Road Nature Guides

Eight ZIP codes, each anchored to the scenic highways that pass through them. Landforms, seasons, and pullouts worth stopping for.

• Estes Park, CO — 80517

  The eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes sits in a broad glacial valley ringed by 13,000-foot peaks, with elk grazing town lawns every fall.

  Highways: US-34 / Trail Ridge Road · US-36 / Peak-to-Peak entry

• Telluride, CO — 81435

  A former mining town wedged in a box canyon at 8,750 ft, surrounded by the San Juan Mountains — some of the most vertical terrain in the Rockies.

  Highways: CO-145 / San Juan Skyway (south) · CO-145 Spur / Telluride approach

• Moab, UT — 84532

  Red-rock basecamp between Arches and Canyonlands, at the confluence of Mill Creek and the Colorado River. Desert varnish, slickrock, and dark skies.

  Highways: UT-128 / Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway · US-191 / Arches & Canyonlands corridor

• Jackson, WY — 83001

  Southern anchor of Jackson Hole, the broad valley that stretches north to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Elk, moose, and pronghorn are routine roadside sightings.

  Highways: US-26/89/191 / Jackson Hole Highway · WY-22 / Teton Pass

• West Glacier, MT — 59936

  The western portal to Glacier National Park, where the Middle Fork of the Flathead River meets the park boundary. Cedar-hemlock rainforest on the west side of the Divide.

  Highways: Going-to-the-Sun Road · US-2 / Southern Glacier

• Hood River, OR — 97031

  Where the Hood River meets the Columbia — orchards, windsurfers, and Mount Hood on the southern horizon. The eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

  Highways: Historic Columbia River Highway (US-30) · OR-35 / Mount Hood Loop

• Carnelian Bay, CA — 96140

  A quiet stretch of Lake Tahoe's north shore between Tahoe City and Kings Beach. Granite coves, sugar pines, and some of the clearest freshwater in North America.

  Highways: CA-28 / North Lake Boulevard · CA-267 / Brockway Summit

• Bretton Woods, NH — 03575

  A high valley in the northern Presidentials, framed by Mount Washington and the Southern Peaks. Boreal forest, cog railway, and the grand Mount Washington Hotel.

  Highways: US-302 / Crawford Notch · Mount Washington Auto Road (NH-16 approach)