Bridger Valley Historic Byway Length: 20.0 miles / 32.2 km
Drive Time: 30 minutes without stopping
The Bridger Valley Historic Byway area was, for a century, a crossroads for the California/Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the Pony Express Route, the Transcontinental Railroad, and the Lincoln Highway. Incorporating the towns Fort Bridger, Urie, Mountain View, and Lyman, which were bypassed when Interstate 80 was built, Bridger Valley Historic Byway is an approximately 20 mile loop showcasing some of Wyoming's most treasured historical sites.
Give or take a few, it is 400 miles across Wyoming on Interstate 80. By anybody’s standard that is a solid day’s travel. But hey, don’t just buzz through the state. There is a lot to see and do along the way. So much, in fact, that it’s best done in sections. So instead of hitting Wyoming at Pine Bluffs, putting the cruise control on 75 mph, and blowing out of the state around eight hours later at Evanston, set your sights on just some of the towns.
Begin your trip in Laramie, about 1/4 of the way across. This is cowboy country. read more
Rub your hand on an aspen tree, and it will come away powdery white. These ghostly trees with their white bark and black knots or branches have nearly round leaves that are green and supple in the spring and summer. But when the weather turns colder in early September, these round leaves begin to change colors, turning yellow, then bright gold, often deep red. read more