Ever landed bleary-eyed after a cross-country flight and wondered, “Where on earth is Yosemite?” That happened to me last spring, when I touched down in Fresno amid a drizzle, lugged my gear into a rental car, and started a three-hour road-trip saga. Worth every soggy minute, but next time, I did my homework first. Why ...

Last August, I flew into Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) just as a thunderstorm rolled over the Tetons. Tiny airport, big mountains—my luggage barely made it onto the shuttle before the skies opened. By the time I reached my cabin, the clouds broke and revealed jagged peaks bathed in golden light. Unforgettable. But that scramble taught ...