5 Affordable Road Trips in the West

With gas prices still averaging more than $5 per gallon across much of the West, finding an affordable place to travel can be difficult. To offset that, we’ve rounded up five excursions where you can leave the city and hit the road for three days without overspending. While some of these itineraries take you farther than others, they all offer roadside attractions, outdoor activities, and accommodations that won’t break the bank. From northern Arizona to southern Montana, here are some of our favorite low-cost road trips in the West. 

California: The Lassen Loop 

Break away from the crowds—and the eye-popping prices—that Lake Tahoe and the wine country have become known for by heading north from Sacramento instead. Hop on CA-99 N and CA-70 N toward Lake Almanor. Stop at the Wagon Wheel Market in Oroville for made-to-order sandwiches before winding your way up the scenic Feather River Canyon, a breathtaking natural gorge that cuts right through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Spend the afternoon picnicking and relaxing at Almanor Beach on the quiet, pine-lined shores of Lake Almanor, or go for a swim in its crystal-clear waters. About nine miles farther north, bed down at the Antlers Inn in the cozy town of Chester. The mountain-themed motel sits on Main Street, offering easy access to nearby markets and eateries. 

The following morning, dip into Lassen Volcanic National Park. From the park’s southwest entrance, take the seasonal 30-mile scenic highway that winds past active mud pots, volcanic peaks, alpine lakes, and hydrothermal waters toward its northwest entrance on Manzanita Lake. Stretch your legs along the Kings Creek Falls trail, a 2.3-mile out-and-back hike that leads to a 30-foot cascade. 

On the last day, make your return trip via CA-32 to Chico. Spend an hour or two wandering around the college town’s Lower Bidwell Park and cooling off beneath the shade of massive oak and sycamore trees or in the creek-fed waters of Sycamore Pool. Enjoy a casual lunch downtown before returning to Sacramento via CA-99.

Arizona: Marble Canyon Scenic Loop

If narrow slot canyons, spectacular sandstone vistas, and playing outside are what you’re after, you’re in luck. This route through northern Arizona travels round-trip from Page—a major gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area—to the soaring Marble Canyon river gorge in less than 100 miles, with plenty to see, do, and experience along the way. 

From Page, drive south along US-89 to Horseshoe Bend Overlook. Accessible via an easy 1.5-mile round-trip trail, this towering perch offers sweeping views of the Colorado River as it twists 1,000 feet below, carving a dramatic curve into the surrounding Navajo Sandstone. Continuing on the highway, take a 1.2 -mile detour south of US‑89A near the Navajo Bridge to pause and admire the mushroom-shaped Balanced Rock, a 40-foot-tall boulder teetering precariously on a small natural pedestal. It’s one of several in the area. 

Situated at the foot of the Vermilion Cliffs just two minutes from the Navajo Bridge, the Marble Canyon Lodge offers design-savvy digs and the perfect base for your adventures. Stroll across the pedestrian-only historic Navajo Bridge, a steel arch bridge that soars 467 feet above the Colorado River. Keep an eye out for California condors resting on the span’s steel supports as you go. Later, savor a Navajo taco salad bowl at the lodge’s Lonely Jackrabbit restaurant, then retire to a fire pit and relish some of the darkest skies around. 

Spend the following day kayaking along the Colorado River between 1,000-foot-tall red rock cliffs, perusing the trails at Lees Ferry, or taking a scenic drive to the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, a mesmerizing display of ribbon-like sandstone. 

Enjoy a Navajo-led hike through one of the region’s “secret” (read: less-crowded) slot canyons before turning back toward Page, making a pit stop at the Glen Canyon Dam Overlook for an aerial view of the colossal architectural wonder along the way.

Nevada: The Cowboy Corridor 

The Silver State’s Buckaroo, Basque, and Native American traditions are alive and well in northern Nevada, a region brimming with Western heritage. 

