42 Best Sights in Cheyenne, Laramie, and Southern Wyoming, Wyoming

The gardens' greenhouse conservatory—several stories high—looks like a cathedral of plants and feels like a tropical oasis. It makes for an especially wonderful escape on winter days. The lush banana plants are the big star here; also look for cacti, bonsai, and perennial and annual plants. Kiddos will enjoy seeing the city through the periscope located at the top of the building (only open certain days), as well as exploring the whimsy of the Paul Smith Children's Village across the parking lot from the conservatory. The grounds are open daily from dusk to dawn.

You can fish, boat, hike, and picnic at this park named for Wyoming's most famous sportscaster, who got his start at local radio stations in the 1940s. The park, which is 24 miles west of the city, is especially popular with mountain bikers. There are more than 43 miles of hiking and biking trails, including an International Mountain Bicycling Association EPIC trail—a designation given to some of the most challenging and beautiful single-track trails in the country.

Fort Laramie is one of the most important historic sites in Wyoming, in part because its original buildings are extremely well preserved, but also because it played a role in several significant periods in Western history. Near the confluence of the Laramie and North Platte rivers, the fort began as a trading post in 1834, and it was an important provisioning point for travelers on the Oregon Trail in 1843, the Mormon Trail in 1847, and the California Trail in 1849, when it also became a military site. The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed here, leading to the end of the First Sioux War, also known as Red Cloud's War. National Park Service rangers interpret scenes of military life and talk about the fur trade, overland migration, and relations between settlers and Native Americans.

The modern interpretive center at the Grand Encampment Museum holds exhibits on the history of the Grand Encampment copper district and logging and mining. A pioneer town of original buildings includes the Lake Creek stage station, the Big Creek tie-hack cabin, the Peryam homestead, the Slash Ridge fire tower, a blacksmith shop, a transportation barn, and a two-story outhouse. Among the other relics are three towers from a 16-mile-long aerial tramway built in 1903 to transport copper ore from mines in the Sierra Madres. You can take guided tours, and there's also a research area. A living-history day, with music, costumes, and events, takes place the third weekend in July.

The center houses more than 90,000 cubic feet (or nearly 17 miles) of rare books, collections of papers, and memorabilia related to such subjects as American and Western history, the petroleum industry, conservation movements, transportation, and the performing arts. Permanent and temporary art displays also fill the museum space.

As you make your way west to Baggs over the Battle Highway (Highway 70), you'll cross the Continental Divide and the Rocky Mountains. This route takes you through the mining country that was developed during the 1897–1908 copper-mining boom in the Sierra Madres; interpretive signs along the way point out historic sites. Legend has it that in 1878, Thomas Edison was fishing near Battle Pass with a bamboo rod when he began to ponder the idea of a filament, which led to his invention of the incandescent light bulb. Note that this section of the highway closes to car travel in winter, though it stays open for snowmobiles.

For further information and to book rodeo and concert tickets, contact Cheyenne Frontier Days. The Web site is a useful resource: you can buy tickets online, see a schedule of activities, and order a brochure, all well in advance of the event itself.

The center's Halseth Gallery houses a permanent collection of nearly 500 mostly American paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs, including works by Norman Rockwell, Grandma Moses, and Rufino Tamayo. The center also draws some of the best traveling art exhibitions from around the country. Concerts and other programs are presented throughout the year as well.

A unique concentration of creatures is embedded in the natural limestone outcrop at Fossil Butte National Monument, indicating clearly that this area was a freshwater lake more than 50 million years ago. Many of the fossils—which include fish, insects, and plants—are remarkably clear and detailed. Pronghorn, coyotes, prairie dogs, and other mammals find shelter within the 8,198-acre park, along with numerous birds, such as eagles and falcons. You can hike two trails and unwind at the picnic area. A visitor center here houses an information desk and fossil exhibits, including a 13-foot crocodilian, long since extinct but related to the modern crocodile.

This small but charming window into the past is housed in a former church and features fossils and displays related to early settlement in the area. See an old still and wine vat, as well as a taxidermied two-headed calf.

Although I–80 connects Cheyenne and Laramie more quickly, the drive between the two cities on Happy Jack Road (Highway 210) is very scenic, particularly in spring and early summer, when wildflowers are in full bloom. The road winds over the high plains, past Curt Gowdy State Park, and provides access to the Vedauwoo Recreation Area before linking back to I–80, 7 miles east of Laramie at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument. At this state rest area you can obtain information about the region and view a larger-than-life sculpture of the 16th president's head looming above you.

You can learn about the stars and watch science presentations that transport you to vast landscapes at the planetarium's full-dome theater. Entertainment shows, where images dance to music above you, are also sometimes offered. Public shows are typically on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, as well as certain holidays. Private bookings also available.

This impressive, Queen Anne--style mansion is home to a growing collection of historical artifacts that help tell the history of the Laramie plains area. The home itself is a big part of the city's past. Its first owners, Edward and Jane Ivinson, were on the very first passenger train in 1868, and later constructed the mansion during Edward's run for governor of the new state of Wyoming. The home was saved from demolition in 1972, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tours are offered by informed docents.

