Wyoming Vacation ideas

[Mr-Scary]

My other half hit me today with the idea of taking a trip to Yellowstone. I've never been there, I just know there are buffalo and lots of mountains. Can anyone tell me what else you can do besides see the park? She even mentioned something about horseback riding! I'm more of a city boy and going out into the woods isn't something I'm looking forward to. Help!!

[moneytree2012]

http://www.wyomingterritorialprison.com/

http://www.nps.gov/applications/park...tate.cfm?st=wy

http://www.jacksonholechamber.com/jackson_hole_wyoming/

Wyoming is one of the last vestiges of the old west. If you are a history buff, that IS the state to go to. I'm guessing you are planning to fly American into Jackson Hole then drive to Yellowstone? Jackson Hole is a cool place.

[gnadfly]

I drove up to YS from Houston last Sept. It was awesome. Jackson Hole is just gorgeous. Other than history, fishing, horseback riding, camping, hiking, wildlife observation and other "non-city boy things" I can't think of anything else to do.

Go and relax. The highlights of the trip was old Faithful and the boardwalk of geysers. I found the Morning Glory pool extremely impressive. Then the waterfalls and the YS canyon. Honestly, most of the other "big" geysers outside of old Faithful complex haven't erupted in years. Third, go to the hot springs on the north end of the park. My biggest disappointment: we never any saw Grizz.

[I B Hankering]

Plus,

[John] Colter’s Hell: John Colter, formerly of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was the first white man to see Yellowstone and it’s geysers. Great herds of buffalo, elk, and moose; sometimes you might see a bear. The natural beauty of Yellowstone is really awesome and inspiring. You could spend days hiking, fly fishing and camping, but you must have permits and a fishing license. And don’t forget your camera.

Jackson Hole: beautiful Lake Jenny and the Teton Mountains – I recommend the Silver Dollar Bar as a novelty sight (the bar is completely covered with inlaid, vintage silver dollars).

Cody, Wyoming: Snake River Canyon, white water rafting, great party spot for the 4th of July. Cody Museum (Western & Native American Art and artifacts; plus, a great Winchester Arms display). Old Trail Town (another novelty sight featuring late 19th century cabins, stores, wagons, and other 19th century western accoutrements and paraphernalia; plus, John “Jeremiah Johnson” Johnston’s gravesite—Denver, Co., out maneuvered Cody for “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s body – LOL). There is also the Buffalo Bill Cody Stampede Rodeo which goes on daily ‘pertʹnear’ the whole summer.

Johnson County: in central Wyoming – site of one of the last, major range wars in the West. The Bozeman Trail & Ft Phil Kearny – focal point of the Great Sioux War under Chief Red Cloud and a young warrior named Crazy Horse: the Wagon Box Fight & the Fetterman Massacre. You also have the Big Horn Mountains and Big Horn Sheep.

Pinedale, WY: has an annual Mountain Man Rendezvous (July 7 - 10, 2011) where you can experience Native American pageantry of the 19th century as you’ve never seen it before.

Farther south, you have Ft Bridger, the Pony Express Route, the Overland Stage Route, the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail. I-80 parallels the roadbed for the Transcontinental Railroad. Mule Tail Deer and Prong Horn Antelope are commonly seen in the basin area.

In the eastern part of the state you’ll find Devil’s Tower (featured in Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and Independence Rock. You will also find the Hole in the Wall Canyon where Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch hid out when they were on the run. Of course, there is Cheyenne. Cheyenne is home to the Frontier Days Rodeo. Range assassin Tom Horn was tried and hanged there. North of Cheyenne, you can find Old Fort Laramie. It wasn’t burnt down by disgruntled Native Americans like Fort Phil Kearny. West of Cheyenne, is Laramie home to the Territorial Prison and the University of Wyoming. If I admitted I spent some time there, you might probably assume I have a record, but actually, it’s just a transcript –LOL.

http://www.wyomingtourism.org/defaul..._WyomingTravel

[Chica Chaser]

Fly into Bozeman and take the Beartooth Highway into Yellowstone. Its a thrill ride!

[Jdriller]

Beartooth Highway into or out of Yellowstone. Have been to Yellowstone twice. The drive out of Yelllowstone on Beartooth Highway is the most awesome scenic drive I have ever been on. On the map it looked like a couple of hours drive. In reallity it took me more like 7 hours. Your are on top of the world with one awesome view after another. I kept stopping to take pictures. Winding road, hairpin curves, runaway truck ramps, marking flags/poles to mark the edges of the road when snow covers the road and you can't tell where the edge is. I was there in August a few years ago and there was still snow on the ground from the previous winter. Beartooth highway was really cool.

[BreastLuvr]

In terms of natural beauty, Yellowstone, quite frankly, cannot begin to compare with the Tetons, Beartooth Mtns., Glacier NP, Sawtooth Mtns. (ID), Maroon Bells or San Juan Range (CO). Yellowstone is, of course, unique in terms of its concentration of thermal features and its richness of wildlife. Bison, elk, bighorn, griz, wolves and mountain lions are all plentiful in the park. You can fly into either Bozeman or, as previously noted, Jackson Hole. As others have observed, the Beartooth Highway truly is a must-see. Charles Kuralt described it as the most scenic highway in America; I beg to differ as I consider it 2nd behind the Going-to-the-Sun Highway in Glacier. Be forewarned, however, about the weather. Because of its altitude, the Beartooths can brew up some nasty weather any month of the year. I personally have driven through true blizzard conditions during August in traversing that magnificent highway.

