specialty services, but reservations fill up quickly. At JORY, chef Sunny Jin and his team create flavorful dishes inspired by and made with locally sourced ingredients. The Allison’s garden and hazelnut orchard produce much of the kitchen’s supply, but Jin also has a selection of local purveyors he relies on for other crops. Whether you sit in the main dining area, the open bar peering into the busy kitchen, or one of the private dining rooms, your dining experience is complete with a wine list offering nearly 800 different labels. Choose a glass or bottle for yourself, or ask the server for a recommendation of what will pair best with the meal. To help guests experience the beauty and flavors of the wine region, the hotel offers a Lexus partnership program, allowing guests to take out a vehicle from the fleet for a few hours, plenty of time to stop by a few of the nearby wineries. theallison.com — Victoria Mechler Photography: Christian Heeb/Courtesy Travel Oregon Painted Hills Rocky hills striped with vivid red and orange and splashed with black and murky brown create a geological wonderland outside the town of Mitchell. The painted rock formation, understandably known as the Painted Hills, is one of three units in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in the John Day River Basin. With their tie-dye-like walls, the Painted Hills have become an attraction for adventure enthusiasts and landscape artists alike. The seasons alter the look of the hills, creating one-of-a-kind experiences on each visit. Winter brings snow drifts, blanketing the hills in white with peekaboo pops of color, and wildflowers bloom in spring as the temperature begins to warm. The hues and tones of the rocks also change seasonally with variations in precipitation levels and the angle of the sun. The longest trail on the grounds, the Carroll Rim Trail, leads to panoramic views of the painted ridge. The other trails, though shorter in length, lead hikers through the colorful rocks to more breathtaking vistas. The area that was once rich with fossils and the site of paleontological research along the Leaf Hill Trail no longer has visible fossils, but instead offers an exhibit with samples of leaves once found there. Although camping is not permitted in any of the three units in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, there are several campgrounds and lodging options nearby. Pack a picnic and spend the day watching the colors transform as the sun passes over the hills. nps.gov/joda — Victoria Mechler Photography: Brian Chambers Lavender Farms, Fields, and Festival When the snow begins to melt in the West, lavender farms in Oregon prepare for their most popular time of year: blooming season. From the time the first purple starts to pop in spring to the time it peaks in summer, visitors from all over the world come to experience picturesque, fragrant fields blanketed in lavender. Oregon is home to some of the most breathtaking lavender farms in the world, with seven major growing areas: in the northwest, Sunset Corridor, Chehalem Mountain and Yamhill Valley, North Willamette Valley, Central Willamette Valley, Central Oregon, and Hood River Valley; in the southwest, Southern Oregon. One of the best times to visit the lavender regions is the second weekend in July, during the annual Oregon Lavender Farm Tour, put on by the Oregon Lavender Association. Held this year July 8 – 9, it features lavender farms and nurseries all over Oregon, with lavender-related activities like workshops on cooking and healing with lavender and celebrations with music, food, and vendors selling every lavender ware imaginable. The Southern Oregon region has its own lavender festival — this year June 23 – 25 and July 7 – 9 — when the farms and nurseries on the Southern Oregon Lavender Trail turn out with all things lavender. It’s a summer festival atmosphere that might find you making wreaths, drinking lavender lemonade, and picking your own bouquet. A couple of notable Oregon lavender farms that are gorgeous destinations unto themselves include Hood River Lavender Farms, three organic farms in the scenic Hood River Valley that grow lavender and produce products like Lavender Cherry Pear Marmalade and lavender shea balm; and the family-run English Lavender Farm, set high in the mountains of the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon, where they sell products ranging from heat rolls, neck wraps, and sachets to lavender soy wax candles, lavender calming dog collars, and dog shampoo. oregonlavenderdestinations.com — Kristin Brown The Pendleton Round-Up’s 1910 Room Gourmet Experience The Indian relay racers rode too hard and fast for my smartphone’s video setting. Their mounts’ hooves sent the rodeo arena’s track dirt into fits and poofs under the metal bars separating guests of the Pendleton Round-Up’s 1910 Room, a gourmet experience, from the thrilling action. Those of us in the 1910 Room were powering through our own feat of athletic prowess: a multi-course meal that paired dishes with an Oregon craft beer, a signature cocktail featuring Pendleton Whisky (the official whiskey of