Wyoming:
Supervolcano,
Cathedral Peaks

Wyoming has the smallest population of any US state — approximately 580,000 people across 97,000 square miles — which means roughly 6 people per square mile, a statistic that becomes viscerally comprehensible when you drive across the high desert between Casper and Lander on US-26 with nothing but sagebrush and pronghorn antelope visible in any direction for an hour. The state contains two of the most extraordinary national parks in the world (Yellowstone and Grand Teton), sits atop one of the most active volcanic systems on the planet, and produces more coal than any other state. It is also, by income per capita, one of the wealthier states in the country — tourism and energy extraction together support a small population very well, and the money is visible in Jackson Hole, where the ski resort, the galleries, and the restaurants would not be out of place in Aspen or Vail.

Wyoming generates approximately $4.5 billion in annual tourism spending — an enormous per-capita figure for the state's population. Yellowstone National Park draws over 4 million visitors annually, making it one of the most visited national parks in the US, with an ecosystem of geothermal features, megafauna (bison, elk, wolf, grizzly bear, black bear), and geological spectacle unmatched anywhere on earth.

Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Jackson Hole's Surprise

Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres contain more geothermal features than any place on earth — over 10,000 hydrothermal features including 500 geysers (more than half the world's total), hot springs of impossible color (the Grand Prismatic Spring's 370-foot-wide rainbow of thermophilic bacteria is one of the most photographed features in the park), and the Norris Geyser Basin's alien steam landscape. Old Faithful erupts approximately every 90 minutes, day and night, year-round. The Lamar Valley in the northeast corner is the finest wildlife viewing corridor in the contiguous US — bison herds of hundreds, wolf packs, and grizzly bears visible from the road year-round.

Grand Teton National Park, immediately south of Yellowstone, is a study in vertical drama — the Teton Range rises 7,000 feet from the Jackson Hole valley floor without any foothills, creating the most abrupt and photogenic mountain front in the lower 48. The Snake River Overlook (where Ansel Adams made his most famous photograph in 1942), Jenny Lake, and the Death Canyon trail are the essential park experiences. Jackson Hole's town square — with its elk antler arches — is touristy but functional, and the art galleries on the surrounding streets reflect serious collector wealth.

Wyoming Bison, Wild Game & Jackson Hole's Unexpected Table

Wyoming's food identity is the American West — bison (ranched sustainably throughout the state), elk, trout pulled from cold mountain streams, and ranch beef that reflects the state's cattle heritage. Jackson Hole's restaurant scene has grown with the town's wealth into something genuinely sophisticated — fine dining restaurants, farm-to-table concepts, and a wine culture sustained by the affluent visitors and second-home owners who keep the town economically vibrant year-round.

Jackson Hole Resorts, Yellowstone Lodges & Wyoming Dude Ranches

Wyoming's lodging anchors around its two great parks. Yellowstone's in-park lodges (Old Faithful Inn — the largest log structure in the US, built in 1904 — Lake Yellowstone Hotel, and Canyon Lodge) run $180–$400/night and book out 13 months ahead when reservations open in May. Jackson Hole's Four Seasons, Amangani, and Teton Mountain Lodge run $500–$2,000+/night in ski season. Wyoming's dude ranch circuit — authentic working ranch experiences in the Wind River Range and surrounding backcountry — runs $350–$700/person/night all-inclusive.