Few people venture into Wyoming to see just how the light shimmers off gold Aspen trees on a limitless mountain prairie-and folks in the Cowboy State like that just fine. That's not to mention Red Canyon, the Red Desert, Devils Tower, or the wildlife, including elk, moose, bison, and pronghorn populations that number in the hundreds of thousands. ![]() But if all you've ever seen of Wyoming is Jackson Hole and I-80, you're missing out on the other-worldly high plains outside of Laramie and Cheyenne, the ghostly rocks of Vedauwoo, the mountains of the Front Range (the very same mountains you saw on your trip to Denver), the Wind River Range, the Bighorns, and the brightest Milky Way views in the lower 48. Wyoming is so rich with beauty that even the Grand Tetons- quite possibly the single most dramatic vista in the country-somehow get overshadowed by Yellowstone National Park right next door. Everyone in the top quarter of the list has some singular, majestic facet that can make a case for being the best in the land. Here marks the start of the truly elite, best-of-the-best portion of this list. ![]() How do you pick, after all, between desert vs. We independently ranked the states, then came together around a table to debate the discrepancies and to plead for the divisive cases, of which there were several. We assembled a crew of writers who combined has visited every state, and then set about arguing, weighing the variety, quantity, concentration, highlights, and lowlights of every state's physique. States who think their granite mountains are better than someone else's red-rock deserts, or whose bone-white beaches surely beat out thousand-year-old redwoods. Few other places on earth have the same geographic range as the fifty states, where you can find everything from sweltering deserts to mossy rainforests to unending tundras from coast to coast, it isn’t hard to find a vista that’ll leave you in total reverence of what Mother Nature can do.Īmong the states, naturally, there's bound to be some sibling rivalry. Train travel from London to Chamonix Mont Blanc, via Paris, costs from €113 each way, fastest time 10hr 11min, chamonix.If America knows how to do one thing, it’s sweep the international competition when it comes to absolutely breathtaking, awe-inspiring landscapes. Dorm beds from €34pp B&B, packages including lift pass and local train pass from €70, half and full-board also available,. Skiroc is two minutes from Le Buet station so it’s quite possible not only to get there by train but also get around by train once you’re there. Philippe Bidault, who owns Skiroc, is the head of the Vallorcine mountain guides and a font of knowledge. Chamonix adventure park is great for younger kids. There are hikes into the mountains straight from the door, and activities including canyoning, climbing, guided mountain biking, via ferrata and white water adventures are available through the outdoor centre in neighbouring Vallorcine. ![]() The centre itself could do with some TLC but its location, in the unspoilt hamlet of Le Buet, at the end of the Chamonix valley near the Swiss border, makes it the perfect base. In winter it caters for French school groups but in summer it rents out its basic rooms to independent travellers. Stay Hostel Suits Active non-fliers Skiroc is one of France’s last independent outdoor centres. Fly with Ryanair to Podgorica in Montenegro Hi-tech hostel, French Alps ![]() Around £875pp for 10 days on a group trip including meals and luggage transfers, but not flights, l. Meeting mountain folk to learn about their well-preserved culture on visits to isolated villages is a major selling point, and accommodation is in old stone farmhouses where home-cooked meals include bean soup, spinach pie and roast lamb, with oregano tea, sheep’s milk, Turkish coffee or plum raki, depending on the mood. These peaks, which span the borders of Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro, have been easier to explore since 2012, when a hiking route, Peaks of the Balkans, opened to tempt walkers. Stay Huts and guesthouses Suits Seasoned hikers With some of Europe’s most pristine scenery, ancient pastoral traditions little-altered by modern life, and a title to capture the imagination, Albania’s Accursed mountains make for a wild holiday with an element of time travel. Photograph: Andrea Pistolesi/Getty Images
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