Some hot air balloons are strikingly beautiful and some are humorously cartoonish, but all are picturesque and inspire awe as they soar into the air. This summer and into the fall, there will be many opportunities to see and photograph them at more than two-dozen balloon festivals throughout the West.

You will need to be an early riser to see most balloon launches because the three hours after sunrise are some of the best times to fly. Pilots avoid midday flights to keep away from air turbulence. Balloons fly best in cool weather with light winds.

Named for the Olympian Hiawatha luxury train that once sped through the Bitterroot Mountains, the Route of the Hiawatha is now a repurposed family-friendly bike trail on the border of Idaho and Montana. Between 1947 and 1961, this route was known as one of the most scenic train rides in the world. Although the rails are long gone along this 15-mile stretch, the wilderness and wildlife are still here—as well as historic tunnels and trestles.

The Route of the Hiawatha is literally a beaten path—a hard-packed dirt and gravel surface that’s mostly downhill. With more than 40 interpretive signs along the way, there are plenty of good excuses to stop and take a breather while learning the area’s railroading and mining history. Except for a small portion of the route, no motorized traffic is permitted, but if you listen closely, you might still hear a ghost of a train whistle carried on the wind!

From bluegrass to classical, and country to jazz, every form of music will be heard at festivals this summer at venues ranging from amphitheaters and concert halls to city parks and country bandstands. Here’s a sampling of festivals in the West:

Tourists come to the Dakotas to see Mount Rushmore, but there is much more to see and do. We camped amid the unique rock formations of Badlands National Park and watched bison traipse through. We discovered an amazing cave with a visit to Jewel Cave National Monument.  We had close encounters with Rocky Mountain bighorns at Custer State Park. At Wind Cave National Park, we watched bison and pronghorn antelopes and explored one of the world’s oldest caves.  In North Dakota, we were hushed by the lovely loneliness of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.