There’s something profoundly thrilling about the sight of wild horses galloping unfettered across open terrain, a resonant signal of the untamed spirit that characterizes the American West. Some still range over extensive open plains, desert valleys, and mountain plateaus much as they did hundreds of years ago. The sanctuaries are peeks at that living legacy, where dust, wind, and liberation coalesce into a beautiful movement you will never forget.
Onaqui Mountains, Utah
Just outside Salt Lake City, the Onaqui herd is one of the best known in the West. These horses are found grazing the high desert, their manes billowing in the wind as they travel across open plains and rocky ridges. Visible clearly from the asphalt roads at Simpson Springs, tourists can see bands grazing along with beautiful mountain views behind them. The golden light at sunset gives everything that silhouette effect, and with the beautiful silhouettes of a note about Utah’s western desert vistas as a stunning backdrop, it seems like something out of a classic film.
Sand Wash Basin, Colorado
Near the tiny town of Craig, Sand Wash Basin protects hundreds of wild horses on rolling sagebrush hills. The horses, known for their wild array of colors, are frequently seen along gravel roads that thread the reserve. Viewing routes are maintained by the Bureau of Land Management, and with luck, visitors can even enjoy watching entire herds race across the desert floor together. It’s a thrilling and beautiful spectacle against the backdrop of open Western skies.
Pryor Mountains, Montana–Wyoming Border
The historic herd of Spanish mustangs in the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range spans both Montana and Wyoming. Their coats and markings are reminiscent of an ancient ancestry, which only adds to these magical creatures’ mystique. You can see them from mountain roads, or take a tour to get close enough to see the horses and their cliffs. It is one of the West’s most iconic and photographable wild horse habitats.
McCullough Peaks, Wyoming
Near Cody, Wyoming: McCullough Peaks. McCullough Peaks, just outside Cody, offer sweeping landscapes perfect for seeing wild mustangs. It’s a striking scene: chestnuts, paints, duns, hundreds of them, grazing on the rugged terrain. With binoculars as your only hope, you may see them at sunrise as the light plays on the desert floor-an untouched sanctuary that is a symbol of wild Wyoming.
Virginia Range, Nevada
The Virginia Range herd east of Reno ranges near the historic mining towns of Virginia City and Dayton. Here, too, are the horses of local lore, seen often roaming along scenic byways or grazing in stretches of sagebrush covered hills. Volunteers work hard to maintain and preserve the butterflies so others can still see how beautiful they are. U.S. history and freedom, together, are pure Nevada gold. This range has true cupie doll potential.
Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range, Colorado
A few miles north of Grand Junction, 36,000 acres of rugged canyon country known as the Little Book Cliffs are spread, which are home to approximately 150 wild horses. With multiple trailheads, this section of the area features incredible cliffs and plateaus that are sure to provide a unique experience. Travelers hike or ride horseback to watch the herds, which strike a graceful pose as they move through red rock valleys in the afternoon light.
Steens Mountain, Oregon
In the southeast corner of Oregon, out in quiet high desert lands remote from roads, wild Kiger mustangs range near Steens Mountain. These horses are famous for their golden coats and Spanish ancestry, representing strength and grace. The region, with its dramatic ridges and scenic vistas that stretch to the horizon, is a perfect place to spot herds. There are not many places that represent the essence of the wild West like Steens Mountain does.
Assateague Island, Maryland–Virginia
Further east, the wild horses of Assateague Island are an iconic sight. Spread across Maryland and Virginia, the island’s windswept beaches are home to herds that have become well suited to life by the coast. Visitors frequently see them walking dunes or wading through salt marshes. As you watch these horses galloping against the surf of the Atlantic, it’s strange and powerful, a symbol as much as anything else for wild freedom that endures.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park -North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park isn’t just about miles of badlands or bands of wild horses on the roam. Bison and elk meander over the land with them, so you can imagine what a western painting would look like come to life in such a scene. The best time to see it is early in the morning and at dawn.’ The park also has immense, sweeping vistas that are as much the result of calligraphy as geography, and explain to visitors why the spirit of the West survives in this place.
White Mountain HMA, Wyoming
Located just outside Rock Springs, the White Mountains offer gorgeous overlooks and a side of mustangs grazing among sage and sandstone. Public Viewing events are held at the Pilot Butte Scenic Loop. Quite often, we see little family bands of 2,3 horses grazing peacefully in the open for our guests off in the distance, the massive Wind River Mountains just upward into a nearly cloudless sky, and struck by the wild expanse before me, and how unchanged these horses are from that untamed new w
Outer Banks, North Carolina
But on the East Coast as well, in the wild horses of the Outer Banks, it is imprinted there. Spanish colonist bloodlines run through these horses that were set loose to roam the beaches near Corolla and Shackleford Banks. Visitors can take guided tours or watch from a safe distance as the gophers feed on the dunes. Hooves in the surf are one of those lovely pictures that sum up wild beauty to be discovered on any shore.
Red Desert, Wyoming
Spanning the southern region of Wyoming, the Red Desert is home to one of America’s largest wild horse populations. It’s an enormous, quiet place where the solitude is both overwhelming and beautiful, with its wide open spaces and those momentous views of herds in their natural flow. The rich colors and dramatic light in the desert render any sighting unforgettable. Here, horse elevated profiles against flaming skies remind travelers that absolute freedom is still on the loose in the West.
