For those who just recently moved to Clark WY

[Althea-1]

Originally Posted by juneaubound

Beautiful place. Within driving distance of Cody and Billings but it feels very remote. Surrounded by mountains, and the canyon in back of Clark dead-ends at the Shoshone National Forest. No shopping, stores, commercialism at all. A whole lotta rock throughout the area in front of the canyon. A community center, but not certain how active it is. People in Wyoming in general like to be left alone, but Codyites laugh about people in Clark and say "those folks REALLY want to be left alone". The winds are strong enough to rip your head off sometimes. Clark's Fork River runs through the canyon and can be deep and very fast moving at certain times of year - good fishing and some good white water. Endless BLM land and forest land to explore. Cheap land. Much of it is raw land with no services. We love Clark.

These pictures were taken along the river that runs through the canyon. Most of Clark is very rocky, dry, beige, treeless.

Thank you juneaubound for the great pictures. My husband and I are very anxious to get back to Clark and the surrounding areas this December

[Althea-1]

Originally Posted by noihoforus

We were just in Clark a few days ago and noticed a little gang activity... Other than that....we only saw one other human outside...

Noihoforus - Loved the photo of the gang hanging around Clark. Gotta watch out for them.

[Jacksonbury]

Hi Althea,

We used to live in Clark and can safely say it is both one of the best and worst places you can pick. Mostly good in that the area is beautiful and the recreation possibilities almost unlimited (the big brown trout fishing in the Clark Fork River is one of the best kept secrets in WY). The people that live there are some of the friendliest you will meet anywhere and if you need help you don't have to wait long.
Drive into Cody for any supplies (about 45 minutes) as it's a wonderful town with everything you can need. The road is well maintained and usually a safe drive. Forget about Powell as it really is surprisingly "clique-y" and they really don't welcome outsiders. In Cody and Clark you're immediately welcome. Red Lodge, MT is about the same distance and is an awesome town to visit from time to time (and the base for some of the best mountain scenery in the US).
You can't drive more than a mile without passing a herd of pronghorn or mule deer and they are so used to you that they won't even move. In the winter elk move down from the mountains and winter in some of the fields just South of town.
The climate is generally mild compared to many other areas. It's high desert so you won't get much snow or rain - think we probably averaged about 20-24" of snow per year and it almost never stuck around more than a few days.
Now for the bad news - want to know why the snow never stuck around? I know you've heard this on the forum before but it's the wind. Quite honestly Clark is one of the windiest localities in the United States and the winds can be downright scary. In the Summer afternoons you get the downdrafts from the mountains which will kick up 30-40mph winds with higher gusts which is nothing bad. In the Winter, however, (primarily Nov-Dec) the "Chinook Winds" kick in with the warmer South winds and can easily reach or exceed hurricane force. Areas exposed to the Clark Fork Canyon (or Bennett/Line Creeks) can see even stronger gusts. We personally had winds gust between 125-140mph on mulitple occasions. Needless to say these are nothing to mess around and if you've never seen rocks picked off the ground and turned into projectiles it's something to behold. My advice is to choose your homesite carefully (consult with locals) and build to hurricane codes. Storm shutter windows facing the South/West.
Not trying to scare you because if I had a chance to live there again I would - the pros outweigh the cons. Just know what you're getting into because I've seen people move in there and move right out when they couldn't handle the winds. Good luck!

[ghostrider42]

Originally Posted by Jacksonbury

Hi Althea,

We used to live in Clark and can safely say it is both one of the best and worst places you can pick. Mostly good in that the area is beautiful and the recreation possibilities almost unlimited (the big brown trout fishing in the Clark Fork River is one of the best kept secrets in WY). The people that live there are some of the friendliest you will meet anywhere and if you need help you don't have to wait long. Drive into Cody for any supplies (about 45 minutes) as it's a wonderful town with everything you can need. The road is well maintained and usually a safe drive. Forget about Powell as it really is surprisingly "clique-y" and they really don't welcome outsiders.

I found the opposite to be true. We had a ranch west of Cody, near Wapiti that had been in the family since it became a State and we were treated as outsiders - because we weren't born there. That's sad too - because we employed locals, not like others who imported out of state help. We preferred driving to Powell (Big R) and Billings (Costco, etc) to do our major shopping.

In 1991 we bought a small (67 ac) sugar beet farm in Powell and were instantly welcomed the community. Local farmers knew the problems we had with Cody's elite and comiserated over coffee at the Sunshine. In 1997 after having run the ranch more than 28 yrs, we turned over to more dedicated family, we moved to Red Lodge, where we became part of the community. No clique's, no bs - just good honest hardworking people. We sold the beet farm in 2001 and it was the only bad thing we did. It's now a housing development, but we still have the property in Red Lodge and visit there often.

We hunted and fished at the Citadel on the Clark's Fork and up in the 'tooth.

If you're still interested - avoid Line Creek and you can ask your broker why, before you make a major mistake.

The MLS is now available online at Powell Tribune: News, Sports Powell WY