Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Vacation "must sees" in Wyoming and South Dakota?

BRING OPTICS!!! Spotter or good binos.

When you get to the Badlands ask where the big horns are hanging out. They can be fun to watch.

2Hours in Jackson...my boys live there, some days it takes that long just to drive thru town in the summer.

Head out Antelope Flats road just north of Jackson for the spot to take the photo on the sig line of WyoColoCowboys posts.

Tetons are fantastic
Yellowstone is a place one should see, but unless I head for the backcountry, 1 day drive thru is enough for me. Lots of critters along the road, lots of people too.
We spent a few days in Cody. 1 day at Buffalo Bill museum with my wife and mom to see "the other stuff" and the next day I went alone to drool over the guns while they took the trolly car tour of town.
We timed it right by sheer luck and were in Cody the weekend of the Winchester Arms Collectors annual gun show. All I can say is WOW!

Little Big Horn is a must, wish we had more time there. We camped at the KOA in Hardin. Was ok, but we didn't spend much time at the campground. Look for Shrapnel's posts about it, I'm itching to go back after reading them.

Devils Tower is awesome and worth the slight detour.

Spent more time at Crazy Horse than at Rushmore, plan on it. Custer State Park was a great place to stay, book now or you may get shut out.

Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale Wy is cool, so is the ride from Pinedale up to Jackson.

Depending on your route, if you are driving thru Dubois Wy, stop at the Cowboy Cafe for Huckleberry Pie. Some of the best I've ever had.

Beartooth Highway was my favorite of all the things mentioned that I have seen. Don't pull the camper though.

Wife and I are thinking about a like trip, looking at mid-September time frame, hoping that will eliminate some of crowds.

Great decision. September is beautiful and the crowds, much diminished.

Probably already been posted, but do see:

- Cody Firearms Museum (Winchester Collection)
- Devils Tower
- Obviously, Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP
- Beartooth Highway and other scenic roads
- Wyoming Territorial Prison

mid September may be the best time of the year, Fall color, few tourists, bugling Elk...

We did this trip the first week after school let out, first week of June. Few tourists, lots of snow up high, and all the critters were down low.

Saw 28 bears in Yellowstone, 16 blacks, 12 Grizz, all along side the road eating green grass.

Two weeks is barely enough for this type of trip.

We're planning to return someday.

And spawning brown trout.

We did a Wyoming and Montana trip when our boys were about the same as yours are now.

One place that that we enjoyed was Thermopolis, WY. The kids had a kick in the huge natural hot spring water pools that the town is famous for.

We also went to the dinosaur museum that was really impressive for such a small town (I thought it was better than the Bozeman dino museum). They also had an active dino dig going on a few miles from town and we toured that. Neat stuff if you got a day or two to burn and happen to be going through.

Lots of great info/advice on this thread - thanks all.

If your plan takes you to Thermopolis, you might enjoy the views driving down the Bighorn River/Canyon down toward Boysen Reservoir.

I really enjoyed Ft.Laramie. There Indians dancing,
shooting period cannons and had trapper re-enactment
going on.

That is a phenomenal time to go. The crowds are lighter, the colors are changing and the elk are in rut. Note that some of the cool hotels in the parks start closing after Labor Day. Some of the hotels in the park are really fun, like Jackson Lake Lodge (mentioned in my prior post), Old Faithful Lodge, Lake Yellowstone Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge. The Beartooth Highway should be really nice then, as well.

If you're staying north through WY, stop by the Medicine Wheel on the way to Devil's Tower.

Great points fellas. That is the main thing that I DON'T want to do = spend the entire trip in the truck driving. I realize that with a trip like this, we simply won't be able to see everything in this trip.

I've already booked/reserved our campsites in Yellowstone and Custer S.P..

I really appreciate all of the tips and information. Some folks have given some great info.

Little Big Horn National Monument is truly worth visiting! Devil's Tower is really worth it as is Badlands National Park. Each deserves ample time to get the most from them. I'll be glad to help if you need local assistance. I'm in the Black Hills.

Bob

Out of curiosity, is there anything interesting to see at the Hole-in-the-wall pass in Johnson County, WY, south of Buffalo?

I've read that Butch Cassidy 's cabin was moved to the Cody Museum in Cody and I suspect that there is not that much left. I'd still like to see it someday.

The Wagon Box Fight, site of the Bannerman Massacre, and Fort ? (the name escapes me right now)
If you're into western/cowboy stuff - King Ropes in Sheridan has quite a bit of historical tack, etc.

I believe you are thinking of Fort Phil Kearney and the Fetterman Massacre, just south of Sheridan Wyoming.

I have seen too tall RV's stuck in those tunnels

Old Trail Town in Cody - Many old cabins from all over the area including one from The Hole In The Wall. Jeremiah Johnson is buried there I believe.

Cody Dug Up Gun Museum - very interesting. Old guns from around the world. Some of the war relics have bullet holes in them.

Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite - off Hwy 14 going over the Big Horns toward Sheridan from Cody, near Greybull. Fairly new discovery of hundreds of dino tracks.

Wind River Canyon - The Wind River changes to the Big Horn on the north end of the canyon outside of Thermop.

Hot Springs State Park, Thermopolis - Worlds largest mineral hot springs. Spend a day there and take a dip. Get used to the smell. You won't be able to hold your nose long enough.

Raft the Stinking Water River (Shoshone) when in Cody.

King Ropes in Sheridan - world famous steer/calf ropes. They have a pretty good size museum with more saddles than you can imagine, along with a fair gun collection and all sorts of western gear and it's free. Go in the store on Main St. and ask to see it.

The Irma Hotel in Cody - won't take long to see the dining area and it's worth going in. Make it in the afternoon and watch the daily Old West Gun Fight in the street afterwards.

Either drive over the Big Horns on Hwy 14 is going to be slow pulling a trailer over a dang steep and winding road. The canyon out of Shell is really scenic and Shell Falls is a pretty place to stop on the way up.

Going over Alt 14 to the north through Lovell is not as pretty I don't think, but the view back to the west over the basin is awesome. You will have to go this route to see the Medicine Wheel from Cody, or backtrack if you go over the south route. Expect to see moose in the willows on the creeks on either route.

Anyone coming through Cody this summer send me a PM and I'll show you the local sights.