Seeing the West: Suggestions for the Westbound Traveller

In Short

This comprehensive 1920 travel handbook organizes the western United States and Alaska into logical geographic itineraries for railroad and automobile tourists. Moving systematically from the Southern and Northern Rockies to the Pacific Northwest, California, and the Southwest, the text pairs practical logistical details with vibrant descriptive commentary. It synthesizes official government reports, rail literature, and the writings of naturalists to explain the geological origins, cultural history, and physical terrain of national parks and monuments. It endures as an authentic window into the early days of American motor tourism and national park conservation.

The Story

The volume opens in the Southern Rockies, orienting travellers in Colorado and Utah. Beginning at Denver and the newly established Rocky Mountain National Park, the narrative highlights local side trips to high-altitude lakes and dramatic granite peaks, including the formidable western precipice of Longs Peak. Moving south to Colorado Springs, the text surveys accessible routes up Pike's Peak via cog railway, trail, or automobile, while outlining drives through Cheyenne Canyon and Cripple Creek. The journey turns southwest toward Mesa Verde, detailing the intricate stone architecture, defensive walls, and ceremonial kivas of prehistoric cliff dwellings, before introducing the newly designated Zion National Park in Utah, noted for its vivid sandstone monoliths and readable geological strata.

Turning northward, the itinerary covers the Canadian Rockies, Glacier National Park, and the vast geothermal basins of Yellowstone. The narrative emphasizes Glacier's alpine features, advising visitors to explore its lakes and vast ice fields on foot or horseback. Yellowstone is presented through vivid accounts of its roaring geysers, thermal springs like the Prismatic Spring, and forested wilderness, encouraging travellers to linger in its quiet hollows rather than rushing through.

The tour then moves to the Northwest and Alaska, describing coastal glaciers that plunge directly into the ocean, towering peaks such as Mount McKinley, and native heritage sites lined with totem poles. Inland, the guide focuses on Mount Rainier and the scenic Columbia River Highway, celebrating engineering feats that cut paved boulevards through river gorges and past cascading waterfalls.

Continuing down into California, the overview encompasses the alpine waters of Lake Tahoe, the ancient groves of Calaveras Big Trees, and the dramatic high country of the Sierra Nevada leading to Mount Whitney. It covers urban highlights in San Francisco—including Golden Gate Park and historic Monterey—before proceeding through Southern California's orange groves, coastal resorts, and Spanish mission architecture.

The final section explores the Southwest, opening with the sheer scale and brilliant palette of the Grand Canyon. The narrative concludes among the desert landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico, visiting Hopi and Zuni pueblos, ancient Spanish inscriptions at El Morro, abandoned mission ruins, and modern feats of engineering like the Roosevelt Dam along the Apache Trail.

How It Unfolds

Across the Rocky Mountain divide The journey begins on the high plateaus of Colorado, offering routes up Pike’s Peak and excursions into deep canyons. Travellers are introduced to alpine lakes, mountain railways, and the ancient stone architecture of Mesa Verde's cliff dwellings.

Through northern ice and geysers Moving into Glacier and Yellowstone, the itinerary explores active glaciers, dramatic rock towers, and steaming thermal basins. The guide advises visitors to leave their vehicles behind to trek through silent forests and mountain meadows.

Along Northwest waters and peaks The focus shifts to coastal Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, contrasting ocean-facing mountain ranges with engineered highways along the Columbia River. Visitors navigate snowfields on Mount Rainier and enjoy the floral displays of regional cities.

Traversing California's giant groves Ascending the Sierra Nevada, the route connects clear mountain lakes with ancient sequoia forests and towering granite summits. Urban stops in San Francisco and coastal drives lead to southern citrus valleys and historic Spanish missions.

Into the Southwestern deserts The final leg descends into the vast depths of the Grand Canyon before crossing desert plains filled with living pueblos and historic ruins. Modern engineering monuments stand side by side with ancient cliff dwellings along the Apache Trail.

The People

John Muir The natural philosopher and author serves as an intellectual anchor throughout the text, offering vivid descriptions of wilderness spaces. He wants travellers to approach nature with reverence, patience, and quiet contemplation rather than speed. His poetic observations on geysers, mountain flora, and forest solitude demonstrate how deep engagement with the land transforms a routine vacation into a restorative, almost spiritual awakening.

Robert Sterling Yard An executive secretary of the National Parks Association, he acts as an authoritative institutional voice on the history, geology, and preservation of public lands. He advocates for the educational and aesthetic value of national parks, urging the public to appreciate these unique natural monuments. His detailed accounts of park geography and geological formations provide travellers with the background needed to understand the landscape's origins.

The Westbound Traveller Representing the early twentieth-century sightseer, this collective figure seeks relief from urban life through long-distance rail and motor travel. Unprepared for steep mountain trails, extreme desert heat, or sudden snowstorms, the tourist requires steady guidance on everything from proper footwear to hiring licensed outfitters. Over the course of the journey, this observer develops a deeper appreciation for native cultures, rugged terrain, and the sheer scale of the American continent.

In Its Own Voice

"The road rises pretty steadily and grows decidedly more narrow, so narrow that only those with steady heads can really enjoy it."

This caution regarding the drive up Cheyenne Mountain highlights the thrilling, raw conditions early motorists faced along narrow cliffside roads.

"No frost cools them, snow never covers them ... winter and summer they welcome alike ... faithfully rising and sinking in fairy, rhythmic dance night and day..."

Quoting John Muir, the text conveys the mesmerizing, ceaseless energy of Yellowstone's geysers discharging into the cool mountain air.

"An inferno swathed in soft, celestial fires; a whole chaotic under-world, just emptied of primeval floods and waiting for a new creative word..."

C. A. Higgins' striking impression captures the overwhelming scale and unearthly hues that greet visitors standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon.

What It's Really About

Beneath its practical lists of rail connections, hotels, and auto routes, the book advocates for a distinctly American tradition of wilderness appreciation. Published during the early rise of personal motor tourism, it argues that the western landscape offers scenic grander, geological diversity, and historical depth equal to or surpassing Europe's famous resort destinations. By highlighting national parks and historic monuments, the guide encourages readers to view these protected spaces not merely as vacation stops, but as essential national treasures that require thoughtful stewardship. The underlying message insists that true travel demands time, physical effort, and a willingness to step off the paved road to experience the wild on its own terms.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers will enjoy this guide as an evocative time capsule of early twentieth-century travel, written just as the automobile was transforming how Americans explored their own country. The narrative carries a refreshing, unhurried tone, balancing practical logistics with a genuine love for the outdoors. It feels like stepping back into an era when reaching a mountain summit or desert canyon required careful planning, stout boots, and reliable local guides.

The text presents very few barriers, though readers should anticipate period-specific descriptions of Indigenous ceremonies and remote landscapes that reflect early 1900s perspectives. The inclusion of long quoted passages from naturalists and government circulars adds authentic historical texture without slowing down the geographic momentum. Anyone interested in environmental history, national park heritage, or classic American road trips will find it an informative and charming companion. What remains with you is the book's enduring enthusiasm for open skies, ancient groves, and the wild, quiet corners of the continent.