the rodeo), and a local wine with a round of rodeo events — all of the events. It’s a five-hour trackside meal with state- and Western-inspired dishes such as Oregon smoked salmon, silky but substantial, during the tie-down roping and saddle bronc contests. The chef behind this rodeo mettle-testing feast was Max Germano of Portland. Assisting him were Pendleton High School culinary arts program teacher Kristin Swaggart as sous-chef and a team of Swaggart’s culinary arts students. The results included a caprese salad of golden heirloom tomatoes and pillowy mozzarella capped with ribbons of basil bound by rivulets of balsamic vinegar served during the bareback riding competition. And for the Indian relay racing: a smoked pork chop given a brilliant wash of Pendleton Whisky blackberry-barbecue sauce. This test of our endurance was well-rewarded with a spin on a classic fireside treat, s’mores. In the case of Germano and team, it arrived at our tables composed of house-made graham crackers with a dark chocolate and chile torte, brûléed fresh marshmallow, and a chocolate wine sauce. We savored our victory just as the rodeo cowboys celebrated theirs. This year’s Pendleton Round-Up, running September 13 – 16, will once again host the 1910 Room with Germano returning alongside Swaggart and her students. When asked how 2017’s menu will differ from last year’s offerings, Germano says, “Last year we did a five-course meal through the rodeo. This year we are moving more toward doing some fun hors d’oeuvres, an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert. All of the dishes we will be serving will be completely different from last year, so anyone who will be there for a second year will be in for an entirely new and unique experience.” What else can we expect? “This year I am inspired by Western culture being kind of a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities,” Germano explains. “The dish I am most excited for this year is one of the main course plates: crispy pork spare ribs, a sweet and tangy whiskey-barbecue sauce, braised kale, pickled chiles, and creamy grits.” The meal will be capped with a whiskey and honey cake with a lavender crème anglaise and candied orange. “Oregon culture definitely plays a part in all of the dishes,” he says. “Being able to get amazing seafood and fish from the coast while bringing in fresh seasonal and local produce is inspiring,” Germano says. And if you haven’t noticed by now, there will be whiskey. Lots of whiskey. In nearly everything. pendletonroundup.com — José R. Ralat Photography: Zachariah Schnepf Columbia River Gorge As you wind your way westward along the southern bank of the Columbia River, the river is everywhere. It’s below you, behind you, and always before you, cutting through more than 80 miles of the Cascade Range’s terrain with a climate that shifts from high desert in the east to temperate rainforest in the west. For more than 13,000 years, humans have gazed upon this landscape that forms the border between Washington and Oregon. They have called it home, have charted it, and they trapped, traded, and settled it during the age of westward expansion. Today, large swaths are enjoyed as the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, designated as such by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. “The scenic area is important to Oregon and the West for so many reasons,” says Susan Buce of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum. “I could go on for hours. But to whittle it down to three things, let’s say the gorge’s Native American history, its environment and ecology, and its outdoor recreation.” She mentions the resurgence of the bald eagle, the importance of salmon and salmon fishing to the Native Americans, Multnomah Falls — the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest — the Ice Age Floods National Geological Trail, and the Historic Columbia River Highway. Outdoors-minded folks are drawn to the hiking. The Balfour-Klickitat Area & Trail is primo bald eagle sighting real estate. Meanwhile Husum Falls on the White Salmon Wild and Scenic River is a Class V waterway best used by experts and with guides. Rather kick back and enjoy the scenery or live the good life in the region? We recommend a leisurely drive on the Historic Columbia River Highway, relax on a riverboat cruise in the Cascade Locks, raise a glass of craft beer at Full Sail Brewing Company, or raise a glass of red at a Columbia Gorge American Viticultural Area winery — because there is something for everyone in the Columbia River Gorge. fs.usda.gov/main/crgnsa — José R. Ralat Photography: Christian Heeb/Courtesy Travel Oregon Oregon Coast You can experience the Oregon coast in all its wondrous windblown glory the easy, relaxing way — with a getaway to any of a dozen or so terrific beach towns — or the energetic, invigorating way — by hiking a portion of the 382-mile Oregon Coast Trail. Whether you loaf it or hike it, you’ll see everything from craggy headlands and sandy beaches to forested corridors and picturesque seaside enclaves. Out of a dozen or so primo West Coast beach towns