Spending 10 days in Wyoming this summer, what to do ? (Cheyenne: car, congested)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a couple suggestions. First, when you leave Cody, go directly west on 14-16 to the East Entrance to Yellowstone. Turn north and start the loop. This will be the most spectacular part of the trip. This is the place that tourists come from halfway around the world to see. The loop road goes by most of the really unique features. It is your absolute must-see. The Northeast entrance has spectacular scenery, but will position you in a less convenient place for the loop. To see it well would require a lot of backtracking. And do see it well. You never know when or if you'll be back.
When leaving Jackson, you can get the most scenery and mountain driving by taking US 191 to Farson. Don't blink or you'll miss it. Go east on Wyoming 28. You'll travel over South Pass and pass near several old town sites. This is a place to leave the highway and hit the gravel. South Pass City has been partly restored. This the area of Wyoming's very short gold rush. From there, head east to Highway 287. If you're hungry, it's only a few miles north to Lander. Heading south, you'll have a great drive to Rawlins. Rawlins is Wyoming's prison town. There are tours of the old abandoned and supposedly haunted pen. Check ahead. I like Rawlins. It's a nice place with nice people.
From Rawlins head east on I-80 about twenty miles to the junction of Wyoming 130. Go south. The road will turn east and bring you to Laramie by way of the Snowy Range. It's beautiful country, and you can see how your GTO likes the grades.
Kemmerer is a fossil enthusiast's dream place. It's just a few miles east of Fossil Butte National Monument and boasts of a small, but excellent museum. Other than that, there's nothing there and the country is what you'll see almost anywhere in the state. If you like fossils, go; otherwise, no.
Do bring warm clothing and have it handy in your car. Be sure to have gloves, hat, and warm boots. I never remove my winter survival kit. Every county in Wyoming has recorded snow in every month of the year. And you're headed for snow country.
And finally, whatever else you do, make the loop in Yellowstone, all of it.
Last edited by Happy in Wyoming; 01-18-2011 at 10:45 PM..
I float to fish but try to avoid white water. I believe you can get into some white water rafting around Jackson, maybe in August. There used to be rafting outfitters in Cody, but I don't know if it was as much white water as leisurely sightseeing trips. August isn't the best time to find white water in Wyoming. It's not allowed in the parks.
Lots of outfitters offer trail rides. I took my kids on one in Jackson Hole years ago. I can't remember the name of it but there are several, probably most about the same. I'm sure there are plenty of them between Cody and Yellowstone as well, some in the Bighorns and others about anywhere you might want to go in the state. If nobody has suggestions for you here, just Google the town or mountain range name and add "trail rides".
Horses used for that kind of thing are anything but wild, and if you haven't had much experience on horses just tell them and they'll pick out an old gentle mare for you. I don't think my kids had ever been on a horse before, other than going round and round at the carnival. The challenge for them wasn't staying on but getting their horses to move!
another question....what kind of weather can I expect ? Rain will ruin a lot of things, what about temperature ? When is your wet season ?
Spring time is the wet season. But we get the occasional afternoon thunderboomer in July and August. Certainly not every day. We're pretty dry during the summer.
another question....what kind of weather can I expect ? Rain will ruin a lot of things, what about temperature ? When is your wet season ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElkHunter
Spring time is the wet season. But we get the occasional afternoon thunderboomer in July and August. Certainly not every day. We're pretty dry during the summer.
It may be normally dry in the summer, but that doesn't mean the potential for serious rain doesn't exist. Some of the heaviest rain I've ever experienced was in the Cheyenne area in mid-July several years ago. The wipers on my truck couldn't keep up with the downpour, even on their highest setting. Luckily, it was a brief downpour, and was over within about ten minutes.
I've also encountered some light rain on many (actually most) of my other summer trips in and around Wyoming. From my experience, summer rain in Wyoming usually doesn't last too long - maybe a few hours at the most. Others may correct me on this, but this has been my experience.
Plan ahead and be ready for rain, and you should be fine. If you don't want to be on the road in the rain, keep an eye on the horizon, and find a place to wait it out if the sky begins to look threatening.
You are correct JDavid, the worst storms are during the summer. But they are very short lived, like you say, a couple of hours.
Our reservoirs get about 60% of their fill by snowpack. The other 40% comes from rainfall. They normally reach thier max load by mid to late May. From that point on, thunderstorms only add about 5% all summer. Matter of fact, the reservoirs shut off irrigation, normall by mid to late July because they don't have enough water to maintain irrigation.
But some of those afternoon thunderboomers can be intense. Large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain, yes, even enough rain to stop traffic. But they are not everyday, whereas, springtime is most every day.
I'm speaking of the Sheridan area and the Big Horn Mountains. Don't know much about where I don't live.
I've had to pull over due to poor visibility from rain and hail near Jackson, near Lander, and near Buffalo. One of those times was Memorial Day weekend but the other two were around the Fourth of July. Luckily none lasted very long. Wyoming's weather changes at the drop of a hat.
Elk how in the hell do you know all of this. Your like a living breathing walking talking wikipedia, a person to know.
In this county, if you don't pay attention, you lose.
I was born and raised on a farm. Water is important so I keep track of watershed, reserve and such. Even though I am not on a farm anymore. I'm a weather spotter for NOAA so I watch the weather. I started a construction business and built 360 buildings (smallest was 24x32) so I had to study up on watershed. So many people wanted a building "Right here" and I'd have to explain to them about flood runoff, soil compaction, wind load, drifting snow effecting their snow load capacities, etc.
But now I'm retired. I shouldn't worry about such things, but I still do. haha Old habits, don't ya know.
Out of all the schooling and training I've had, it doesn't compare to setting down over coffee with an old rancher that knows by experience. And education is a good start, but the learning comes after the schooling.
Last edited by ElkHunter; 01-21-2011 at 08:12 AM..
If you end up in the Red Desert around the Rock Springs area the wild horses are beautiful to take pics of. In the summer you can generally spot some Elk off the road grazing out in the desert too.
My favorite place is to drive West of Laramie through Centennial and up and over the Snowy Range. There are some beautiful little lakes up through there and it's just a nice drive.
Bottom line in Wyoming is if you want to see the beauty you need to travel the back highways and stay off the interstates.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
