Tourism

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By Wendy Corr, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Bike Route 76, which currently runs from the western border of Kansas to the east coast in Virginia, is just a dotted line across a map of Wyoming right now. 

But that could soon change, making Wyoming part of a national bicycle route that runs from Oregon to Vermont.

Kerry Irons, the U.S. Bike Route Volunteer Coordinator for the Adventure Cycling Association, said plans are in place to make 76 a designated bicycling route through Wyoming.

“The route in Wyoming is based on an Adventure Cycling route,” Irons told Cowboy State Daily. “We have created maps around the country for major rides. We found what we felt were good bike routes for long distance travel. And that is the target audience here – this is not 8-to-80, or mom and dad and the kids on Sunday. This is people who are out on the road for weeks on end, doing long distance.”

The Adventure Cycling Association (which was established in 1976 as a resource for serious bicyclists) is responsible for mapping the first bicycle touring route to cross the U.S., known as the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. The route runs from Astoria, Oregon, to Yorktown, Virginia, mostly along rural, two-lane highways.

The association also serves as a technical support agency to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). AASHTO has published a national corridor plan for bicycle routes. So far, 18,000 miles of highways have been designated as bicycle touring routes.

Irons said the designation of a bicycle route through Wyoming could provide an economic benefit to small towns.

“U.S. bike routes are not a construction project,” Irons said. “They’re a mapping project. The TransAmerica trail has been in business for 45 years. It’s a well-known route and lots of people ride it. With this designation as a U.S. bike route, we’ll put it on the map, so if somebody wants to come to Wyoming from someplace else in the U.S. or the world, they’ll be able to find this route easily. It’s not creating new infrastructure; it’s not starting from scratch on bicycle tourism in Wyoming. But it’s one more layer of visibility for this route – one more way to get more people in Wyoming, doing long-distance bicycle trips.”

The Town of Jackson recently submitted a letter to WYDOT expressing support for U.S. Bike Route 76 and its proposed path through town. 

Brian Schilling, Pathways and Trails Coordinator for Teton County, said the town has made significant investments in a safe pathway system, and the proposed bike route would take advantage of that infrastructure.

“In Jackson, and in Teton County, we have this very robust network of separated bicycle and pedestrian pathways that offer a great opportunity for cyclists of all abilities to not have to ride on the roadway, on the highway shoulder, and so provides for a much more comfortable, enjoyable and safe experience for cyclists of all ages and abilities,” Schilling said.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is part of the U.S. Bike Route planning process, according to Director Luke Reiner. Reiner told Cowboy State Daily that the goal is to establish safe routes for bicyclists.

“Our responsibility is, to the extent possible, to ensure that the route is as bicycle-friendly as it can be,” Reiner said. “So for example, if it goes over Teton pass, we make sure we sweep that pass on the shoulders to make sure there’s no gravel. I mean, if there’s sand or gravel on the road, it can make for a bad deal, especially if you’re rolling fast down the hill.”

Part of WYDOT’s role in designating the U.S. Bike Route is choosing the safest path – which means keeping bicyclists off major interstates.

“We’d look at the proposed route, and just make sure we’re not intermingling bikes with a large amount of trucks or vehicles,” said Keith Fulton, WYDOT’s Assistant Chief Engineer for Engineering and Planning. “They  may not always go on the state highways – they may be using bike paths or city streets.”

Reiner explained that the proposed path comes from Idaho over Teton pass, goes into Jackson and then over Togwotee pass into Dubois; then down to Lander and across to Muddy Gap. From Muddy Gap it heads northeast toward Casper, and then south into Shirley Basin until it intersects Highway 30 and heads to Wolcott Junction – from there the route goes south into Colorado.

“Now, you might think, oh, that’s sort of a circuitous route,” Reiner noted. “And you would be correct. The original proposal, when you hit Muddy Gap, came south to Rawlins, and then took the interstate over to Wolcott Junction and went south. And really, our focus on safety said, ‘Hey, listen, we think it’s a bad idea to put that many bikes on the interstate.’”

Both Irons and Reiner explained that once the state receives approval from neighboring states, where the route connects, it will be up to AASHTO to approve this section of U.S. Bike Route 76 as a designated corridor.

