Wyoming Guide

General

Parks

Rating	Park	Link (site)	Notes
	Bear River State Park	Wyoming State Parks	Abundant wildlife including a herd of bison afford rare viewing opportunities and give the visitor a taste of wild Wyoming. Hiking, skiing trails, picnic shelters and a lazy river.
	Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area	Backpacker National Park Service	A lesser known treasure waiting to be discovered. It boasts breath-taking scenery, countless varieties of wildlife, and abundant recreational opportunities, such as boating, fishing, ice fishing, camping, and hiking. Bighorn Canyon offers visitors what few other National Park areas can, that of solitude, serenity, and beauty. We enjoyed visiting a very old farm on the river with a sod roof that a NPS employee told us about. Allow 6 hours to 2 days.
	Bighorn Mountains	Bighorn Mountains	Great views. The ride down to Lovell on US 14A is incredible. You go down the side of a mountain on a series of steep switchbacks. Also, view Medicine Wheel which is the equivalent to Britain's Stonehenge. And for something different visit the Bradford Brinton Memorial Museum by Big Horn. A very small museum in what was formerly a ranch house. They had quite a few original Russell and Remington pieces (paintings and statues) when we were there a long time ago.
	Buffalo Bill State Park	Wyoming State Parks	By Cody. Mountains dominate the scenery.
	Devils Tower National Monument	GORP National Park Service Vacation in Wyoming	Spire rises up almost vertically from the landscape to a height of 1,267 feet. Allow 4 to 10 hours.
	Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area	Utah	Large lake. Features boating camping, dam tours, beautiful views, pronghorn. Allow 4 hours to 3 days.
	Grand Teton National Park	National Park Service Grand Teton Natural History Association	Stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife. The central feature of the park is the Teton Range — an active, fault-block, 40-mile-long mountain front. About 40 miles south of Yellowstone. Allow 1 to 3 days (more for major hikes).
	Fossil Butte National Monument	National Park Service	This 50-million year old lake bed is one of the richest fossil localities in the world. Recorded in limestone are dynamic and complete paleoecosystems that spanned two million years. Preservation is so complete that it allows for detailed study of climate change and its effects on biological communities.
	Hell's Half Acre	Hell's Half Acre	Unusual area with hoo-doos. Sometimes compared to a mini Grand Canyon. Allow 1-2 hours.
	Hot Springs State Park	Wyoming State Parks	By Thermopolis. Soothing waters, views of the unforgettable bison, and some of the loveliest flower gardens in the state.
	Independence Rock State Historic Site	Wildernet	By Jasper. Huge, unusually shaped rock that is visible from afar. Early settlers signed their names on a rock face on their way west. Allow 30 minutes.
	Sinks Canyon State Park	Wyoming State Parks	By Lander. Sinks Canyon is so named because the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie, a rushing mountain river, flows out of the Wind River Mountains and through the Canyon. Halfway down the canyon the river abruptly turns into a large limestone cavern, and the crashing water "sinks" into fissures and cracks at the back of the cave. The river is underground for 1/4 mile until it emerges down canyon in a large calm pool called "The Rise" and then continues its course into the valley below.
	South Pass City State Historic Site	Wyoming State Parks	Ghost town. One of the most authentic and complete historic sites in the country. When the town boomed in the 1860s nearly 300 buildings were erected. Today you can see the thirty historic log, frame and stone buildings that remain on 39 acres of land.
	Yellowstone National Park	National Park Service GORP Total Yellowstone Page Travel Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone Net	It's the grandfather of all parks for a good reason. It has it all, geysers, hot springs, mud volcanoes, 2 major waterfalls, canyons, mountains, tons of wildlife and over 1,100 miles of trails! Wildlife includes elk, bison, deer, pronghorn, coyotes, moose, grizzly, wolves, and more. Don't miss it! Each season provides a different view of the park. There's more than 300 miles of scenic roads with two being in the top 10 most scenic roads in the United States. Allow at least a week for Yellowstone and Grand Teton or more if you have time.
	Yellowstone National Park - Beartooth Highway	Cody Wyoming GORP Wilder net	It (route 212) is the Northeast entrance road from Yellowstone. It's considered one of the most scenic roads in America (although we thought it didn't rate that high). Features outstanding mountain views and some wildlife. Open about Memorial Day.

Attractions:

Rating	Attraction	Link (site)	Notes
	Buffalo Bill Museum, Cody	Buffalo Bill Museum	Very nice museum. It's been a long time since we visited it. It's supposed to be much bigger now. Allow 2-10 hours.
	Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone	Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center	learn about and view grizzly bears and gray wolves in their natural habitats.
	Museum of the Yellowstone, West Yellowstone	-	Displays Indian artifacts, US Cavalry memorabilia, and mountain men relics from the Yellowstone region.
	National Geographic IMAX Theater, West Yellowstone	Yellowstone IMAX	Six-story-high movie screen that depicts the history, wildlife and spectacular scenery of Yellowstone National Park.
	Yellowstone Safari Company tour	Beyond Yellowstone	Full day safari, 2 person tour is $495 (2004). Seen on Canon Photo Safari. It looks interesting but I have no personal experience with it.

