A road trip throughout southeastern Wyoming is certain to be full of surprises and eye-opening discoveries.
Many people know that in late July each year Cheyenne Frontier Days takes center stage. But how many know that Nellie Tayloe Ross was the first woman to serve as governor of a U.S. state? She served from 1925 to 1927. Ross became governor in a special election after her husband died in office. Though she did not serve a second term, she did serve as the National Democratic Committee Chairman and ran the women's campaign for Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1933, she was appointed as the first woman to head the U.S. Mint. She served there for 20 years.
Start out in Cheyenne at the Cheyenne Depot. Named a national historic landmark, this building has been restored and features interactive displays and "touchable" exhibits. Then, ride through history on the Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley that includes stops at the Wyoming Capitol Building, Historic Governor's Mansion, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Nelson Museum of the West and Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.
Be sure to stop at the Wyoming State Museum, which is free, to see the story of the state as it progressed from dinosaurs, to pioneers to present day.
Then head west on I-80 to the Laramie area and take in these area attractions:
On your way west, stop to appreciate the rock formations at the Vedauwoo Recreation Area. Climb, sightsee, hike, or mountain bike in these awesome formations in the Medicine Bow National Forest.
The Lincoln Monument is located at the Summit Information Center on the I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne. It was commissioned by the State of Wyoming in 1959 to honor the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth and placed there in 1969 when I-80 was completed. It marks the highest point of the old Lincoln Highway - about 8,640 feet above sea level.
Cheyenne to Laramie – 50.5 miles – About 47 minutes
Culture and Commerce: Quilts are a special way of telling a story. While you're in Laramie, stop in Wyoming Quilts and pick up a story of your own.
Wyoming Teritorial Prison State Historic Site includes a frontier prison that once held Butch Cassidy. It also has the U.S. Marshals Museum and a frontier town with characters in period costume, mock gunfights, and saloon hall shows. The park's Horse Barn Theater features great dinner theater entertainment.
Music in the Mountains: If you're in the area at the beginning of September, make room in your schedule for the Snowy Range Music Festival. Get uplifted by nationally renowned Blues singers before you move on to the next stop in your road trip.
Extra Scenic Option:
Take Snowy Range Road/Highway 130 west out of Laramie. Highway 130 was the second road in the nation to receive the scenic byway designation. This road takes you up to 10,000 feet where you will see fast-moving streams, deep alpine lakes, rugged wilderness, dramatic mountain ranges and abundant wildlife. Visit the small towns of Centennial and Saratoga. After a day of driving, a soak in the Saratoga Hot Springs is a great way to wrap up the day.
Rejoin the original road trip at Medicine Bow by taking Highway 130 north toward I-80, then U.S. Highway 30 east.
Laramie to Centennial - 30 miles - About 35 minutes
Centennial to Saratoga - 48.6 miles - About an hour 5 minutes
Saratoga to Medicine Bow - 56 miles - About an hour and 10 minutes
From Laramie, sit back and relax as you venture north to Casper, Wyoming's “Adventure Capital.” Take Highway 30 to Medicine Bow, home of the historic Virginian Hotel and setting of Owen Wister's book, The Virginian.
Laramie to Medicine Bow – 56.8 miles – About an hour
Take Highway 487 out of Medicine Bow into the Shirley Mountains and Shirley Basin on the way to Casper. The area is full of striking scenery any time of year. Visitors love this area for wildlife viewing that includes pronghorn, elk and a wide variety of birds. This area also features some spectacular views for photography.
Medicine Bow to Highway 220 – 75.2 miles – About an hour and 35 minutes
At the intersection of Highways 487 and 220, head northeast into Casper. The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, one of Wyoming's finest museums, features an experiential look into the lives of early emigrants traveling on the trails throughout the area, including the Oregon, Mormon, Bozeman, Bridger and Pony Express.
Culture and Commerce: Combining herbs is a time honored tradition in cooking. Stop by Herbadashery in Casper to try their prepared sauces or to pick out herbs to grow on your own.
Highway 220 to Casper – 15.8 miles – About 22 minutes
With a variety events and attractions, Casper features enough outdoor activities, living history tours, rodeos, and arts and cultural attractions to keep you interested and entertained any time of year.
If your plans include returning to Cheyenne, take I-25 south and be sure to make time for stops along the way. Take Highway 26 about 3 miles south of Guernsey to the Oregon Trail Ruts National Landmark and Register Cliff. These ruts are among the best preserved anywhere along the overland trail routes. Thousands upon thousands of wagon wheels literally cut into solid rock as oxen strained to pull heavy wagons out of the North Platte River Valley . Register Cliff is where many pioneers carved their name into the sandstone cliffs near the North Platte River.
Casper to Guernsey – 111 miles – About an hour and 38 minutes
Continue on Highway 26 and turn right on Highway 160 and head for Fort Laramie National Historic Site. This "Crossroads of a Nation Moving West" is a unique historic place that preserves and interprets one of America's most important locations in the history of westward expansion.
Guernsey to Fort Laramie National Historic Site – 15.4 miles – About 18 minutes
Finally, return to I-25 south and back to Cheyenne.
Fort Laramie to Cheyenne - 111 miles – About an hour and 42 minutes
Music in the Mountains: If you arrive back in Cheyenne on a Friday, be sure to join the locals at the Cheyenne Depot Plaza for the free concert each Friday evening during the summer.