Wyoming is a gigantic state, full of wonders from one end to the other. It is 97,000 square miles of scenic beauty. And I have intended in my life to see it all!
We pundits like to call our big state the “Big Empty.”
This is a takeoff on the slogan for New Orleans, known as the “Big Easy.” We also say it because the expression Big Empty sort of mocks one of our great Cowboy State slogans: Big Wyoming.
After wandering up and down and back and forth across Wyoming for 55 years, I like to call myself an expert of what to do and where to go in this state.
Still Missing A Few Spots
And folks, I have concluded that damn, there is a lot to see here in the Cowboy State.
So far, I have tried to see it all but there are some holes in my lists of things never seen yet.
Each year I put together what I call my “Wyoming Bucket List,” which are places that are on my to-visit list in the summer and fall. Most of the places are not that most famous but just places that are of interest to me.
In previous columns, I have written about visiting the famous Ranch A and the Vore Buffalo Jump in NE Wyoming, and Crazy Woman Canyon outside of Buffalo, Sunlight Basin north of Cody plus the unique little towns of La Barge and Bill.
We, in recent years, included on the list the Arapaho Ranch west of Thermopolis, the Hobo Hot Springs in Saratoga, the Goldfish Ponds in Thermopolis, Curt Gowdy State Park near Cheyenne, Keyhole Reservoir north of Gillette, and Firehole Canyon southwest of Rock Springs plus dozens of others, including those concrete arrows that marked the routes for the early air mail pilots.
This Year’s List
One of my biggest successes occurred this year in southwest Wyoming. There’s a big butte in the Red Desert north of Rock Springs called Steamboat Mountain, near the tri-territorial marker, where it shows that present-day Wyoming was once part of three great nations, France, Mexico, and Great Britain.
My late friend Dave Kellogg always planned to give me a personal tour of the Steamboat Mountain area. Unfortunately, I lost that opportunity. But my new best friend Pat White, along with his son Shane and a friend Perry Roberson, helped me achieve my goal this year.
There is another spot in northern Carbon County where Texas actually reached up to present-day Wyoming, back when the Lone Star State was a sovereign nation. I would like to go there and see if there is any kind of marker.
To me it is amazing that parts of Wyoming were once part of FOUR great nations besides the United States.
Our trip up and down the sand dunes at Killpecker Sand Dunes was a big highlight for this traveler. Just so much fun. And such a unique place. These are among the tallest dunes in the country and the biggest where you can drive an off-road vehicle.
Bighorn Canyon
Thanks to David Peck of Lovell, I was finally able to experience the magnificent Bighorn Canyon. This is supposedly the fourth biggest canyon in the USA and, by far, the biggest in Wyoming.
I am still mystified why it took me so long to make this trip. Thanks to David’s friend Jim Minchow, I was able to take a boat ride down the middle of the canyon. It was memorable.
The canyon is way, way north along the state’s border with Montana.
Lovell is a beautiful town and this trip provided the opportunity to see many of my favorite towns including Thermopolis, Worland, Basin, Greybull, Byron, Powell, and Cody, too.
Yellowstone, 55 Years Straight
That Lovell trip made it possible to make a dash through Yellowstone National Park on my way back to Lander. The park was as beautiful as ever. This was a very crowded time of year and traffic was slow but not awful.
Places on my 2025 list that still evaded me this year included a return trip to NE Wyoming, Ayers Bridge between Casper and Douglas, a visit to the Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, the Castle Gardens petroglyphs, the Piedmont Charcoal Kilns near Evanston, and visits to Star Valley out west and Saratoga down south. Oh well.
The spectacular National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois keeps expanding and I was able to visit it again this summer. The founder and owner Dan Starks was our tour guide, which made it truly special.
Did I Miss Some Big Names?
Notice I did not mention wonderful museums like the Buffalo Bill Center in Cody or the National Military Museum near Dubois. Please go see them, too.
My constantly updated list is a tiny portion of some of the out-of-way places I love about the Cowboy State.
What are your lesser-known but favorite places? What’s on your Wyoming Bucket List? Let me know at bill@cowboystatedaily.com
The nice thing about keeping such a list if that I know where I want to go next summer!
