30 American Old West Adventures For The BEST Cowboy Experience

The best of the West

The heritage of North America’s Old West, when gold and silver mining was at its peak and cowboys rode the prairies, can still be found in multiple states around the country. More recent additions, such as art installations and places to declare your love, add to the cache of existing cultural attractions here. Visit thought-provoking museums one day and go on epic road trips the next. It's time to saddle up for a whistle-stop tour of what to see and do in America’s Old West states.

Click through the gallery to uncover the best of the Old West...

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

The city of Steamboat charms visitors with its combination of Old Western heritage and year-round mountain sports – particularly skiing in the deep powder – across acres of pines, aspens, rivers, and creeks. Still home to a modern-day ranching community, the well-preserved architecture and cultural traditions on show here reference its era as a ranching and mining hub. This is a place where cowboy saloons combine with a rich arts scene that celebrates its Western roots. The annual Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo and Winter Carnival keep the cowboy spirit alive.

Durango and Silverton Steam Train, Durango, Colorado

Rubbing shoulders with three core Old West states – Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona – Durango excels when it comes to easy-on-the eye mountain views, culture, and history. Step back in time when you visit this sunny town, admiring the natural beauty of the area from the comfort of the 19th-century Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad steam train. Operating year-round, the vintage train chugs through the mountainous alpine landscapes of the San Juan National Forest and its deep craggy canyons.

The Star Hotel, Elko, Nevada

If you’re looking to experience well-preserved Old West towns, Nevada has loads of them. Elko, in the north of the state, celebrates the heritage and culture of Native Americans, cowboys, and the Basque. The Basque people migrated to Nevada in the 19th century for gold, before turning to shepherding. Their hospitality can be found in places like The Star, one of Nevada’s oldest traditional Basque boarding houses, which opened in 1910 to serve hardworking Basque shepherds down from the mountains.

Terlingua Ghost Town, Terlingua, Texas

Terlingua Ghost Town offers a glimpse into Texas' mining history in the ruins of the once-thriving Chisos Mining Company. The atmospheric site includes abandoned buildings and rustic graveyards and has become a quirky artist enclave, with regional arts and crafts. Tuck into green chili mac and cheese at the old Starlight Theater – Terlingua hosts the International Championship Chilli Cook-offs every November. A bonus of this unique place is its proximity to Big Bend National Park, home to over 1,250 square miles of desert and mountains.

Tombstone, Arizona

With a serious-sounding name – and nickname – Tombstone, the 'Town Too Tough To Die,' is where the most famous event of the so-called Wild West took place. These days, actors recreate the notorious O.K Corral shootout of 1881 – minus the fatalities, of course – as part of a Streets of Tombstone Theater performance. Other attractions in this corner of Arizona include the house of legendary American lawman Wyatt Earp, now a museum, the town's silver mine shafts, and one of the state's best craft breweries.

Reno Rodeo, Reno, Nevada

Nevada is home to some of the best-preserved towns from the 19th century. Dubbed 'The Biggest Little City in the World,' Reno – near Lake Tahoe – is a charming mix of old-school gambling and snow-capped mountains. Every June, over 140,000 rodeo fans flock to Reno for its namesake rodeo. The 10-day cowboy fest, one of Nevada’s largest and oldest rodeos, includes everything under the searing-sun. Come for the bull riding and barrel racing, stay for the mutton busting and carnival.

Monument Valley, Utah

Straddling the Utah-Arizona border, Monument Valley sits within the Navajo Nation Reservation. The Navajo name, Tse Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, explains the landscape's character far better, roughly translating into 'valley of the rocks.' Monument Valley embodies the Old West with its striking red sandstone buttes – flat-topped, steep-sided rock towers standing tall against the big blue sky. The area features in the 1994 film Forrest Gump.

The Brown Palace, Denver, Colorado

Despite the sparkling high rises, Colorado's capital is home to a fair few Old West attractions including the Black American West Museum and Buffalo Bill Grave and Museum. The Brown Palace Hotel (pictured), which opened in 1892, has seen cattle barons, miners, and travelers enjoy the grandeur of its red granite exterior and stained-glass atrium over the years. Find yourself feeling hungry in the Mile High City? Enjoy the food on offer at the buffalo-serving adobe restaurant-fort called, perhaps unsurprisingly, The Fort.

Wendover Will, West Wendover, Nevada

Welcoming visitors to the Silver State, Wendover Will is a hard-to-miss 62-foot-tall mechanical cowboy lit up in colorful LEDs (updated from old-school neon in 2023). Dubbed the 'World’s Tallest Mechanical Cowboy' in the Guinness Book of Records, the jeans and boot-clad Will marks the Utah-Nevada state line in the border town of West Wendover. He lights up every night around sunset and remains lit until sunrise, cigarette in mouth, winking and waving visitors in.

