Help me plan a tour of western U.S. using Southwest flights

[Dee18]

Now that I am well on my way to earning a Southwest companion pass, I want to plan a 4 week trip for next summer.  I will be traveling with my 19 year old daughter.  My idea is that we will fly to a place and spend 4-7 days exploring the area (using a rental car) before moving on.  Our lodging will be a mix of camping in a small tent, AirBnB, a few hotel nights, and some brief visits with friends.  She likes people watching in towns and cities, and is a great photographer; I like hiking at national parks and we both enjoy moderate kayaking, bicycling, and sightseeing.  We live in the Southeast and do not like drives of more than 8 hours at a time, hence the flying  I welcome your suggestions for places to go, things to see, and tips about what needs to be booked in advance.  Also, would June be a good time, or would July be better?

[grundomatic]

It is going to be HOT in Tucson, and even hotter in Phoenix and Las Vegas. I would head to the mountains--Colorado is nice in the summer. These days when someone says summer travel all I can think about is escaping the heat. I remember going to Colorado Springs one summer and we couldn't find a fan for our room because there had just been a heatwave (over 90-95 degrees the week before--HA!). I've also done the Tour de Fat at the New Belgium mothership in Ft. Collins--that was fun. At the dude ranch where I worked near Steamboat Springs it would drop into the 40's at night, a lot of great hiking around there.

[Dee18]

Thanks Grundomatic. Yes, we are planning to stay on the northern half.  Hopping off cities could include Denver, Salt Lake City, Boise, Spokane and Seattle or Portland. 

[forummm]

From Spokane or Boise you could visit Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Both are worth the visit, and could easily occupy a week each, especially if you like hiking. For Glacier, go in late June or July to ensure everything is open. Some of the parks in Utah (Zion, etc) are supposed to be great too, but I haven't been yet.