“We have essentially all the local agencies that need to sign off,” said Irons. “And Brian (in Jackson) has kind of been the last key to that puzzle. And so now we’re waiting for Colorado and Idaho to tell Wyoming DOT that they support the connection. And then in early April, Wyoming DOT can submit an application to the Feds, and that gets reviewed at a meeting in late May – and that’s where the route could then be approved at the National Special Committee on route numbering. And then it’s designated.”

Schilling noted that the town of Jackson doesn’t expect a huge influx of tourism from this designation.

“At this point we’re so inundated, the addition of 20 cyclists a week, which would be, I think, a high-end estimate, no one will even notice that,” Schilling said. “But having said that, Jackson and Teton County and Grand Teton National Park have in the past five to 10 years really started to develop a reputation as a great destination for cycling, and it’s primarily because of our pathway system. So we are seeing a lot of use of our pathways by tourists.”

From a statewide standpoint, Director Reiner said having this designated bike route would be a boon to Wyoming’s tourism industry.

“It’s a chance to see a beautiful part of the state, see some wildlife,” Reiner said. “know, part of our task is supporting our state’s economy. And certainly, this fits into the aspect of supporting bicycle tourism.”

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By Wendy Corr, Cowboy State Daily

Record visitor numbers in Yellowstone National Park in July have strained the park’s staff and services in ways not seen in the Park’s 149-year history, according to officials. 

Last month, the park reported a record 1,080,000 visitors.

Mike Keller, general manager for Xanterra Parks and Resorts in Yellowstone, said his staff was largely prepared for high visitation numbers throughout the summer.

“This isn’t just a July situation,” he said. “You know, really, ever since travel started opening up again in the country, this spring, Yellowstone’s been a very popular destination. Because, you know, Americans can’t travel internationally, domestic travel is really kind of driving what’s happening here. And we’ve just seen high, high levels of visitation here in the park — higher than we’ve historically had in the past.” 

For Xanterra, which operates all the lodging and restaurants in the park, that means that not only are the crowds larger, tempers can be shorter.

“We’ve all been on those long family vacations where it may not be the most pleasant time in the car for eight days, from place to place, but it’s still hard when we have a guest throw food in an employee’s face, or poked him in the chest, or started swearing at him,” he said. 

“So, I’ve witnessed some very unpleasant interactions between customers and our employees; but I’ve also witnessed some customers go out of their way to really thank our staff, and be appreciative that they’re even there to try to assist them and help them,” he added. “But some people have come in here and could have exercised better behavior.”

Keller noted other parks besides Yellowstone are experiencing the issues associated with overcrowding.

“This is kind of a nationwide trend,” he said. “All national parks are reporting strong visitation, strong interest in coming to see these national treasures.”

Keller added that the high volume of people in parks, coupled with pandemic-related supply chain issues, means further complications in an already stressful summer.

“It’s been very challenging,” he said. “As part of the supply chain challenges, there’s not enough truck drivers, so there’s merchandise and product, but nobody can drive from point A to point B. And then from there, get it to us so that we can actually sell it within our operations, within the park.” 

“We’ve had to change menus almost on a day by day basis at some operations, just because we’re unable to get a steady supply of the products we need to provide certain meals for our guests,” he said.

And just like at businesses across the rest of the country, staffing is a problem in the national parks as well.

“We’ve increased wages,” he said. “We’ve offered free housing this year, we’ve tried to do things to help make the awesome experiences a little more enticing for somebody to want to come work for us here in the park. But staffing has been a challenge.” 

And that means that for visitors, some services are limited.

“We have about 80% of our services open this year,” he said. “Some things we just didn’t open – so that’s kind of helped with our staffing, because we don’t need that extra 200 or 300 employees to fill those gaps. But having said that, we are still seeing challenges, especially in food and food (preparation). And as a result, we haven’t opened some restaurants; sit-down dining is very limited here in the park. Some restaurants are open, but they’re buffet only, they’re not a full menu. 

“But you know, there’s times where the lines can back up – when you’re the only restaurant open, you’re trying to feed 1,000 people at a location at seven o’clock at night, it can get backed up pretty fast,” he continued. “So we’re doing the best we can to try to keep recruiting employees and trying to streamline our menu process so visitors aren’t having to wait too long.”

Keller said the record-setting pace for visitors does not appear to be ending soon.

“You know, our record-ever visitation was about 4.2 million visitors; we’re on pace for about 4.7, 4.8 million visitors this year,” he said. “So we’re talking a 10% to 15% increase over the last year from our biggest year, which was 2017.”

