Wyoming Trails

Cowboys Rodeos Railroad Towns Guest Ranches and two National Parks

Wyoming is the ninth largest state of the Union and includes two National Parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Fossil Butte National Monument and the Jackson Hole area. Traveling along its western border through scenic Star Valley to visit the historic town of Jackson, known worldwide for challenging and exciting winter sports, spectacular Teton Mountain Range, Old Faithful and the Lower Falls in Yellowstone. Wyoming is divided into five regions: 
 

The Northwest has two iconic National Parks, spectacular scenery and welcoming towns with vacation options ranging from rugged back country escapes to serene, luxurious retreats.
The Southwest outdoor enthusiasts, amateur paleontologists, wildlife lovers and history buffs prefer this region with beautiful landscape and national treasures such as Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Fossil Butte National Monument and the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Loop.
 

The Central Region the North Platte River flows through this long, wide swath of the state. Discover Wyoming’s pioneer story, from scars in the earth left by the Oregon Trail wagons to fascinating history museums.
The Northeast is home to Devils Tower, the first national monument, and acres of public land with sagebrush plains and rolling hills as background for family outings as well as solo adventures.
The Southeast is home to the Wyoming State Capitol, recreation areas and cultural and activities.

Museums

The Museum of the Mountain Man is an educational journey back in time and a tribute to Wyoming's wild settlement history.  Experience the lives of the early explorers and trailblazers of the American West, and tales of survival for trappers and mountain men of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade era as well as through the eyes of the 19^th century Plains Indians. View archaeological evidence from the earliest inhabitants of this region dating back 10,000 years.

The Old Wyoming State Penitentiary in use from 1901 – 1981 is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. While outlaws roamed the windswept high plains, canyons and mountains of post-Civil War Wyoming, the Territorial Legislature was planning a state-of-the art penitentiary at Rawlins in anticipation of statehood and to send a strong message to free-wheeling desperadoes: Wyoming would no longer be a haven for the lawless.

Cheyenne the very name conjures up images of cowboys, rodeos and trains. It is also world-class mountain biking, climbing, and camping. Cheyenne is America's Railroad Capital; its first residents were men who moved west to work on the transcontinental railroad. . The Cheyenne Depot and the Big Boy Steam Engine are just two of the attractions in the area for train enthusiasts.

The Union Pacific roundhouse, turntable, and machine shop are historically significant due to their unique engineering attributes designed for a single function, the maintenance and storage of steam locomotives. The structures are also significant due to their relationship to the continued development of the first transcontinental railroad and its effect on the formation and growth of Cheyenne and the Territory and State of Wyoming.

Wyoming Guest Ranches offer a variety of experiences ranging from rustic to upscale:

Rustic ranches offer the basics in terms of accommodations. You might sleep together in a bunk-style building with several other guests and share bathrooms, or there may be cabins or lodge style rooms.

Working come with different levels of accommodations and service. Some are rustic, others traditional and a few are upscale.

be a cowboy by day and be pampered at night at an upscale working cattle ranch

Traditional combines modern amenities most with private cabins or lodge rooms with private bath to compliment the traditional dude ranch experience.

Gillette Wyoming

energy capital of the nation

Gillette is centrally located in an area involved with the development of vast quantities of American coal, oil and gas Over the last decade, the population has increased 48 percent. Founded in 1891 with the coming of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, it was named for Edward Gillette, who worked as a surveyor for the company.  

The Rockpile Museum documents life in early Gillette. After the railroad moved to Sheridan, Gillette survived in order to serve the ranchers, cowboys, and homesteaders who were trying to make a life in the countryside surrounding the town. Cattlemen drove their herds into the livestock yards at Gillette for sale and transportation to the markets back east. Industrious citizens set up businesses to cater to these people and any who passed through. Livery barns, stables, and blacksmiths popped up to house travelers’ horses and haulers’ draft teams. Bars and brothels catered to those who pursued that lifestyle.

Tourism Gillette's inclusion on the Black and Yellow Trail in 1912, a highway extending from the Black Hills to Yellowstone, brought many different travelers and tourists into town via automobile resulting in construction of tourist camps, cottages, and motels along with cafes and eateries.

The Gillette Syndrome is named for the social disruptions that occur in towns experiencing rapid growth; during the 1960s, Gillette doubled its population from 3,580 to 7,194 resulting in increased crime, high costs of living and weakened social and community bonds.

Geography Gillette Wyoming is situated between the Bighorn Mountains and the Black Hills in the Powder River Basin. Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet - 386 m - above the Belle Fourche River; the summit is 5,112 feet - 1,559 m - above sea level.