handpicked by Sunset magazine, half were in Oregon — and that’s with stiff competition from California and Washington. Making the list from the Beaver State were Bandon, Astoria, Depoe Bay, Cannon Beach, Newport, and Port Orford, each of which has its own character — and its own take on coastal weather. String a few of these Oregon pearls on your West Coast necklace, and sea stacks and tide pools, ice cream cones and saltwater taffy, inns and art galleries, fresh oysters and crab cakes, cliffs and lighthouses, picnics and Frisbees, and, of course, spectacular sunsets are on your itinerary. No list of Oregon coastal musts would be complete without Yachats, which Frommer’s travel guide founder Arthur Frommer listed as No. 7 of his 10 favorite destinations in the world. A charming town whose Chinook Indian name means “dark water at the foot of the mountain,” Yachats (pronounced YAH-hots) earns its reputation as “the gem of the Oregon Coast” with its stunning location on the water at the base of the Oregon Coast Range, lovely hotels, art galleries, pastel-painted shops, and, 2.3 miles to the south, Cape Perpetua Scenic Area — the highest point on the Oregon Coast and a great spot for walks and getting in on guided naturalist programs through the visitors center. The U.S. Forest Service entices you to Cape Perpetua thusly: “Towering trees looming through a coastal fog. Frothy surf crashing upon jagged shores. Majestic headlands offering clear views for miles. ... [T]his coastal wonderland — where the forest meets the sea — captivates locals and visitors alike.” Like you needed a hard sell. Between Yachats and Cape Perpetua, there’s a 3.8-mile stretch of the Oregon Coast Trail called the Amanda Trail. Known for both for its arduous beauty and its even more arduous past, it’s named in honor of Amanda De-Cuys, a blind elderly Native American woman who had escaped deathly conditions on an Oregon reservation and made a life in Coos Bay. Found living there with a white man and their 8-year-old daughter, De-Cuys was forcibly removed by the U.S. military and Indian agents and marched for 10 days and 80 miles — with no eyesight and no shoes — over sharp rocks and forbidding terrain. The section of trail named for her marks the final leg of that treacherous 1864 journey. De-Cuys’ ultimate fate remains a mystery, but stories about the trail never fail to mention that she could be tracked by the blood from her wounded feet. Oregon owns up to the sad history of violent and unjust treatment of its original inhabitants with a statue of De-Cuys and a sign along the Amanda Trail. It’s a sobering story to consider while intoxicated by all the beauty. oregonhikers.org — Dana Joseph Oregon Shakespeare Festival The thrill of Shakespeare and of the theater in general is alive and well in Ashland, just north of Oregon’s southern border, where the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s been putting on plays — by the Bard and others — since 1935. A Beaver State institution with 83 years and tons of plays (including every single one Will ever wrote) to its playbill credit, it’s not just one of the nation’s oldest theater institutions, but it’s also one of the most important (says no less than The New York Times). And, we might add, most prolific: Running from February to early November, OSF puts on performances six days a week and about 800 annually. ’Tis definitely not your high school production of William Shakespeare here. By its own description, the renowned festival is a “compelling mix of classic, contemporary, and world premiere productions in three unique theaters.” The open-air Allen Elizabethan Theatre is Ashland’s answer to London’s Globe Theatre, but the plays aren’t oh-so-17th-century — they’re very now. This summer through fall, expect everything from Henry IV, Part Two to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast to the musical UniSon, which brings to life the poetry of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson. In 2018, the schedule includes productions as edgy and diverse as Othello; a same-sex Oklahoma!; and Manahatta, by Mary Kathryn Nagle, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and executive director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program. When you’re not enjoying plays, explore Lithia Park’s 93 acres of forested canyonland around Ashland Creek and other Ashland pursuits like river rafting and tubing, beer and wine tasting, and breakfasting and brunching at local favorite Morning Glory. Whatever you do, pack rain gear because, whatever the weather, the play will go on. osfashland.org — Dana Joseph Pillars of Rome Pioneers on the Oregon Trail saw them rise out of the landscape in southeastern Oregon as they neared the last stretch of their pilgrimage. These unusual 100-foot-high cliffs towered above the sagebrush and mesquite of the valley floor in white clay columns that reminded travelers of Roman ruins, which led to their name, Pillars of Rome. The formation then gave the nearby town of Rome in Malheur County its moniker. Covering an area approximately 5 miles by 2 miles, the Pillars of Rome attract