You didn’t say what time of the year you would be visiting. Should you be there during the short-lived fall foliage season (2nd half of September and very early October, generally speaking), there are areas in the Tetons, particularly the Oxbow Bend area, which put on spectacular displays. The extreme eastern portion of Idaho, which borders the Tetons and includes towns such as Tetonia and Driggs, may be even more impressive in this respect and is not visited nearly as heavily as routes which approach the Tetons from the east and south. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody is five museums in one (Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Plains Indian Museum, and museums devoted specifically to the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, Buffalo Bill and the Wild West Show, and firearms.

Yellowstone itself is a massive lodgepole pine-covered caldera, so the mountains in the park are not nearly as rugged as the nearby Absarokas and Beartooth Mtns. You will, of course, want to see Old Faithful, due to its iconic status, but the most scenic areas in the park are, in my opinion, the waterfalls (Upper and Lower Falls) and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which are in the northeastern corner of the park. Because of its size (nearly 370 feet in diameter) and brilliant color, the Grand Prismatic Spring should also be considered a must-see.

The Wind River Range, located to the south and east of the Tetons, are actually the highest mtns. in Wyoming and one of the most rugged and isolated ranges in all of America, not to mention an absolute mecca for climbers. Short of having 4-wheel drive access, there are, unfortunately, no highways which provide close proximity to the Wind Rivers. As previously noted, the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale honors the fur trade era. The nearby Green River lakes were one of the primary venues for the historic rendezvous.

If you have any interest in paleontology, particularly dinosaurs, you will definitely want to visit the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, located on the campus of Montana State University. Jack Horner, their resident paleontologist, was, in part, the inspiration for Sam Neill’s character in JurassicPark.

Depending on how much time you have at your disposal and how far you are willing to drive while you are out there, the Bighorn Mountains in northeastern Wyoming are also well worth visiting. If you traverse the Beartooth Highway from west to east, it isn’t that far from Red Lodge, Montana to Billings and, then, from there to the Little Bighorn Battlefield.

[Mr-Scary]

Thank you all for the info! I will consider all these suggestions. Rafting sounds pretty cool! I see I've got plenty of research to do

[BreastLuvr]

Originally Posted by Mr-Scary

Thank you all for the info! I will consider all these suggestions. Rafting sounds pretty cool! I see I've got plenty of research to do

Rafting on the Snake River, in and near the Tetons, is quite popular. There are lots of outfitters in the area. There is also a well-established mountaineering school in the Tetons, if you're in excellent condition and would have any desire to try to climb the Grand Teton.

[Mr-Scary]

I've seen some pics of the Tetons and there is no way I'm climbing those! Very beautiful mountains. Snake river sounds interesting. Had a friend whitewater raft a few years ago down into the Grand Canyon. He said it was best trip ever.

[I B Hankering]

Remember to pack a coat or a sweater. Shorts and t-shirts are fine for hiking during the day, but for those who are not acclimated, the nights get down right chilly.

[BreastLuvr]

Any day in the high country can brew up a wide range of climatic conditions, so versatility is the order of the day when it comes to clothing. If you traverse the Beartooth Highway, which really is a must-see, it would be wise to take a fleece jacket. If you tend to be cold-blooded, a lightweight cap and gloves would not be inappropriate. I make these recommendations because of the altitude (nearly 11,000 ft.). Packing a rain/wind jacket would definitely fall under the category of “sound wisdom.” Conversion pants, the type of long-pants that allow you to zip off the legs and convert them into shorts allows you to adapt to changing temperatures over the course of the day.

You probably won’t want to venture this far afield, but the Snowy Range Scenic Byway traverses the Medicine Bow Mountains in southeastern Wyoming and is another absolutely beautiful drive.

[Guest040616]

I have been to Yellowstone 6 times, 4 during the summer months, 1 during the fall and once in the middle of winter. Each was a unique experience but the two most memorable was the summer of '88 fires and being there when the elk were bugling during the fall of '08. If there is such of a thing as a can't miss in Yellowstone, most would say it would be the geyser basin around Old Faithful. That is a great attraction but I believe the best is the Beartooth!

As for actual Grizzly sightings, I have seen them in Denali (Alaska) and Banff (Alberta, Canada) but I have yet to see one in Yellowstone!

In a nutshell, if you can't find something memorable to do in Yellowstone, you're not looking very hard! Word to the wise, invest in a very good camera with long range zoom capacity! You won't regret it!

[oralick]

I have only been once but it was great.It was in 1995 and I took my wife, 11 yr old son in a 5th wheel for 30 days. Calif, Nev,Wyoming. Camped 12 nites Henry's Lake, not far from Yellowstone. Yellowstone unbelievable, though still burned in many parts. Rocky Mountains and the Geyser Basin around Old Faithful brought a feeling of Spirituality like no other, to me. My wife and I did Horse Ride just outside of Yellowstone. Beautiful country, views, no drop-offs, and most importantly, a good horse (wrangler said the breed was Percheron, very big but very calm). Did mid-level rapids, very enjoyable. Every day was special. Went to Jackson Hole, for the day, glad I didn't take 5th wheel. Then we went to see Mt. Rushmore. Sturgis just happened to be having the Bikers Rally. " Really sweetie, I didn't know!" Anyway, SO confiscated the video recorder there. Never saw those videos again. Anyway, it was a Great place to go, my son to this day says it was the greatest vacation ever!

[Whirlaway]

Pack a pair of binoculars !