They don’t call it the Wild West for nothing. America’s West runs from the Rocky Mountains to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, with the Great Basin—200,000 square miles covered in sagebrush and dotted with salty lakes and pools—in between. (The U.S. Census Bureau technically considers all 13 of the westernmost states to be the “West,” but the Pacific Coast deserves its own attention.) From its 14,000-plus-foot snowy mountain peaks to arid, orange deserts, this region runs the gamut in terms of landscapes, making it a veritable playground for adrenaline junkies and adventurers.