first week in June (Cheyenne, Casper: how much, hotels, construction)

[jeffandjess]

We're coming to Wyoming to check it out. We have 2 kids 5 and 2 what should we see? do? we don't even know where in the state to go, we'd like to see a broad example of what wyoming has to offer. What types of hotels/motels can we expect. we aren't picky but like to be prepared. Also what about eating? everyone here talks about the lack of resturaunts. What about local diners? surely there are those?

Thanks
Jess

[georgiainwyo]

Hi Jess,
If I were you I'd try to plan ahead as well as I can for where you're going to be on what day. During the summer hotels/motels can be filled up quickly. Most likely, they are already booked for the Yellowstone/Jackson/Cody area. I know you've done some research on places you're checking into. I would try to make up your minds as soon as possible about your "must see" list, then go online & start searching for rooms. Sometimes you'll do better using Priceline or another online search site, but sometimes if you just go to "hotels or motels" for the particular town you might find a small mom & pop type place that would be much cheaper and have better availability. Don't worry about places to eat. Of course it's not like being in metropolitan areas, but there are places to eat every where you go. Small towns might have only one or two cafes, but food shouldn't be a problem. Depending on how many days you have will determine how much you're going to see. Make a priority list. Decide where you want to go, map out your course, make your reservations, and then come have some fun!

P.S. Being you'll have the little ones with you, if I were you I would visit the Rapid City, SD area when you're in the NE part of Wyoming. That way you can take the kids to Reptile Gardens, Bear Country, etc.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by GEORGIAINMT

P.S. Being you'll have the little ones with you, if I were you I would visit the Rapid City, SD area when you're in the NE part of Wyoming. That way you can take the kids to Reptile Gardens, Bear Country, etc.

If you get to Rapid City, you may as well also visit Mt. Rushmore, since it's very close to R.C. But, that's all in South Dakota. You wanted information on Wyoming.

My first visit to Wyoming took me through a large portion of the state, and I did it in just under a week. I also saw Mt. Rushmore on that trip. What I did was to start on I-25 where it enters the state, just south of Cheyenne. In Cheyenne, I headed west on I-80, and went on to Rock Springs, where I spent the night in a motel.

I then headed north on Hwy. 191 through Pinedale, eventually ending up at Hoback Junction. From there, I took Hwy. 89 into Alpine, then headed into Idaho, taking a short loop back into Jackson, Wyoming on Hwy. 22. From there, I headed north into Grand Teton National Park, where I spent the next night in a tent in a campground.

The next day, I headed north into Yellowstone, and drove around the west and north sides of the park, exiting through the northeast entrance. This took me into "Beartooth" country, but not on the Beartooth Highway (212), because it was closed for construction. Instead, I ended up taking the Chief Joseph Highway (296) until it intersected Hwy. 120. At this point, I turned north and headed up to Red Lodge, Montana, where I spent the next night in a motel.

After spending the night in Red Lodge, I headed into Billings, MT, where I intersected I-90, which took me back into Wyoming. I stayed on I-90 until it crossed over into South Dakota, where I visited Mt. Rushmore. The remainder of the trip was out of Wyoming, so that's where I'll leave off on the details of that trip.

On a subsequent trip, though, I did pick up about where I left off the previous trip. I traveled up into Newcastle, WY, which is just a short drive west of Mt. Rushmore. From there, I took Hwy. 85 south through Lusk and on down to where it intersected Hwy. 26 in Lingle. I then traveled west to Ft. Laramie, and from there, I took backroads into Wheatland. I spent the night in Wheatland that night.

From Wheatland, I headed back down I-25 into Cheyenne, where I turned off on Hwy. 85, which I took back into Colorado.

This long, circuitous route allowed me to see a large portion of Wyoming, including many of the larger cities and towns in the state. I did miss much of the middle of the state, though, so that is something I have been working to correct. I've since seen some of it, but still have a lot of places to visit. These trips have allowed me to see the diversity in terrain and geography around the state, and to see what was in and around the towns I visited.

I think if you want to visit the state, but don't have any particular destinations in mind, you may want to do something similar. I would recommend visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone (the country's first National Park), because they are worth the effort it takes to get there. In the northeast corner of the state, is Devil's Tower, the country's first National Monument. For attractions, the biggest and most popular one in the state is "the outdoors." Obviously, this will be all around you in your travels. There are a lot of interesting places to see and visit whereever you go in the state. Just take your time and enjoy the trip, along with whatever you see along the way.

[Pinkstarlinds]

I just want to share my favorite towns/places in wyoming that I would recommend visiting. Green River, where you can see some awesome rock formations, and recreate at the many Flaming Gorge and Green River areas. Buffalo, where there is a wonderful lake just to the north, and the east side of the Big Horn mountains to the west. The entire BigHorn range is beautiful. Cody is a great town to visit, there is plenty to do, and beautiful scenery, deer everywhere. The Wind River canyon is one of my favorite places to see. It is in between Shoshoni and Thermopolis on hwy 20. Of course the Yellowstone area is a must see! The Bridger Teton National Forest is amazing, even farther south than Jackson. Pinedale has a great brewery. Some towns I would skip are, Casper, Rawlins, Riverton, Rock Springs, and Thermop (even though the scenery is very nice in Thermop, I have had a handful of bad experiences with the people in the town.)