Greater West Coast

Vancouver sits at the meeting point of the Coast Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, and the Fraser River delta a geography that gives it both world-class outdoor access and a dense, sophisticated urban culture. Stanley Park, Granville Island Market, and Whistler are all within a 2-hour radius.

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park and the most-visited in the country, protecting 6,641 square kilometres of Rocky Mountain landscape. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are among the most photographed natural scenes on earth; elk and bears regularly appear in the townsite.

Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski resort in North America, with two mountains linked by the world's longest and highest unsupported lift the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. The resort village is pedestrian-only, architecturally consistent, and equally compelling in summer for mountain biking, hiking, and gondola rides.

Boise is Idaho's capital and largest city, consistently ranked among the most livable mid-size cities in the US. The Boise River Greenbelt provides 25 miles of riverside path; the Basque Block preserves the culture of the largest Basque population outside Europe; and the Snake River AVA produces distinguished Syrah and Tempranillo.

Coeur d'Alene anchors the Idaho Panhandle on a glacially carved lake of exceptional clarity. The city of 55,000 has become a significant resort destination offering golf, water sports, skiing at Silver Mountain, and the annual Ironman triathlon on its clear mountain lake.

Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana protects 1 million acres of Rocky Mountain wilderness with 700 miles of trails, 26 named glaciers, and the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road a 50-mile engineering marvel crossing the Continental Divide at Logan Pass.

Missoula sits in the confluence of five valleys in western Montana, home to the University of Montana and an outdoor culture defined by the Clark Fork River, which runs through the city center, and easy access to wilderness areas in every direction. Its independent bookshops, breweries, and music scene are disproportionate to its size.

Sun Valley was America's first destination ski resort, opened in 1936 by the Union Pacific Railroad. Its combination of 3,400 feet of vertical on Bald Mountain, the charming Sun Valley Village, the Big Wood River fly fishing corridor, and Hemingway's Idaho legacy make it one of the West's most complete resort destinations.

Spokane is the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis, an inland hub at the edge of Washington's Palouse wheat country. The Spokane River falls through the city center in Riverfront Park, and the Columbia and Snake River wine appellations produce distinctive wines 30 - 90 minutes south.

Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and occupies the southern tip of Vancouver Island, accessible by ferry from Seattle or Vancouver. It has more English-style pubs per capita than England, the world-famous Butchart Gardens, and a whale-watching industry that exploits its position in some of the Pacific's richest waters.

Helena is Montana's state capital, established after an 1864 gold strike in Last Chance Gulch. The Victorian commercial and residential architecture from its 1880s - 90s boom period survives with remarkable completeness, and its small-city character belies a sophisticated historic district and access to excellent Missouri River recreation.

Flathead Lake is 28 miles long and 15 miles wide, the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. Its Glacier-carved basin fills with water of exceptional clarity, surrounded by the Mission Mountains and orchards that produce the most prized sweet cherries in the American West.