Best off the path places to visit???? (Cheyenne, Casper: home, camping)

[tdnp]

We are planning a tent camping trip and would like to know some areas that will allow us to hike and fish and enjoy the outdoors. We have never been to Wyoming but generally like to stay away from the "touristy" places. I know about Yellowstone and the such. We prefer the remote and peaceful off the path places.

Any where in the state is fine we will probally come from the black hills to Yellowstone then SSE to Colorado.

Thanks for the help in advance.

[Brian_M]

What jumps to mind immediately are:

Double Cabin, outside of Dubois, WY ~ Double Cabin Campground | Wyoming | Public Lands Information Center | Recreation Search



The white specs in the background are campers/RVs, but the camp sites were standard Forest Service (rustic with a fire ring and flat spot for a tent).

And the "Loop road" outside of Lander, WY ~ Loop Road near Lander Wyoming

Quite a bit of hiking in the area (a big reason I live here).



Both are more popular on weekends, as to be expected.

LOTS more areas around the state. Campground Directory and National Forest Campgrounds is a good starting place.

Brian

[WyoNewk]

Cook Lake in NE Wyoming is one of our favorite places to hide out. (And here I am posting it on a national board!)

I don't have any pictures handy, but it's a beautiful setting, very remote, and you're not likely to find a tourist in the area. It's in the Bearlodge Mountains -- northern Black Hills and hardly "mountains" by Wyoming standards, but it is a national forest, full of wildlife.

The lake is small with a hiking trail around it, maybe a couple miles long, and is stocked with trout and sunfish. There's a longer, more difficult trail called "Cliff Swallows Loop" just below the lake. It follows a stream for a short way, then climbs over the top of a good-sized ridge and back down towards the lake. Pretty tough for a fat guy! Whew!

We don't camp there too often because the road going in is rough and narrow and not the best for hauling a 5th wheel camper over, but for tent camping it would be ideal.

It's about 15 miles north of Sundance if you're a crow. Driving is a different story. We usually camp at Devils Tower, then drive north towards Hewlett, taking a gravel road to the east just before entering the Hewlett city limits. From there it's about 20 miles if you don't get lost, but it'll take an hour or more. Road signs aren't the best and the road has several forks off of it; it's all rough and narrow. I've been lost a few times but just keep driving and enjoying the scenery. If you go that way, take the drive in early morning or late afternoon and you'll see hundreds of deer and wild turkeys.



Other than that, you can find hundreds of remote spots in the Bighorns. If you like forest service campgrounds, South Fork Campground on Hwy. 16 above Buffalo is very pretty and has a special section for tent campers. A small stream separates wheeled campers from the tents, and you could fish the stream, or there's a beautiful mountain lake just a few miles away. Lots of hiking trails in the area. You could hike for a year in the Bighorns and never take the same trail twice. Tourists don't often stop there either; they're in a hurry to get to Yellowstone or the Black Hills and whiz by on Hwy. 14 or 16.

[sunsprit]

The Washington Lake area in the Snowies ... in the National Forest area, has several campgrounds suitable for either RV or tent camping. Hiking, sightseeing, fishing all available in the area, and with the exception of major weekends like 4th of July, very lightly used.

We've been up there mid-week in the summer months with our horses and not encountered another person for days ... except the ranger at a campground, checking on fees paid.

The area is about 1 hour West of Laramie, in the Medicine Bow Nat'l Forest.

Another spot, readily accessible ... and again, very lightly used ... is the Veedauwoo campground just off I-80, West of Cheyenne. Still part of the Medicine Bow NF, with typical campsites ... tables, vault toilets, campfire rings, flat spots for RV's and tents. With a couple of turns through the campground, you're isolated from the highway and can only see the rock formations and hills and peaks of the Veedauwoo formations, with ready access to lots of hiking and isolation. Except for a plane overhead from time to time, you wouldn't know the place from it's late 1800's settlers.

There's a whole host of lake areas for camping throughout the state ... Bull Lake, West of Riverton, down the canyon from Dubois, or Alcova res (with a few others) close by Casper, or the big lake of Flaming Gorge, by Rock Springs. While a very barren shoreline surrounds most of the lake, it's still quite a spot to camp, hike, fish, explore.

You won't have a problem finding "remote" yet accessible places with a lot of privacy throughout most of Wyoming ... if you stay away from the "touristy" places such as Yellowstone.

[StealthRabbit]

In North Central WY, I like taking 14a through Burgess Jct, enroute SD > YNP.

The NE entrance to Yellowstone is worth the effort to travel (spectacular views)

in SE WY, As above, (don't miss the Snowy Range !!) do the route from Saratoga to Centennial (after a free dip in the Hobo pool). If you have time, run up to Encampment, it has a really nice reconstructed village as a museum.

From Centennial, run on up Sherman Pass (I-80) to Veedauwoo, then cut across to Forks, Colo (~ 15 miles of gravel road), or head back road to State Line or Tie Siding, as the area around state line (Co / Wy) on Highway 287 is pretty nice.

While in WY, enjoy the small towns and watering holes in the middle of nowhere. You can camp in many parks in small towns, and it is nice to spend $$ with the local joints rather than 'chain' stores. The value is often in the education and friends you meet. These places will help you find interesting things to see, and you might get invited to their home to camp!

[tdnp]

Thanks for all the info and pics, I can not wait to see the area. mabey I can talk the wife and kids into moving.

[Froggie Legs]

Lovely photos Brian and I'll second his pick of the Lander Loop road. Not far from where the loop road comes out of the mountains south of Lander is South Pass city . Neat place to sight see for a "living" ghost town of sorts and is also where Esther Hobart Morris became the first woman justice of the peace in the U.S. There are some nice views of the Wind River mountains from that area as well and you can stand on the Oregon trail.

[WyoNewk]

Originally Posted by Froggie Legs

... Not far from where the loop road comes out of the mountains south of Lander is South Pass city . Neat place to sight see for a "living" ghost town of sorts....

There are a couple other "unimproved" ghost towns near South Pass City that are also interesting. I believe I took these at "Miners Delight" not far from there 13 years ago. I may have posted these on this board before, but *shrugs*