Rocky Mountains — Introduction

Welcome to the big country. The Rocky Mountains provide an awesome backdrop to some of the most dramatic regions in the US. These mighty states provide big views, striking landscapes and fascinating people.

Take the desert state of Arizona characterised by the multicoloured strata rock faces of the Grand Canyon, giant cacti and Ponderosa pine trees. The state is also home to one of the most dramatic meteorite craters in the world around 170 metres deep and over one-and-a-half kilometres wide, scattered with boulders, some of them the size of a small house.

Colorado is where the Rocky Mountains really reveal their incomparable grandeur. Precipitous peaks surge skywards leaving glassy lakes and stunning meadows in their wake. Ultra-chic ski resorts like Aspen mingle with quaint towns like Telluride, Crested Butte and Steamboat Springs where winter sports are also de rigueur.

Head north of Colorado and the drama continues across the hills and plains of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. This is horse country with big open plains, rushing rivers and gigantic glaciers that force their way through steep mountain ridges.