artists and photographers as the geologic formation changes hues throughout the day with the rising and setting of the sun. If you’re nearby fishing the Three Forks area or hiking the Painted Canyon, be sure to take a detour and snap some awe-inspiring pictures of your own. The chalk and clay bluffs are home to fossils, wildflowers, birds, and various wildlife, but they’re also brittle, so visitors are advised to use caution and keep a respectful distance. Remnants of the old stagecoach highway are still visible there today. The Pillars of Rome are on the edge of the Owyhee Canyonlands, a scenic, secluded desert region along the Owyhee River. The river got its name from an early spelling of Hawaii in honor of three fur traders from the Pacific Islands who disappeared during an 1819 expedition, likely killed by native Bannocks. Today, it is a destination for white-water rafting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor recreation. Rome is located near Burns Junction, the intersection of U.S. Highway 95 and State Highway 78. To get closer to the pillars, take the Rome Road (on the opposite side of the highway from the Rome Station) for about 2 miles. Take a right on Old Ion Highway, then a left on Kiger Road. Kiger takes a southward curve, at which point you should begin to see the Pillars of Rome. traveloregon.com — Jesse Hughey For more on Oregon, pick up the July travel issue. From the July 2017 issue. Explore:DestinationsFood & DrinkHistoryTravel

Photography: Buckhorn Exchange/Facebook History and fine exotic meats share a table at Denver’s Buckhorn Exchange. Self-styled as Denver’s original steakhouse, the Buckhorn Exchange was opened in 1893 by Henry “Shorty Scout” Zietz for those carnivorously inclined. (Sitting Bull gave Zietz his nickname.) Illustration: Jonathan Fehr The 124-year-old brick building is only 20 feet wide, stretching back nearly 70 feet with murals of the West of yore painted along one side. The interior décor is classic Old West with a wide range of animal trophies, antique firearms, and souvenirs collected by Zietz while riding as a scout with William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody and as a hunting companion for President Theodore Roosevelt. Besides Teddy, U.S. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, and Jimmy Carter have dined here. The upstairs bar has seen the likes of Cody bellied up for a drink away from his nagging sisters as well as John Wayne, James Cagney, Bob Hope, Will Rogers, Charlton Heston, and Roy Rogers. There’s more here than a fine steak. The Buckhorn boasts a menu featuring pork, lamb, elk, bison, rattlesnake, yak, duck, alligator, quail, Cornish game hens, salmon, and Rocky Mountain oysters. Bison and elk are the restaurant’s biggest sellers. “[Exotic meat] really put us on the map nationally and internationally,” says co-owner Bill Dutton. “[Customers] try things they don’t usually get back home.” Photography: Buckhorn Exchange/Facebook Dutton says his establishment has dropped various meats from the menu when quality and consistency came into question. “We dropped pheasant because of those issues.” As for the Buckhorn’s selection of produce, Dutton says they stay within the boundaries of what was used in the Old West. “We use sage as a seasoning in some of our recipes.” Technology has made a once out-of-the-way destination — “You were either looking for us or you were lost,” Dutton says with a laugh — convenient. Denver’s light-rail system now stops directly across the street from the Buckhorn, making the restaurant a 10-minute ride from downtown hotels. Lavender Pepper Duck Breast With Raspberry-Red Zinfandel Sauce (Serves 6) Raspberry-Red Zinfandel Sauce 2 cups cold water 12 ounces raspberries 1½ teaspoons chicken base 2/3 cup sugar 2 cups zinfandel 1/3 cup dark rum 2 tablespoons cornstarch ½ cup cold water 2 tablespoons Crème de Cassis 6 boneless duck breasts Combine raspberries and water in heavy saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes; add chicken base and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Continue to simmer. Add zinfandel and rum and continue to simmer until reduced by ¼. Combine cornstarch with ½ cup cold water and add to sauce. Bring sauce back to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in Crème de Cassis. Force sauce through double mesh strainer. Lavender Pepper Rub 2 tablespoons black peppercorns 2 tablespoons sea salt 2 tablespoons fennel seeds 2 tablespoons lavender 1 tablespoon white pepper Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until all seeds are reduced to a coarse grind. Skin duck breasts and rub with lavender mixture 1 hour prior to cooking. Grill duck breasts over hot fire until medium rare. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and slice. Serve each breast with 2 ounces of sauce. The Buckhorn Exchange, 1000 Osage St., Denver, 303.534.9505, buckhorn.com From the October 2017 Taste of the West issue. Explore:DestinationsFood & DrinkHistoryTravel

These are the best hikes in Sedona, Colorado, Oahu, Yosemite, and other places with the most scenic coastal and mountain trails.