Grand Teton National Park, What Not To Miss:

Rating	Location	Description
	Chapel of the Transfiguration	An old, very small chapel with the Grand Teton Mountains as a backdrop. Great view of the Tetons from inside the Chapel.
	City of Jackson	The gateway city to the Tetons.
	Jenny Lake	The Tetons look great reflecting in the lake.
	Oxbow Bend	A bend in the Snake River with the Tetons as a backdrop. It's the most photographed spot in the Tetons.
	river rafting trip	Consider taking a river rafting trip. It's great fun and very scenic.
	Rockefeller Parkway	Offers great panoramic views of the Tetons. Very nice sunrises and sunsets.
	Schwabacher Landing	Take the road to the end and then walk north (right) along the river. The reflection of the Tetons in the beaver ponds is beautiful and the immediate scenery is great. You will see many bird species and might see beaver and moose.
	Teton Park Road	Offers great views of the Tetons plus Jenny Lake.

Yellowstone National Park, What Not To Miss:

Rating	Location	Description
	Beartooth Highway	This is just outside of the northeast entrance to Yellowstone. The road is rated as one of the best in the United States! Since we've driven several other "best" roads, we didn't think the Beartooth deserved the title. Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice drive, it's just not world class.
	Eastern Entrance to Cody	This is another beautiful drive. If you go all the way to Cody, don't miss the Buffalo Bill Museum.
	Firehole Lake Drive	I suggest that you take this drive at sunset. Great Fountain is beautiful with the sunset reflecting off the pools. White Dome erupts every 20 minutes and looks great with the setting sun behind it. Other sections can be viewed during the daylight.
	Fountain Paint Pots	While many sections of the park are jammed with people, you will see few people here. It is about a mile round trip and is an interesting hike.
	Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone	Two large falls in a impressively colored deep v valley make this one of the premier locations in the world. Don't miss Artist Point, the North Rim drive, Inspiration Point, Brink of the Lower Falls, Uncle Tom's Trail (if you're in good shape; it's about equal to walking up and down 15 stories). Many of the lookouts (at the end of short hikes) are very impressive and worthwhile. Plan on spending a day here if you are doing some of the walks.
	Hayden Valley	Beautiful fields with the Yellowstone River meandering through them. You will see Bison in the fields all day long. Other wildlife and birds are often visible. The last trip we saw bison, elk, pelicans, ducks, and a few other birds. Long ago, we used to see moose, bison, swans, cranes, herons and much more.
	Lamar Valley	This is the premier place to see large wildlife. Sunrise visits yield bison, elk, grizzly, and wolves. During our visit in early June 2004, we saw grizzly with young, black bear and young, wolves, coyotes, badger, bison, elk, pronghorn, ducks, Canada geese, and much more. You won't see the animals close up, so bring a good pair of binoculars and a long lens for your camera. If you have a high-power spotting scope, bring it along. Stop where you see people looking in the same direction. If you don't see anything, ask them what is there. People are friendly and are usually happy to point out what they are looking at.
	Mammoth Hot Springs	The hot springs are colorful and unique. Don't miss them. Take the walk through the Main Terrace and the drive through the Upper Terrace. Unfortunately, Mammoth Hot Springs seem to be dying up. It used to be a 5 star attraction. In summer, you will see lots of elk here.
	Midway Geyser Basin	In my opinion, this is the most colorful and beautiful section of the pools. Fantastic runoffs with multiple colors. Don't miss it!
	Mt. Washburn	A difficult hike takes you to the top of Mt. Washburn. There's an impressive view and you should see big horn sheep at the top. Long ago, you could drive to the top.
	Mud Volcanoes	Lots of bubbling mud and steam in a hilly area. There aren't many mud volcanoes in the rest of the park. Nice scenic view looking back to the parking lot.
	Norris Geyser Basin	A large variety of geysers, many with different shape cones. They are two sections to Norris. Be sure to visit both because they are entirely different.
	Old Faithful area	What can I say? This is the American icon. There are many other nice geysers along the walking paths around Old Faithful. Also, make sure you visit Old Faithful Inn. The inside is truly amazing.
	Tower Falls	A 132 foot falls that's only a 100 yards from the parking lot. For the best view of the falls, you need to take the trail to the base of the falls. The trail was close in the spring of 2004. When you leave the falls, stop at some of the pullouts and take a look at the canyon. It's pretty impressive.
	West Thumb Geyser Basin	A nice section with small geysers and pools. Many feature beautiful blue pools and colorful runoffs. There's even a few pools in Yellowstone Lake.
	Yellowstone Lake and Fishing Bridge	Yellowstone Lake is the largest high altitude lake in the world. Fishing Bridge is a unique old time bridge where people can fish from both sides.

Books:

Rating	Book
	Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks by Eric Peterson, 264 pages. Excellent ratings on Amazon. Good book with lots of information packed into a small format. Yellowstone Treasures is a better book unless you can't afford the space.
	Photographer's Guide to Yellowstone & the Tetons by Joseph K. Lange, 113 pages. This is a pretty good book that mainly covers the standard locations although I did find some new locations to go to. The best features of the book are: it's well organized, each area is covered separately. most geysers are well described including their height, interval, duration, and the best time to photograph (and see).
	Scenic Driving Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park by Susan Springer Butler, 262 pages. This is the only book I could find with a more detailed descriptions of the scenic roads leading into Yellowstone. The Eastern and Northeastern entrances are extremely scenic and the Yellowstone guides don't extend their description outside of the park. The book looks interesting but we didn't use it much.
	Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park by Janet Chapple, Bruno J. Giletti, 384 pages. Excellent ratings on Amazon. This is currently my favorite book. It's packed with details and it's easy to find what you are looking for. It is well organized and has a good index.

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Roger & Marian's Web Site, last modified 06/19/09