Car

Many people drive across northern Wyoming en route to visit the wonders of Yellowstone National Park, in the state's northwest corner. Try not to let the empty spaces between towns and the wide-open road tempt you to speed through the region too quickly. Give yourself enough time to check out the region's many intriguing attractions, and to overnight in both the small and larger towns in the region. If you’re headed into Wyoming from the east along Interstate 90, be sure to stop in Sundance and make the short detour north to Devils Tower National Monument. The towns of Gillette, Buffalo, and Sheridan are good places to spend the night and have some excellent museums, too. Take either U.S. 14 or U.S. 16 through the mountains and stretch your legs in the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area, a prime spot for outdoor recreation, whether it’s a 15-minute hike or a daylong ski trip. West of the Big Horns, the two highways meet up near Basin; from here, U.S. 14 is a straight shot to Cody and U.S. 310 is a scenic route through the arid plains around Lovell.

An alternative route for those interested in pioneer trails and stagecoach routes is to head south from Buffalo via Interstate 25 to the eastern Wyoming towns of Casper, Douglas, and Lusk. They lie in flatter landscape and—with the exception of Casper—offer less in the way of visitor services, but this is where you’ll find the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, Fort Fetterman State Historic Site, and other notable attractions. From here, head back north through dramatic Wind River Canyon on U.S. 20 to Thermopolis, then continue northeast into the Big Horns on U.S. 16 or northwest toward Cody and Yellowstone National Park via Highway 120.

Because the territory in this part of the world is so sparsely populated, it’s almost impossible to find gas and repair shops at your convenience. There are few towns along the major routes here, even the interstates, so it's prudent to start out any trip with a full tank of gas and never to let the tank dip to below half full. Many small towns lack 24-hour credit-card gas pumps, and it’s uncommon to find a gas station open past the early evening outside of Gillette, Sheridan, Casper, and Cody. If you’re driving in a particularly remote region, it’s wise to take along extra water. Although the communities here employ great fleets of snowplows in the winter, it can sometimes take them time to clear the upper elevations. Some passes in the Big Horns close entirely from as early as mid-November to as late as late May. Keep in mind, too, that locals are used to driving in a little snow and ice, so plows come out only if accumulations are substantial. Plan ahead, and note also that with the region's current energy-production boom, it can sometimes be difficult to get last-minute hotel reservations, especially in summer.