Relax with yoga at Sunrise Springs Spa Resort. Photography: Doug Merriam/Courtesy Sunrise Springs To honor the magazine’s 24th anniversary issue, we’re including two dozen worthwhile road-warrior options from around the West. You might want to go ahead and open up that calendar. FILL UP ON KANSAS’ SMOKED MEATS You could spend an entire vacation touring Kansas City’s barbecue circuit, but if you want to dig into the best on arrival, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que is the local favorite. Don’t let the gas station exterior deter you, nor the signature dish. Joe’s burnt ends are incomparably flavorful and tender. If you’re hungry for more while in town, also try Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue and Q39. joeskc.com RELAX AND RIDE IN CALIFORNIA Horse people and wine lovers rejoice: The brand-new Murieta Inn & Spa capitalizes on close proximity to both the Murieta Equestrian Center, which attracts 150,000 people annually for horse shows and other equestrian events, and the adjacent Amador County wine region, which boasts rich history and rich reds. Nestled between the rolling hills of Rancho Murieta and the panoramic Sierra Nevadas about 25 miles outside of Sacramento, California, the Murieta Inn riffs on classic Spanish hacienda style in public spaces and beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites. The property also boasts a full-service spa and salon at The Cupola and fine dining at The Gate. themurietainn.com SIT IN THE STANDS AT A WYOMING INSTITUTION Celebrate the holidays early on the Cowboy Christmas rodeo circuit and catch a performance at Cheyenne Frontier Days, where all the big names in rodeo compete for their chance to visit Las Vegas later in the year. cfdrodeo.com Photography: Courtesy City of Sturges GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNIN’ IN STURGIS Take a scenic road trip through the Black Hills for the 77th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Kicking off August 4, the 10-day affair in Sturgis, South Dakota, includes a hill climb along the historic Black Hills Run, motocross races, and stunt riders, as well as festivities such as a street food competition and tattoo contest. sturgismotorcyclerally.com PRETEND YOU’RE A WESTERN STAR When it comes to celebrating the Old West, California’s hidden gems reveal the state’s western heritage in unique ways. Pioneertown, located on Route 62 in the town of Yucca Valley, began as a live-in Wild West motion-picture set built in the 1940s. The set, most known for the film The Cisco Kid, stands today as a popular tourist attraction with much of its original charm intact, including an old saloon, a bank, and the town jail. visitcalifornia.com HAVE SUMMER ADVENTURES AND SINGALONGS IN NORTH DAKOTA Head to Medora, North Dakota, this summer for a worthwhile twofer. Spend your day hiking and exploring in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which brings in hundreds of thousands of visitors each year but still retains its awe-inspiring beauty. And when it gets dark, head into town to revisit history via the nightly Medora Musical, which celebrates the legacy of the 26th president (and park namesake). nps.gov/thro, medora.com Photography: Steve Rawls/Courtesy Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau SLOW DOWN AND SIP IN FREDERICKSBURG The Texas Hill Country is home to beautiful state parks and relaxing sulphur springs, but some of the most alluring options are in and around the quaint town of Fredericksburg. The epicenter of the area’s wine region, it’s home to more than 45 wineries and vineyards, most of which offer visitors the opportunity to tour their property and sample their wares. visitfredericksburgtx.com EXPLORE NATIVE HERITAGE IN UTAH Unlike any other, Frontier Homestead State Park & Museum is a living history destination that re-creates what life was like for early Cedar City, Utah, colonists brought to the area by Brigham Young. Recently opened as a new addition to the park, the Native Heritage Exhibit takes you back in time even further, replicating the Native vegetation, wickiup huts, and village mounds of southwestern Utah pre-Euro-American settlement. frontierhomestead.org EMBARK ON AN OKLAHOMA ADVENTURE Canoe and trout-fish while staying in five-star air-conditioned cabins or primitive hike-in spots at Oklahoma’s Beavers Bend State Park on scenic Broken Bow Lake. beavers-bend.com GO TO A GHOST TOWN IN MONTANA Feel the spirit of the Old West with a trip to Garnet Ghost Town — a painstakingly preserved historic town named after the semiprecious stone mined in the area. garnetghosttown.org EAT MODERN IN ARIZONA Tucson, Arizona, is the