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The Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth

Once the largest livestock trading center in the USA, Fort Worth Stockyards is a tribute to its city's rich cowboy heritage and the American Wild West. The historic district combines a heady mix of Western history, entertainment, and culture. Watch the twice-daily cattle drive, where Texas Longhorns are paraded through the streets by authentic cowhands, and visit attractions such as the Stockyards Museum and the Barnyard Petting Corral – with its collection of goats, sheep, and other cute animals.

Marfa, Texas

Marfa is a tiny town in West Texas with just 2,000 residents, an hour's drive from the Mexican border. It was put on the map after being featured in films such as 1956's Giant, which starred James Dean as a rancher-turned-oil-tycoon, and more recently, two Oscar winners, No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood. While here, be sure to check out Marfa's vibrant art scene and its famous Prada installation (pictured). This is a destination that combines film history with contemporary culture.

Cowboy Corridor, Nevada

Road trips are a classic US staple, and none are as bursting with Western heritage as Nevada’s Cowboy Corridor. Explore authentic cowboy culture along the 400-mile canter (OK, drive) down the I-80, between Reno and West Wendover. While doing so, make time to stop off at the towns just off the interstate. Rich in history and attractions, from museums to music festivals, they highlight the confluence of buckaroo, Basque, and Native American traditions that have shaped the Silver State.

Zion National Park, Utah

Famed for its rugged-red rocks and some of history's most colorful outlaws, including Butch Cassidy, Utah is also home to Zion National Park. Live the cowboy life here by exploring the rocks and canyons on horseback, experiencing an ecosystem rich in around 800 native plant species as you make your way. Choose between a daytime or overnight ride. Both options are guided by real-life cowboys who will happily share stories of the area's rich Western heritage while you follow in the tracks of settlers, outlaws, and pioneers.

Thunder Mountain, Imlay, Nevada

Reached down a dirt track, just off the I-80 between Winnemucca and Lovelock, this is a strange, twisted, and worthwhile stop-off for those heading along the Cowboy Corridor. Created by the late Frank Van Zant, who changed his name to Chief Rolling Mountain Thunder, this unconventional open-air museum took decades to complete. Van Zant aimed to honor Native American heritage by repurposing things he found in the desert, such as scrap metal and old bottles.

Lovers Lock Plaza, Lovelock, Nevada

It’s all about spreading the love in Lovelock, a small town that’s big on charm and home to Lovers Lock Plaza. Here you can 'lock your love' to a seemingly never-ending chain with over 1,000 other padlocks dotted around the circle of green pillars. You'll find this spot behind the historic Pershing County Courthouse on Main Street. Love animals? Head for the sprawling non-profit Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary and its black bears, bobcats, and cougar cubs.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

This awe-inspiring South Dakota landscape is home to buttes, spires, and canyons along with fossilized species of three-toed horses and saber-toothed cats. The park’s 244,000 acres are perfect for hiking and camping, but the stars of the show are undoubtedly the wildlife. From herds of grazing bison to buffalo – the country's biggest mammal – to pronghorn antelope, mountain lions, and prairie dogs, there's plenty of animals to see here. Visitors often twin a trip to Badlands with Mount Rushmore, an 80-minute drive away.

The Occidental Hotel, Buffalo, Wyoming

Tucked away in the Bighorn Mountains, tiny Buffalo has – despite being a city – the quintessential small-town feel of the Old West. The historic buildings that line the main street here include the Occidental Hotel, a place where notable guests include Butch Cassidy and Teddy Roosevelt (the Teddy Roosevelt Suite features an antique desk and a claw-foot tub). Opened in 1880, renovations have restored the tin roof and stained glass to their former glory. Connecting Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming State Highway 16 passes through Buffalo.

Deadwood Main Street, Black Hills, South Dakota

The roots of this town with a dark name, originally belonging to the Lakota and made famous by HBO's Deadwood, go back to the late 19th century when prospectors struck gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Famous names to have passed through this once-lawless mining town include Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and the Sundance Kid. In modern times, its Main Street is packed with historic buildings including museums that tell the tales of old.

Boise Basin Museum, Idaho City, Idaho

Like many classic Wild West small towns, Idaho City boomed after gold was discovered in 1862. Wooden theatres, opera houses and saloons serving whiskey that was cheaper than water lined the main streets and many of these buildings are still standing. Originally built as the local post office, the charming wood-and-brick Boise Basin Museum focuses on this era when this place was the Northwest’s largest city. These days, the population is around 500. Locals share the town with historical photographs, artifacts, and interested tourists.