But on the bright side, Keller said, Wyoming is a big place.

“Yellowstone is big, Wyoming is big,” he said. “There’s a lot of great places to go to, and kind of spread out, but at the same time, that’s a lot of people in a small area where there’s very limited infrastructure, I think, to support all the demand that’s happening in this region.”

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By Elyse Kelly, The Center Square

As Wyoming gears up for another summer of increased visitation, tourism-reliant businesses are still struggling to find enough workers to operate fully.

Many business owners attribute the predicament to unemployment benefits people are receiving, Wyoming Public Media reported.

Domenic Bravo, CEO of Visit Cheyenne, echoed that thought.

“I think there were some unintended consequences when some of the benefits that were there during COVID got extended,” he told The Center Square.

Gov. Mark Gordon decided to stop accepting the federal unemployment supplement in the state starting June 19. But Bravo said the timing may have been too late.

“The timing of when some of those benefits were either ended at the federal level or states ended them early: if it’s mid-season by then, those that were actually seeking jobs may have found them in other sectors,” he said.

David Bullard, a senior economist at the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Research and Planning, said that those benefits definitely make a difference in labor supply, WPM reported. But he believes the governor’s decision to end them should make a difference.

“I expect that will cause some kind of shift in the labor supply curve and more people will be willing to work at that point,” Bullard told WPM.

Since COVID-19, however, the landscape has altered, Bravo said.

“After COVID, things have changed just in terms of how to recruit,” he said. “I think beforehand in the hospitality/tourism area we were really hard-pressed to find folks who really understood the great benefits of working in that industry: a lot of good training, upward momentum and just a fun work environment. In Cheyenne here, we call it the ‘Cool Jobs Website.’”

Now it’s even harder.

Bravo said the industry is going to have to work really hard to make these kinds of jobs desirable and back in the mainstream.

Before the benefits started, Bravo said many unemployed tourism workers were forced to find jobs elsewhere outside the industry. He said it will be a struggle tracking that demographic down and enticing them back to work in their previous field.

Wyoming business owners told WPM that their attempts to offer bonuses for employees who stick out the summer aren’t working; however, Bravo expressed optimism that efforts by employers like hiring bonuses, increased pay, and added benefits will make a difference in building up Wyoming tourism’s workforce.

Until that happens, he asks visitors to the state to be patient with businesses — whether they order at a restaurant and the food takes longer or it isn’t open certain days.

“I think employers and employees are doing the best they can, and as long as we understand and try to help each other, my hope is, in the end, it will be successful,” he said.

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By Elyse Kelly, The Center Square, Cowboy State Daily

Wyoming’s state parks system is preparing for a busy summer.

Last year was a record-breaker for the state in terms of visitation, with parking lots overflowing and campsites booking out solid as people sought respite from strict lockdowns in other states.

Gary Schoene, public information office manager for Wyoming State Parks, said park officials don’t know if this year will be quite that busy, but they are expecting plenty of visitors.

“Our numbers reservation-wise are a little bit lower than last year, but not much, which is encouraging since there’s quite a bit more competition for the consumer dollar right now because things are starting to open up a little bit,” he told The Center Square. “So if [Memorial Day Weekend] is any judge, it looks like we should have a fairly decent summer visitor-wise which is encouraging.”

Learning from last year, Schoene said the department converted a few more campsites into first-come-first-serve sites rather than reservation only after feedback from visitors.

“Some people they don’t know until the day before or whatever that they are going to be able to camp so hopefully the first-come-first-served sites help those people in that regard,” he said.

More visitors generate more revenue for the parks which they can then use to make improvements, Schoene pointed out. 

The state parks funding this year was workable, but he said they can always use more money. 

“We can always use more money in terms of maintenance and operations, that type thing,” Schoene said. “There was a bill this last year, House Bill 58, which did allow us to do that with the money we generate with reservations and other user fees so that helps some, but you always feel like you could use some more.”

Schoene said the department is planning to hold as many events as they safely can this year. All facilities will be open this year as the state returns to operations as usual, he said.

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By Jim Angell, Cowboy State Daily

A full day of old-fashioned family fun, complete with live music, foot races, a pie contest, a barbecue and a sharpshooter contest is on tap in Hyattville on Sunday as the town’s community center sponsors its annual Cowboy Carnival.

Canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, this weekend’s event is the 17th annual holding of the carnival.

