Northeastern Wyoming travel

[atlas366]

We're planning a trip to the Black Hills in SD this summer, an area I'm very familiar with. The kids are old enough to range farther afield now and we'd really like to check out the environs across the border to the West. Any recommendations? I'm not at all familiar with WY, but like the attitudes and values in that part of the country. Thanks.

[square butte]

Devils Tower

[runfiverun]

up in that corner you can see the devil's tower, Custer's last stand, and the faces on the mountain in about one day.
there is also another fort along the highway that's just west and south of Custer's monument.
thing's ain't cheap, but it is one of the nicer area's in Wyoming.

lot's of sagebrush and rolling grassy hills down along the River.
just north of Custer's place there are some mountainous areas going along to the Devil's tower [monument] heading in towards spearfish.
and to the East there are pretty cool mountains and a few things to see.
they are pretty good about telling you all about stuff to see in the area.
remember 'over there', or 'over in' is often 200 miles away.
there will be some time spent in the vehicle.

[Lloyd Smale]

Crazy horse memorial, Yellowstone and of course the cody gun museum. That's a not to miss one there. Id plan to spend a day in cody. they have wild west reenactments on the streets in town. At least I know they do on the weekends. Kids really like that.

[OS OK]

I wonder if you can hear the Indians chanting around the battleground late evening liken to reports from Eastern civil war grounds…paranormal activity?
That would be a 'hoot' to hear!

OS OK

[white eagle]

I second the Cody day
lots of cool stuff in the area

[atlas366]

I wonder if you can hear the Indians chanting around the battleground late evening liken to reports from Eastern civil war grounds…paranormal activity?
That would be a 'hoot' to hear!

OS OK
Indeed it would. I like to plan some out of the ordinary things in to our travels, like non-tourist ghost towns. Though I'd be down for that, I think staking out a battleground for a ghostly war party might freak out the littlest one. He's scared of his own shadow, too used to always being around people.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've only been to WY a dozen times in my life...and haven't been there since the early 90s, so my info may be dated...But in the North (and east of Yellowstone), the Drive on Hwy 14 (going over the Big horns) from Dayton to Lovell, then down to Greybull then to Shell and back across to Dayton is some great mountain driving, plenty of scenic over looks and almost no people to be seen, some nice places to boondock and or just picnic...If that's your kinda thing (as it's mine).


edited: Oh, Medicine wheel is a neat thing to see, just up the mountain from Lovell.
http://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/medicine-wheel

[runfiverun]

Deadwood isn't too far down the road from the devil's tower.
but getting over to Greybull and Cody is more than a day trip. [it's a long drive across Wyoming]
Cody alone is 2-3 day's, more if you wanna see the rodeo. [the rodeo runs for about 3 months so it's hard to miss] and it's full of tourists in the summer.

[historicfirearms]

I've got family in Sundance and have been hunting there several times. Mount Rushmore isn't far, keyhole reservoir used to be a good fishing hole and good place to look for indian arrowheads, but that's probably illegal now. Devil's tower is worth the drive. If you go to Sundance, look up "whorehouse Larry" and buy him a beer. He's a living legend and if you get him talking it will be the highlight of your trip.

[MtGun44]

Gun, western art, Indian and Buffalo Bill museums, all together in Cody can take two or
three days by themselves. SUPER museums.

[Mica_Hiebert]

If you plan a trip around the 24th-26th of june they will have Little Big Horn days in Hardin Mt where they reenact Custers last stand and have a big parade and lots of stuff going on. You can always visit the battle ground any time of the year but its IMHO not worth going out of your way for. dont spend much time on the Crow or Cheyene reservations... Their less than friendly if you venture out of the touristy stops much. Gas up frequently! Distances between towns is allot of times 80+ miles and have a reliable vehicle. temps often push above 100 degrees after then end of june. I have personaly seen 118*

[OS OK]

With towns spread that far apart…everyone oughta get along pretty well!

[atlas366]

If you go to Sundance, look up "whorehouse Larry" and buy him a beer. He's a living legend and if you get him talking it will be the highlight of your trip.

Now you're talkin'. One of the best parts of traveling out West is the interesting people you encounter.

[atlas366]

almost no people to be seen, some nice places to boondock and or just picnic...If that's your kinda thing (as it's mine).


My thing too, especially the no people to be seen. I want to see Yellowstone some day, but likely in the off season, as all reports that I'm getting indicate Disneyland levels of people.

[runfiverun]

bout 10 am things pick up in the park.
I usually go in mid September and get in early.
if your at the gate at o dark thirty you will see the grizzly's and wolves and such.
you'll also be in the middle at the attractions and see what you wanna see before the busses get past the gate.
once they hit the park I bail and go to the museum for the rest of the day.
Yellowstone takes a good week of in and out to see everything and keep the kids interested.

we juked around the park from Jackson hole to cody up to Baker and around to west yellow stone.
this allowed us to drive in and out see what we wanted to see plus enjoy the town too.
but Jackson hole is something we do in an afternoon [go over for dinner and back] and west Yellowstone is a short day trip from here.

there is really no 'off-season' for yellow stone, you either drive your car or ride a snow mobile.
off season means it's snowing and the roads are closed [fall], or there is too much snow on the passes to go over them so you have to drive all the way around [spring].
it's been snowing in that area the last couple of day's anyway so just cutting through the park isn't even an option right now.

