The Big Horn Basin and the western Big Horn Mountains
Northwestern Wyoming is a place of breathtaking beauty and small town charm, where history is alive. See spectacular mountains, plains and wildlife while enjoying the many cultural and historical aspects Cody, Powell, Lovell, Greybull, Worland and the Big Horn Mountains.
Day One
Begin your adventure in Cody with a visit to the famous Buffalo Bill Historical Center, a world famous museum and art gallery correctly named the, “Smithsonian of the West.” You could easily spend an entire day within the walls of the Buffalo Bill Historical Centers five museums, but don’t miss out on the opportunity to take in a trolley tour of Cody’s downtown or simply stroll the streets on foot where the old west still lives on.
Next take in the Old Trail Town, a collection of historic buildings and artifacts that include the legendary Hole in the Wall Cabin used by Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. The Trail Town Cemetery is the final resting place of Jeremiah “Liver Eat’n Johnson” and many other interesting Old West era characters. Finish the evening out at one of Cody’s excellent restaurants and stay at the Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill Cody and named for his daughter, where you might just hear the ghost of Irma herself still rocking in her upstairs bedroom or see the ghost of a man in a Confederate uniform still roaming in the hotel.
Day Two
From Cody, take Highway 14A to Powell, Wyoming; a clean, friendly farming community nestled in the Big Horn Basin, a town that will bring you back to the charm of yesteryear. On the way stop and pay respects at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, a National Historic Landmark that was an internment camp where hundreds of Japanese Americans were interned from the year 1942-1945. Heart Mountain is a very moving place where you can learn the stories and hardships of the people who lived there and the amazing hope, resiliency and courage of those Americans interned there.
While in Powell, take in a round of golf on their 18 hole course, check out the Homesteader Museum or take an agricultural tour and learn about the livestock, crops and irrigation systems that make farming viable in Northwestern Wyoming.
From Powell, continue on Highway14A to Lovell, Wyoming, the western gateway to the Big Horn Mountains. While in Lovell satisfy your sweet tooth with a stop at Queen Bee Gardens in downtown Lovell. Queen Bee Gardens uses honey from their own farm just outside of town to create delicious caramels, pralines, truffles, English toffee, and of course you can buy honey there too!
An absolute must see just outside of Lovell is the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, just outside of the Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area. The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse herd of about 180 horses is a truly special herd of wild horses whose Colonial Spanish American heritage is over 200 years old and one that can never be genetically reconstructed. It is a chance to view these beautiful animals in the same rugged mountains that they have been living in for hundreds of years. You can see the horses right from the comfort of your car as you drive up the Trans-Park Highway. The Pryor Mountain Wild Horses are truly living history.
Continue on the highway right into the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, a stunningly beautiful area that includes a very diversified landscape. You will see forest, mountains, upland prairie, deep canyons, broad valleys, high desert, a lake and wetlands. You may also see a wide variety of wildlife including Big Horn sheep, deer, coyote, birds and maybe even a bear or mountain lion.
Fish in the Bighorn Lake, which extends nearly 71 miles in all and try your luck in the Bighorn River for the chance to catch a world class trout. Take a boat ride up the canyon to see the spectacular canyon wall rising hundreds of feet above you. But don’t miss the scenic overlook from the highway where you will see a breathtaking view of the confluence of the Bighorn and Devils Canyons atop cliffs that tower 1,000 feet above the lake. There are also four historic ranch/town sites that can be explored along the Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat Area. The Bighorn Canyon offers views reminiscent of the Grand Canyon but without all of the crowds.
The excitement is not over after visiting the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, from here head up Highway 14A in the Bighorn National Forest to the Medicine Wheel. The Medicine Wheel lies atop the Bighorn Range at about 9,600 feet and is an 80’ diameter wheel pattern made of stones. The wheel has 28 spokes, the same number used in the roofs of ceremonial buildings such as the Lakota Sundance lodge. The Medicine Wheel was constructed by Plains Indians between 300-800 years ago, and has been used and maintained by various groups since then. It is a truly special place to experience the wheel and amazing views of the Big Horn Mountains and the Big Horn Basin below. Upon leaving the Medicine Wheel continue up 14A and stay at the Bear Lodge Resort where you will find comfortable lodging, a restaurant, bar, fishing and beautiful views.
Day 3
To continue the journey, head south on Scenic Byway 14 to Greybull, the Heart of the Bighorn Basin. Along the way you will travel through Shell Canyon, an area rich in geological wonders and stark beauty. Check out the Shell Creek Falls, a waterfall that tumbles over three billion year old granite cliffs at the pace of 3,600 gallons per second. Downstream Shell Creek turns into a quiet slow moving creek, a great place for trout fishing or just relaxing in the crisp air among the golden Aspen trees.
In Greybull check out the downtown and shop at the famous Bighorn Quilt Shop and stop by the old fashioned soda shop for some refreshments. Greybull also offers the opportunity to go on a dinosaur safari, where you get to dig for fossils and may find an amazing new discovery!
For a chance to view the past without getting your hands dirty don’t miss Devil’s Kitchen, just five miles east of Greybull, colorful and eerie rock formations that are part of a millions year old sequence of sediments containing dinosaur remains. A walking tour will reveal fascinating spires of sediment and weathered hills similar to the badlands.
Finish out the day with a visit to the Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site, located about 40 miles from Greybull. Native Americans used this site at the base of a 40 foot cliff for over 10,000 years. Here you can see petroglyphs and pictographs that remain on the red rock cliff walls. It is a place of beauty and history, a serene place to also fish and stargaze in a place where you can actually see the stars.
Hungry? Take the short drive to the Town of Worland, a small farming community along the Bighorn River for a comfortable hotel and a good meal. Stop by Worland Wyoming Indian Brave #36 on the Trail of the Whispering Giants, the thirty sixth wood carving in Peter Toth’s “Trail of the Whispering Giants,” to honor the first Americans, the Shoshone, Arapaho and Sioux. Also check out Pioneer Park created in celebration of the pioneer spirit, this park in the center of Worland hosts several sculptures and a bell tower celebrating those who went before.
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