The V&V Great Basin & Mountain West Travel Guide • Valerie & Valise

States:
Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming

Population:
4.9 million (Great Basin)
12.5 million (Mountain West)

Visited:
2006-2016 (parents lived), 2019, 2020, 2021

One Day in Great Basin - Valerie Overlooking Wheeler Peak

Colarado National Park - Black Canyon of the Gunnison

As you move west across the North American continent, rolling hills give way to Great Plains, then eventually erupt into the Rocky Mountains. From these towering peaks to the coast, the landscape is a dramatic patchwork. Geographers, geologists, historians, and modern travelers divide up this area in a number of ways, with fluid borders depending on what they want to see. For this reason, it’s hard to define where the Mountain West ends and the Great Basin (to the west) or Southwest (to the south) begins.

On this page, I’ve combined two regions that I currently cover on my site which are similar in geography but physically separate. The Mountain West includes the states of Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming; the Great Basin primarily covers Nevada, but also includes areas of Oregon and Utah. Here I’ll share my stories from both of these regions, as they share similarities: mountain ranges, high elevation, and adventure in every direction.