The Great American West is an awe-inspiring region of the USA including the beautiful states of Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. These states are magnificent all year round, but after summer, nature shows her true colours and slows down to breathe out and prepare for stark beauty of winter. The scenery is glorious, wildlife is active, colourful events and festivals happen everywhere and all the attractions, parks and outdoor activities chill out and slow down a notch.
To get you inspired and help to customise your dream trip to these incredible states, here’s a glimpse of the attractions of slower, more relaxed travel in autumn, winter and on into spring. We have some of the best local tips for visitors to create memories of a lifetime, and an update on what’s making news in the Great American West.
WHAT’S COMING UP & WHAT’S MAKING NEWS
IDAHO
Idaho has some excellent travel tips ( insert link to newsletter) for ways to immerse and to better explore the state by road tripping or taking some local tours. These tips will give your Idaho itinerary depth and meaning and help you discover its different authentic destinations.
Ritter Island, Thousand Springs Byway CREDIT Visit Idaho
MONTANA
Whitefish Resort
Whitefish Mountain Resort’s 75th ski season is scheduled to begin December 8th 2022. The Resort is installing its first six-pack chairlift, the Snow Ghost Express ahead of the season. This high-speed lift will shuttle an estimated 2,200 guests per hour from the Base Lodge area to the top of Inspiration Ridge in a seven minute trip, providing a much-needed alternative route to the upper elevations of Big Mountain.
This $10 million investment also will improve the skiing experience in the resort’s beginner area, which will feature a newly realigned Big Easy Conveyor Carpet. Pole-mounted lights on upper Inspiration will improve visibility and wayfinding on foggy days, and guests can expect easier access to the Base Lodge thanks to new traffic control measures.
Winter in Yellowstone National park. CREDIT Dan Avila
And winter updates for Yellowstone National Park
Although Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will now not open this winter, visitors can still access Yellowstone through the North Entrance at Gardiner year round and drive their own vehicles or take a tour with a guide into Lamar Valley to watch for winter wildlife. There are many reliable guides available from Gardiner who have a wealth of knowledge about Yellowstone (after all it is their backyard). There is a variety of lodging available and open in Gardiner, as well as restaurants, bars, activities, and Yellowstone Forever, the official non- profit partner of Yellowstone and provider of wonderful educational programs.
Snow coach operations will begin December 15 or 16 (there is still some discrepancy on the NPS website) from Mammoth (and West Yellowstone) to offer guests tours to Old Faithful.
Gardiner has really suffered due to misinformation that still persists on social media about the town being closed and inaccessible. That is not the case. It is “Nature’s favorite getaway” and is a wonderful place to stay when exploring Yellowstone, in winter or summer. West Yellowstone is also open and offers the closest access to Old Faithful, in both summer and winter, and has knowledgeable guides and tours into Yellowstone.
NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota celebrates indigenous beauty pride and culture with Native American Heritage Month each November, inviting visitors to tribal lands and historic sites to experience each tribes unique culture through interpretive centers, museums and Native American businesses, resorts and tourism offerings
United Tribes Powow CREDIT North Dakota Tourism
SOUTH DAKOTA
“Stunning.” “Gorgeous.” “Like nothing we’ve ever seen.” These are common responses from travelers once they’ve explored the Rapid City region. But “banana belt?” That’s one only locals know.
But it’s true! A combination of location and geology makes winters a lot easier to handle here. That same combo makes Rapid City your perfect winter vacation headquarters. Make the memories while avoiding the crowds. Check out some of the magic that awaits you this year in Rapid City.
There are plenty of reasons Rapid City is your perfect Black Hills headquarters. Here, you’re so close to so much! Blaze your own trail in the Badlands. Warm up underground in some of the world’s longest caves. Rip over 416 miles of trails on a snowmobile. Never experienced a “Buffalo Car Wash”? That can easily change. Find your perfect winter adventure in one of the city’s surrounding parks and monuments.
WYOMING
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort New Lift (Jackson, WY) – Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) will replace its Thunder quad chairlift with a faster and more powerful detachable quad chairlift ahead of the 2022-23 winter season. The speed of the new lift is 1,000 feet net per minute, twice the velocity of the original Thunder, and will cut riders’ time down from just over 7 minutes to 3.6 minutes
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort CREDIT Jackson Hole Tourism and Tax Board
Grand Targhee Resort’s New Terrain (Alta, WY) – For the first time in over 20 years, Grand Targhee Resort is opening new terrain with the construction of the Colter Lift on Peaked Mountain. Construction is underway and the opening is slated for the start of the 2022/23 winter season. The Colter Lift will transport up to 2,000 people per hour and gain 1,815 vertical feet in just five minutes. The brand-new six-pack will give skiers and riders access to over 600 skiable acres of fall line skiing, open glades, world-class sidecountry, and extraordinary views of the Grand Tetons.
Snow King Mountain Expansion & Improvements (Jackson, WY) – Located in the heart of Jackson, Snow King Mountain unveiled a new, 8- passenger Leitner-Poma gondola and zipline, the steepest in North America (available in the summer months). The new gondola offers spectacular views of the Grand Tetons, the National Elk Refuge and the town of Jackson. In addition, Snow King will expand its operations with a new summit restaurant, observatory, planetarium and 100 acres of ski terrain.