“After suspending our 2020 Hyatteville Cowboy Carnival as an abundance of caution due to COVID-19, now Cowboy Carnival is back,” the Hyattville Community Center said on its website. “We look forward to resuming this annual tradition.”

In an interview with Cowboy State Daily in 2019, Linda Hamilton, the community center’s treasurer, said many members of the community southeast of Basin help out with the event.

“We have a good community that steps forward to do this,” Hamilton said. “It’s quite an event and it’s amazing that we can pull a community together and have them do this much.”

Proceeds from the event, including money raised by the beef, lamb and pork barbecue, will be used to support the community center, a former elementary school that is now used as a hub for a variety of events such as weddings and funerals. The center also has a small library and exercise room.

Sunday’s events kick off with a “sharpshooter contest” at 10 a.m. at the old airstrip south of Hyattville, along with a 5K run/walk, book sale, quilt show and photo contest.

A kids’ race through Hyattville will be held at 11 a.m. and live music by “songteller” Dave Munsick will begin at noon.

Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., followed by a sheep dog competition at 1 p.m.

The day will end with a live auction featuring items donated from throughout the region.

For more information, visit the community center’s website at: https://www.hyattville.org/

Other events scheduled for the long Memorial Day weekend include:

The grand opening of the Military Memorial Museum at Nelson’s Museum of the West in Cheyenne on Monday;
Casper’s annual “Cruizin’ with the Oldies” car show at the Yellowstone Garage Bar, Grill and Venue on Saturday;
The Buffalo Lions Club Fishing Derby at Lake DeSmet Saturday through Monday;
The Wyoming State Cup and Championship and United Cup soccer tournament, Friday through Sunday at the North Casper Soccer Complex;
The “Pit Digger” mud rally in Saratoga on Saturday, and
The “Canyon to Curve” Fun Run/Walk on Monday at the Casper Boat Club.

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By CJ Baker, Powell Tribune

Park County road and bridge crews will continue to maintain a Shoshone National Forest road leading to the ghost town of Kirwin.

On Tuesday, county commissioners renewed a five-year agreement with the Forest Service to maintain that route west of Meeteetse, plus two county roads in the Sunlight area that also lie within the Shoshone. In exchange for that work, the Forest Service will pay the county up to $15,000 a year.

Commissioner Lloyd Thiel cast the lone vote against the cooperative agreement, saying he wanted the maintenance of the Kirwin road to be turned over to a private contractor.

“I realize a lot of this is working with you guys and everything,” Thiel told Shoshone representatives, “but I’m also representing all the taxpayers out here in the county that might be employed privately by doing this.”

He also said the county was losing money on the arrangement; in 2019, county officials said the Forest Service’s payment covered about 37.5% of the roughly $47,500 cost to maintain 25.3 miles of the Hunter Creek, Sunlight and Kirwin roads.

However, the Hunter Creek and Sunlight roads are owned by the county and would be maintained by county crews regardless of whether the Shoshone was helping pay for the work. And as for the road to Kirwin, Park County Engineer Brian Edwards has previously suggested that the route — which is used by local recreationists — could potentially be closed if the county didn’t maintain it. He noted that the county also plows the Beartooth Highway to the Pilot Creek snowmobiling parking area in the Shoshone each winter.

“We have a relationship [with the Shoshone] to where it’s in the public good to try to work together to take care of some of these things that would be kind of costly to contract out,” Edwards said.

The Shoshone’s district engineer, Beau Batista, said it’s better for taxpayers if the forest can maintain the roads at a lower cost. He also said that, out of the three private contractors that currently maintain other Shoshone roads, only one has ties to Park County.

Hoping to find cost savings last year, Shoshone officials had asked the county to consider taking on 28 additional miles of forest roads that are now maintained by contractors.

However, commissioners balked at taking work away from the private sector — and Shoshone officials were ultimately unsure they would save any money; forest officials said they pay an average of $1,100 to $2,000 per mile, while Edwards estimated the county would want to charge $1,800 to $2,000.

While commissioners gave no indication Tuesday that they were interested in taking on any other roads in the Shoshone, the board voted 3-1 to continue maintaining the Kirwin route and renew the entire agreement.

In supporting the arrangement, Commissioner Scott Mangold wondered whether the Forest Service could make other federal funding contingent on the county maintaining the Kirwin Road for free.

“… I think for [$15,000], we’re getting a pretty good deal,” he said.

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