This one-way, 300-mile road-trip takes you along I-80 from Reno to Elko, with some unusual sites en route. The first day’s journey goes from Nevada’s “Biggest Little City” to Unionville or Winnemucca. Architecture buffs will want to make a pit stop in Lovelock to see one of the country’s only round courthouses still in use, while curio-seekers should plan on stopping at Thunder Mountain, a sprawling monument of sculptures and structures crafted out of everything from wrecked cars to typewriters.

If you want to extend your journey, consider spending a restful night at the internet-free Old Pioneer Garden Country Inn in Unionville, a living ghost town where author Mark Twain once lived (his cabin still stands). Otherwise, carry on to the Buckaroo Hall of Fame in Winnemucca. This free museum honors the history and culture of the traditional American working ranch cowboy with Western art, handcrafted saddles, and tributes to over 70 rodeo and ranching legends. After browsing its exhibits, sit down to a traditional, family-style Basque meal at the Martin Hotel, formerly a boarding house for Basque sheepherders. 

The following day, continue along the Humboldt River to Elko, the heart of Nevada’s cowboy country. Shop for custom-shaped hats and silver-engraved buckles at J.M. Capriola Co., peruse downtown’s open-air gallery of public murals and artworks—featuring everything from images of Basque culture to funky abstract designs—or drive to the nearby Lamoille Canyon, an extraordinary glacially-carved valley where stunning hikes and scenic drives await, especially in fall.

Montana: The Bozeman-Butte-Helena “Triangle”

Get to know some of Montana’s big cities on a somewhat triangular 230-mile route connecting Bozeman with Helena. Start your trip in the state’s Gallatin Valley with a visit to Bozeman’s Museum of the Rockies. This Smithsonian Affiliate houses one of the most significant collections of dinosaur fossils throughout North America. Afterward, head toward the Continental Divide on I-90 W, stopping in Three Forks to pick up cinnamon rolls and hot sandwiches at the Wheat Montana Bakery & Deli. Continue on to Butte, a former copper boom town that’s a living history of the American West. Trolley tours of the city’s history take place throughout the summer. 

Following an overnight stay in Butte, pay a visit to the World Museum of Mining, where a meticulously re-created turn-of-the-century mining camp includes everything from a saloon to an apothecary. Load up on traditional meat-and-potatoes pasties—a miner’s delight—at The Pasty Place before driving north on I-15 toward Helena, Montana’s capital city. Walk Last Chance Gulch, a buzzy, pedestrian-only street dotted with local boutiques, breweries, and eateries, or explore some of greater Helena’s more than 400 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails. Tucked away by the old railway lines, the newly opened, women-owned Bell Hotel offers a perfect place to lay your head. 

Return to Bozeman by way of Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. Here, guided tours of its limestone caverns highlight stalactites, stalagmites, and an array of other spectacular cave formations. 

Utah: The Wasatch and Bear Lake Loop

Enjoy a scenic, roughly one-tank road trip through northern Utah where you can revel in dramatic mountain vistas, railway history, and a wide variety of outdoor fun along the way. Beginning in Salt Lake City, drive southeast to Heber City, stopping at the Heber Valley Railroad for a vintage train ride complete with staged Wild West gunfights and incredible views of the Wasatch Mountains. From here, continue north into Ogden Valley. While the Pineview Reservoir is ideal for swimming, paddleboarding, and kayaking during summer months, fall provides a wonderful opportunity to take in the vibrant orange-, red-, and gold-hued foliage of Ogden Canyon. Spend your night in Huntsville, enjoying burgers and beers at the quirky Shooting Star Saloon—a former 19th-century mercantile that’s been in continuous operation since 1879—and bedding down at one of the town’s boutique lodgings or historic inn. 

The following morning, drive north along Logan Canyon Scenic Byway (US-89) to Garden City on the shores of Bear Lake. Enjoy a fresh raspberry shake and a bite at retro drive-in LeBeau's, then spend a leisurely afternoon basking in the bright turquoise waters of Bear Lake State Park, often touted as the “Caribbean of the Rockies.”

Day three brings you to Golden Spike National Historical Park, where in 1869, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad companies joined 1,776 miles of rail, completing the first transcontinental railroad. Skirt the Great Salt Lake along I-15 to return to Salt Lake City.