Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA

Yellowstone National Park is the wild, free-flowing, beating heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Its real showstoppers are the geysers and hot springs – nature’s crowd-pleasers – but at every turn this land of fire and brimstone breathes, belches and bubbles like a giant kettle on the boil. The park’s highways traverse these geysers, through meadows and forests, past roadside herds of bison and campsites aromatic with pine needles and family campfires. In between lies the country’s largest collection of elk, the continent’s oldest, largest wild bison herds and a pristine wilderness roamed by wolves, grizzlies, moose and antelope. Yep, it’s awesome.

Mountain bikers, skiiers, hard-core backpackers, boaters, kayakers and winter enthusiasts will all find a million adventures in Greater Yellowstone. Inside the parks, you’ll have to share space with three million visitors a year, but even in summer it’s not hard to shake the crowds if you’re prepared to get active.

Some experiences are destined to become indelible memories – the taste of s’mores over a campfire, wrinkled noses at the smell of sulfurous steam and the electrifying thrill of hearing wolves howl. Beyond a great vacation, it’s a modern pilgrimage to two of the country’s most admirable and enduring national landmarks.