Western Nebraska’s Pine Ridge country looks quiet today. Rugged buttes rise over the White River valley, cottonwoods trace the water’s bends, and pronghorn graze across the open hills. But beneath the calm lies a history every bit as dramatic as the land itself. This is Fort Robinson, one of the most storied military posts of the Northern Plains.

Nestled in Northern Colorado’s Never Summer Mountains, Mount Richthofen—also known as the “Great Chief”—rises to 12,940 ft above sea level in Rocky Mountain National Park. Known for its vivid red-orange sedimentary rock, glacier-carved valleys, and panoramic summit views, the peak combines rugged geology, rich natural beauty, and World War I history (named for the Red Baron) into an unforgettable climb. Perfect for hikers, backpackers, and nature lovers seeking solitude and scenery beyond the typical Colorado trails.

Tucked into the Southern Black Hills, Hot Springs, South Dakota, wears two coats at once: spa town and science hub. On one side of town, naturally warm, mineral-rich water still bubbles up as it has for millennia, the reason nineteenth-century visitors flocked here to “take the waters.”