Irma Hotel, Cody, Wyoming

The Irma Hotel is a Cody landmark. Built by Colonel William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody in 1902, he named it after his daughter. Over the years royalty, political leaders, and celebrities have graced the pillows in Victorian-style rooms. A focal point is the cherry wood bar that was a gift from Queen Victoria. For a full immersion into the town’s namesake, the hotel is an eight-minute walk from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Cody is also known as the 'Rodeo Capital of the World.'

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

The incredible rock formations, canyons, and sweeping plains of this park surrounded by North Dakota’s so-called ‘badlands’ are home to elk, prairie dogs, and about 500 bison that were reintroduced in the 1950s. When Theodore Roosevelt first visited North Dakota, he said: “I would never have been president if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota.” His love for the wildlife and landscapes inspired him to create the US Forest Service.

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon

The Columbia River gorge is a scenic river canyon, 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, that’s part of the Oregon Trail. During the 1800s, Old West travelers in search of silver, gold, and a better life, would pack up their wagons and follow the 2,200-mile route from Missouri to Oregon. This was before the first transcontinental railroad was completed. Towns, trading posts, military posts, and smaller roads, based on Native American routes, sprang off the Oregon Trail.

The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico

On first seeing these striking stone formations on the sprawling badlands of the New Mexican desert, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd had too much strong coffee. The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is a mass of fantastical multicolored geologic shapes, known as hoodoos, found south of Farmington on the Navajo Nation.

North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, Medora, North Dakota

Despite the one-track name, this museum is concerned with the history of the northern plains and North Dakota’s western lifestyle, including North Dakota’s Native Americans, homesteaders, ranchers, and rodeo cowboys. Check out memorabilia, including saddles and uniforms. If the kids get bored, there's a static bucking bull for them to have their photo taken on.

Kennedy Meadows, The Sierra Nevada Mountains,California

Experience the High Sierra wilderness the way the settlers first saw it with a horse ride through its scenic trails. Pack stations such as Kennedy Meadows, high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, run trips of varied lengths in the area of the same name. Guests can immerse themselves in the cowboy lifestyle, crossing streams, and stopping at lakes for walks and trout fishing.

Iron Door Saloon, Groveland, California

Thirsty for a cool beer? Head to the Iron Door Saloon in Groveland, California’s longest continually operating saloon, founded in 1852. The atmospheric property still has its original long stretch of bar, set against a variety of taxidermy heads and a small stage for performers. Legend has it the dollar bills pinned to the ceiling date back to the Gold Rush era, with miners leaving enough money for a drink if they returned broke.

Virginia City, Montana

With its rugged Rocky Mountains and wide-open plains, Montana still has remnants of the Old West. Virginia City, in the southwest corner of the state near Yellowstone National Park, has traces of the region’s mining history. It’s one of the oldest continuously occupied towns in this part of the world and is one of the best preserved with a main street lined with Victorian buildings. This architecture from another age houses museums and places to eat and drink. Great for refueling after you've been gold panning at the town's River of Gold mining exhibit.

The High Plains Western Heritage Center, Spearfish, South Dakota

This five-state museum was founded to honor the lives and stories of the Old West pioneers and Indigenous people in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. Exhibits include Cowboy Hall, featuring mounted Texas Longhorns, chaps, and the saddle Calvin Coolidge used when he attended the dedication ceremony at Mount Rushmore. It also runs Cowboy Supper Show, the Northern Hills’ only chuckwagon supper and cowboy music show. Here, the food is served from the back of an original 1800s chuckwagon.

Cottonwood Ranch, Wells, Nevada

​Staying on a ranch is a way to step back in time in an environment where Western culture is alive and kicking. Cottonwood Guest Ranch is a working horse and cattle ranch in northeast Nevada, surrounded by rolling hills and mountain peaks. Open throughout the year, guests can go on horse and cattle drives, head into the mountains, spot wildlife, or even get married here in the woodsy setting. Whatever you do, be sure to embrace the remoteness of the place as it's over 62 miles from the nearest town.

Red Rock State Park, Sedona, Arizona

The backdrop to multiple cowboy films, Red Rock State Park is part of an area shaped by volcanic activity and erosion. The oxidized rock here helps to create its otherworldly landscapes, meaning you might just mistake it for Mars. Hikers can hit multiple trails in terrain said to be home to energy vortexes. The area is something of a new-age hub, so visitors can finish a day's walking with a sound bath or some other spiritual treatment.

Now check out evocative vintage photos of America's cowboys

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