first U.S. metropolis to be designated a Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO. Joining a list of globally acclaimed culinary capitals, the city was given the honor in part because of its 4,000 years of agricultural history — as vibrant today as it was millennia ago. Enjoy Tucson’s signature Sonoran hot dog, fine dining integrating local crops once cultivated by the original indigenous settlers, and many offerings on the city’s official 23 Miles of Mexican Food map. visittucson.org HIT THE SLOPES IN NEW MEXICO With hundreds of inches of snow every year and trails for all experience levels, Northern New Mexico’s Taos Ski Valley maintains its natural splendor and doesn’t allow much to get in the way of its premier activity. The typical season lasts from December to April. skitaos.com BATHE IN A FOREST IN ARKANSAS Forest bathing isn’t about shedding clothes and taking a dip among the trees. It’s about stripping off stress, stopping the striving, and relaxing mind and spirit by walking in a forest awash in the curative effects of nature. A great state to experience this sensory reboot is Arkansas, more than half of which — 18 million acres — is forestland. With three national forests and dozens of state and local parks full of leafy trails, you’re all set for some wonderful woodland wandering. Arkansas Tourism especially recommends the Ozark Highlands Trail, Lake Ouachita Vista Trail, Louisiana Purchase Baseline Trail, and Wattensaw Bayou Water Trail. Earthy smells, dappled light, tweeting birds, leaves underfoot, and green all around — you remember how good this used to make you feel, right? arkansas.com GO PHEASANT HUNTING IN SOUTH DAKOTA There is no better place for a bird hunter to get away in the fall than South Dakota, deemed the Pheasant Capital of the World. With the exception of designated wildlife refuges and parks, the state is an open hunting ground for pheasant (as well as a plethora of other waterfowl and small game birds) from mid-October through early January with plenty of luxury lodges and outfitter groups to accommodate you. gfp.sd.gov/hunting SEEK WELLNESS, PET CHICKENS IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO In the high desert of Santa Fe County, New Mexico, rests a 90,000-square-foot spa retreat that you might never want to leave. Sunrise Springs is not only beautifully manicured for maximum reflection and relaxation with quiet casitas and walking trails, it’s highlighted by outdoor pools and heated soaking tubs. You can also de-stress by petting puppies and Silkie (sometimes silly) chickens. sunrisesprings.ojospa.com/resort GO FULL-TOURIST IN MISSOURI Spend a day stepping back in time at Silver Dollar City, an 1880s theme park complete with roller coasters and rides for the whole family. Then head into nearby Branson, Missouri, for a show. silverdollarcity.com/theme-park, explorebranson.com REVISIT HISTORY IN NEVADA Tour the preserved and reconstructed adobe buildings from the 1855 missionary settlement that birthed the City of Lights at the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort. Or check out artifacts from the Pueblo Grande de Nevada archaeological sites and prehistoric Pueblo Indian ruins saved during construction of the Hoover Dam at the Lost City Museum. nvdtca.org/lostcitymuseum, parks.nv.gov/parks/old-las-vegas-mormon-fort SHOP ’N’ SNOWSHOE IN COLORADO If you’re in Winter Park, Colorado, for its namesake season, consider the humble snowshoe as a practical and enjoyable way to go for a walk, preferably in fresh powder, at 9,000 feet. Winter Park Resort offers rentals and guided snowshoe tours and a one-time lift pass (reserve ahead: 888.221.1806), and Rocky Mountain National Park gives free ranger-led snowshoe tours for beginners and intermediates (bring your own snowshoes and poles and reserve in advance: 970.627.3471). You’ll find trail systems in Arapaho National Forest and at Granby Ranch, YMCA of the Rockies — Snow Mountain Ranch’s Nordic Center, Grand Lake Nordic Center, and Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa. If you’ve got the gear and the gumption, you might try tromping the Fraser River Trail to the Cozens Ranch Museum. The first homestead of the Fraser Valley, the old Cozens Ranch is now a fascinating museum showcasing pioneer life in the late 1800s. If you’re persuaded that webbed walking is for you, keep right on stepping to the boutiques and shops of Winter Park, where you can pick up anything from a pair of snowshoes, outdoor equipment, and apparel to art, jewelry, and other unique items. playwinterpark.com BECOME A “COOKIE” Perfect the skills of outdoor and Dutch oven cooking at Camp Cook School in the