[atlas366]

there is really no 'off-season' for yellow stone, you either drive your car or ride a snow mobile.
off season means it's snowing and the roads are closed [fall], or there is too much snow on the passes to go over them so you have to drive all the way around [spring].
it's been snowing in that area the last couple of day's anyway so just cutting through the park isn't even an option right now.

Thank you sir and thanks to the rest for all of the intel.

[Iowa Fox]

I've got family in Sundance and have been hunting there several times. Mount Rushmore isn't far, keyhole reservoir used to be a good fishing hole and good place to look for indian arrowheads, but that's probably illegal now. Devil's tower is worth the drive. If you go to Sundance, look up "whorehouse Larry" and buy him a beer. He's a living legend and if you get him talking it will be the highlight of your trip.

Where do you find this guy? I'm going to be in town for a few days this summer.

[30Carbine]

There's a buffalo jump just across the border out of Beulah wy. tword sundance that's pretty cool they are doing live digs there now and you can see the bones as they are dug. been by that place a million times on the bike never stopped until last year. was really good to stop. and the new Wyoming info center that is just past that is pretty good they have a little museum and info about the history and area.

[shtur]

The local news stated two roads into Yellowstone will open April 23, the earliest it has opened since keeping track of those things. The two roads are; from the north (Gardiner) and from the west (West Yellowstone). The park usually opens around the middle of May, except this year, it will open earlier.
Cody has rodeos every night during summer for the cowboys. A professional cowboy needs so many points before they can enter a major rodeo, thus the all summer rodeos at Cody - a shrewd way to enter higher level rodeos.

[historicfirearms]

Where do you find this guy? I'm going to be in town for a few days this summer.

Check at the Dime Horseshoe, he hangs out there sometimes. He's easy to spot, he has one eye and a huge white mustache. His health has been getting pretty bad so I'm not sure if he still drives, but he used to have a firewood business and his truck was spraypainted with something like "Crazy Ho's Wood Truck". We are going to be going through Sundance the last week of June. When are you going to be there?

[jonp]

Independence Rock where travelers on the wagon trains carved their names into it

[runfiverun]

holy cow that's below Casper on the way to Rawlins.
you could see the Mormon handcart museum that's just down the road from it and the cut mountain where the river goes through it though.
you'll see a lot of the Y.O. and Murphy's ranch land along the way.
might as well see the territorial prison while your in Rawlins if your going that way.

[jonp]

I picked up in SD once and decided to cut down from Rapid City and cross to pick up I80 at Rawlins on my way west as I had not been through Wyoming that much and had the time to take the scenic route so your spot on. Rawlins was exactly where I was heading :). I think it was the same trip where I stopped to see Wall Drug and also The Corn Palace in Mitchell. When I was Coast To Coast I always made it a point to stop at different places and see stuff. I'm glad I did. Great ride especially since the bike rally was going on. Lots of people taking day rides through the black hills.

People who travel all over the world to see stuff have no idea how much there is to see right here and in our neighbor to the North.

[Firebird]

Saw the medicine wheel as a kid back in the seventies when it was still in it's natural state before the indians "reconstructed" it and turned it into a tourist trap. Only reason there was a road up that mountain was the DEW defense radar on it's top.

[Clay M]

Saw the medicine wheel as a kid back in the seventies when it was still in it's natural state before the indians "reconstructed" it and turned it into a tourist trap. Only reason there was a road up that mountain was the DEW defense radar on it's top.

The Medicine Wheel..
Native American's connection with God.
The one place left in North Eastern Wyoming I want to see before I die..

You have to walk a good ways now because idiots were hauling off all the rocks and relics..
My father was a world traveler and his favorite place was Devils Tower ,Wy

He took me there many times as a kid..

My most favorite memories of life are fly fishing the streams in Yellowstone with my family.

It was a window of time I had in my life that will never be again.

I have hiked a lot of the back country of Yellowstone..

I would always book two weeks in the campground..

I remember my son crying because my daughter caught a bigger trout than he did.

Such memories of the past..

Yellowstone is indeed my favorite place on earth.
I have been there about a dozen times..

I would probably be sad to go back there now..
I don't need all the drones and city farts..

I have thought about having my ashes put in Haden valley, or Lamar, but
they belong right here on the land that I grew up on, and fought for..


I use to fish with a guy named Les Walker..he was brilliant and knew everything about fishing in Yellowstone.

I hope he is still alive fishing the Madison or the mouth of Yellowstone lake.

I will drink a glass of red wine in his honor..

He was indeed my friend.

[Old Iron]

If you are going to be in the Greybull area, the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite might interest you,.... also the Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site (up towards Hyattville) containing ancient cliff pictographs.

When we lived in Manderson Wyoming, we used to take visiting friends to these sites and they always found them interesting, and as has already been mentioned, the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody is a definite must-see.