Ranch paraphernalia, handmade quilts, a doll collection, and the original 1870s-era cabin of mountain man Jim Baker are exhibited at the Little Snake River Museum in Savery. There are more than a dozen historic buildings at the site, including one that houses an exhibit completely dedicated to the history of sheep raising in Carbon County. At certain times in the past, it had more sheep than any other county in the country. The museum also has a nice gift shop, with a good selection of books. In nearby Baggs, the museum owns and operates The Outlaw Stop. Both museums are open from Memorial Day to "some cold day in October," which heralds the coming of winter.

You can learn about the history of this small dot of a town at the Medicine Bow Museum, housed in an old railroad depot built in 1913. The summer cabin belonging to famed fiction author Owen Wister was relocated and stands right next door.

The Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, Hayden District covers 586,000 acres, including the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the Encampment River, Huston Park, Savage Run, and Platte River wilderness areas.

You can hike, picnic, fish, ski, snowmobile, and take photographs in the 400,000 acres of Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, Laramie District, and that is the short list. The Laramie District has 20 developed campgrounds, although some are closed for tree removal; dispersed camping is also allowed. Although the Laramie District administrative office is in Laramie, several of the most easily accessed campgrounds are along scenic Highway 130, just west of Centennial. Lodgings such as cabins, forest guard stations, and even a fire lookout tower high in the Snowy Range are available for rent in summer. Pole Mountain, located north of I–80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, is a popular area for recreation and is approximately 55,000 acres in size.

The former Centennial Railroad Depot now houses this museum at the eastern edge of town. The museum displays ranching, farming, and mining equipment, plus artifacts typical of what you'd find in a pioneer home; there's also an outdoor-equipment exhibit. Most of the items have been donated by local families. The museum is open Memorial Day through September.

Wild horses, antelope, desert elk, coyotes, hawks, and sage grouse are among the wild animals you might see on the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Loop Tour, which also takes you past such prominent features as Pilot Butte, the Killpecker Sand Dunes, and segments of the Overland Trail. Along the route there are pullouts with interpretive panels.

This loop links Rock Springs and Green River; it takes two to three hours to drive the full 50-mile route, half of which is on gravel roads, between the two towns. From Rock Springs, travel north for 14 miles on Highway 191. Turn left onto Sweetwater County Road 4-14 and follow the route for 2½ miles before turning left onto Sweetwater County Road 4-53, which will take you to Green River, 33½ miles away.

The herbarium focuses on Rocky Mountain plants, but also includes other examples of flora from the northern hemisphere. But don't expect any living plants here. This is a working dry plant research facility, and features 1.3 million specimens mounted on paper. Visitors are welcome to take a tour.

Hot mineral waters flow freely through the Saratoga Hobo Hot Springs, and the adjacent cooler swimming pool is heated by the springs. People have been coming here to soak for generations, including Native Americans, who considered the area neutral territory. Hardy folk can do as the Native Americans did and first soak in the hot water, then jump into the adjacent icy waters of the North Platte River. The free pools are open all day, every day. Bathing suits are required.

The former Union Pacific Railroad depot houses the Saratoga Museum, with displays of local artifacts related to the history and geology of the area. Outdoor exhibits include a sheep wagon, caboose, and a one-bedroom cabin built by a local pioneer.

Prairie and peregrine falcons, Canada geese, and various species of hawks and owls inhabit this refuge, which stretches more than 25,000 acres. Trumpeter swans also occasionally use the area. Within or near the refuge there are homestead and ranch sites, Oregon Trail crossings, and ferries that cross the Green River, as well as the spot where Jim Bridger and Henry Fraeb built a trading post in 1839. Visitor information and restrooms are available during daylight hours.

You can fish, boat, and water-ski on the Seminoe Reservoir, the primary attraction within Seminoe State Park. This is also a popular spot for camping and picnicking. It's on a Bureau of Land Management backcountry byway, Carbon County Road 351, which links Sinclair with Alcova.

Highway 130 between Centennial and Saratoga is known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. This paved road, which is in excellent condition, crosses through the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, providing views of 12,013-foot Medicine Bow Peak and access to hiking trails, 10 campgrounds (6 right near the road), picnic areas, and 100 alpine lakes and streams. Gravel roads lead off the route into the national forest.

At the top of the 10,847-foot Snowy Range Pass, about 10 miles west of Centennial, take a short walk to the Libby Flats Observation Site for views of the Snowy Range and, on clear days, Rocky Mountain National Park to the southwest in Colorado. Lake Marie, a jewel of a mountain lake at an elevation of approximately 10,000 feet, is also here. On the Saratoga side of the mountain the road passes through pine forest and descends to the North Platte River valley, with cattle ranches on both sides of the highway. Note that the byway is impassable in winter and therefore is closed between approximately mid-October and Memorial Day.