Montana Rocky Mountains, where you can learn backcountry techniques. campcookschool.com RENEW AND RECHARGE IN IDAHO Take a dip (or a tour of dips) into Idaho’s treasured hot springs. With 130 usable hot springs — more than any other state in the country — there’s sure to be one just right for you, whether in the expansive Lava Hot Springs, managed by the state, or the remote getaway of Burgdorf Hot Springs in McCall. idahohotsprings.com HIT THE WINE TRAIL IN NEBRASKA The Cornhusker State is home to 25 wineries that have been quietly racking up awards at regional and international competitions. Among its lauded wine producers is James Arthur Vineyards. Near Lincoln, the vineyard, which is noted for its hearty white Edelweiss and Vignoles grapes, is one of eight stops on the Southeast Nebraska Winery Trail. senewinetrail.org ENJOY THE VIEW AND THE SOUNDS IN WASHINGTON STATE Gape at awe-inspiring views of the Columbia River while listening to a marquee concert or attending a music festival at Gorge Amphitheatre in the punnily named city of George, Washington. georgeamphitheatre.com HOST A LADIES’ RANCH WEEKEND IN ARIZONA The authentically Western town of Wickenburg, Arizona, has options for devoted C&I readers of all ages. If you happen to be looking for an immersive but relaxing ranch experience for a cowgirls’ trip, check out Rancho de los Caballeros. Its Giddy-Up Gals experience is built on desert cookouts, stocked casitas, spa treatments, hikes, and guided trail rides. ranchodeloscaballeros.com Photography: April Pizana/Courtesy Junk Gypsy GO TREASURE HUNTING IN CENTRAL TEXAS Need an iron bed, tribal rug, one-of-a-kind armoire, unique jewelry, piece of high-end decorative art, or shabby-chic anything? Have we got the collector’s paradise for you. Every fall and spring between Austin and Houston, the countryside turns out with more treasures than wildflowers when the small Central Texas communities of Round Top and Warrenton — and seemingly everything around and in between — swell with an antiquing phenomenon that attracts more than 2,000 vendors and 100,000 far-flung visitors. The ever-growing Antique Week, with editions in late September/early October and late March/early April, began as the Round Top Antiques Fair almost 50 years ago. Now transformed into a shopping mecca filling barns, tents, fields, warehouses, and malls with antiques, Americana, collectibles, and square miles more, Antique Week is a misnomer: The sensory overload of fun and shopping actually lasts about three weeks twice a year. You need comfy shoes, a water bottle, an itinerary, and a gypsy’s love of wandering to really take it all in. Speaking of, the Junk Gypsies set up shop in Round Top in 1998, and their Junk Gypsy World Headquarters store and new Wander Inn hotel (opening this summer) in Round Top are musts. Perennial favorite Marburger Farm Antique Show is 43 packed acres of things you want (with “marburitas” at Bingo Hall afterward). New on our list is Market Hill by Paul Michael — 130,000 square feet of indoor air-conditioned shops and outdoor covered breezeways complete with an on-site restaurant, tons of free parking, and loading and unloading areas for that cypress paneling and those custom barn doors you just bought. Make sure to hit The Compound, where “fine antiques and uniques” imported from 15 different countries rule the day — and maybe your wallet. Zapp Hall in Warrenton (the site of the memorable Junk-O-Rama Prom) boasts Junk Gypsy items, a satellite location of Royer’s Round Top Café for yums that run from famous pies to beef tenderloin to the locally famous shrimp BLT, The Bubble Lounge for champagne, and the Zapp Hall Beer Garden for brews and live music. If you’re looking for the show where the dealers shop, the Old Depot’s the place where several dozen veteran vendors offer an eclectic mix worthy of the big truck(s) you’ll wish you’d rented; also on the grounds are the Stone Cellar Pub & Pizzeria (offering wine, craft beers, pizza, and live music in a refurbished 1861 train depot moved from nearby LaGrange), The Stone Cellar Annex Café, and the historic Round Top Dance Hall. When you finally decide to call it a day, you might do so at your own “indoor glampsite” at the Lone Star Glamp Inn in Warrenton and kick up your poor, tired feet in one of seven restored vintage “glampers” (or the 16-foot bell tent) parked inside for maximum AC and Wi-Fi accommodation comfort. roundtop.com, roundtop.org Find more great travel content, including our super-size guide to the wonders of Oregon, in the July 2017 issue of Cowboys & Indians, on sale June 6. Explore:DestinationsTravel

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