Dining in the Parks
It wasn't too awfully long ago that dining in national parks left much to be desired, with entrees built primarily, and unceremoniously, around chicken, beef and trout. That's not to say a good meal can't be built around these base ingredients. But after a long, sun-filled day hiking Yellowstone National Park's geyser basins or trekking into Garnet Canyon in Grand Teton National Park, a meal that's as stunning as the landscape. more...
Fishing for the Cutt Slam
The only native trout species in Wyoming is the Cutthroat Trout and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has a program that recognizes anglers who catch each of the four subspecies of cutthroat trout - Bonneville, Colorado River, Yellowstone and Snake River Cutthroat - known as "the Cutt Slam." more...
High Horsepower Sledding
Since most of Yellowstone's 350 miles of roads are closed to cars from November through April, getting into the park, be it to Old Faithful, Norris Geyser Basin or Yellowstone Lake, is a bit more of an adventure come winter. The park itself isn't closed of course – there are still entrance fees and lodges, hotels, restaurants, bars and gift shops are open – it's just that the only ways to get inside are by ski, snowshoe, snowcoach or snowmobile. more...
High Plains Hauntings
Our little tour group walked somberly down the steps from the forlorn Death Row building at the Wyoming Frontier Prison in Rawlins. "This place is much worse than Alcatraz," said a British man who had recently visited the famous California jail. more...
Interstate Adventures
Take the RV and hit the open road in Wyoming knowing you can stop for the night and need not worry about a place to sleep. The shortest of Wyoming's Interstate Highways, I-90 cutting across the northeast corner of the state from Sundance to Sheridan, is also one of the most scenic routes. This highway rolls over the western edge of the Black Hills, passes near Sundance Mountain and then traverse the northern edge of the Powder River Basin before flanking the east face of the Bighorn Mountains. more...
John Colter
One of "nine young men from Kentucky" who accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their explorations of Louisiana Territory, John Colter became one of the expedition's most adept hunters. He was about thirty years old when the expedition set off in 1804, stood five feet ten inches tall, and looked out at the world through piercing blue eyes. more...
Mother Nature's Oddities
Deep in the Teton Wilderness, I have one foot in the Atlantic Ocean. The other is in the Pacific. I turn 180 degrees. The foot that had been in the Atlantic is now in the Pacific and the Pacific one in the Atlantic. I lift my one foot out of the Pacific and, springing off the one in the Atlantic, land with both in the Pacific. Another standing broad jump has both feet in the Atlantic. more...
On The Water
Between Yellowstone National Park and its trio of big lakes and Grand Teton National Park with its four main lakes and the Snake River, Northwestern Wyoming will satisfy those who travel with paddles in their luggage. more...
Owen Wister, An Early Wyoming Dude
"That region is the country I have loved best in the world. Were there any part of my life I would live again, it would be the time spent there." Such were the words of Western novelist Owen Wister regarding Jackson Hole, in a 1929 letter to a prominent resident. more...
Secret Yellowstone
Yellowstone entertains nearly three million guests annually, but some 99-percent of them never venture more than 200 feet away from a road. Much less deep into the backcountry. more...
Storming the Fort
The first fort in Wyoming was started as a fur trade post in 1834, known as Fort John. Located near the Laramie River, it had become Fort Laramie by 1849 when the military took control. The fort's grounds just west of the town of Fort Laramie in southeast Wyoming have an open parade ground surrounded by military-era buildings. One structure, Old Bedlam, is the oldest standing building in the State of Wyoming. At or near Fort Laramie, fur traders, overland emigrants, the frontier army and Indians gathered as they came to trade, work and meet. more...
Sustainable Tourism
Clearly, Wyoming's natural attractions have been around a long, long time. But human demands on the land have dramatically changed the face of Wyoming over the past century, and not always in a positive way. That's why a growing number of the state's travel and recreation businesses are working hard to conserve natural resources and lessen their long-term impact on the environment. It's all about making sure future generations can enjoy Wyoming's wonders, too. more...
The Secret Spot
Hiding six miles from the nearest "road" (a barely-discernable dirt track narrow enough to make spelunkers claustrophobic), I'm thinking the fish I am in search of aren't as stupid as I've been told. If they were stupid they'd be right off the road, where even the laziest of fishermen could toss a line in. more...
Wyoming's WYLDEST Classroom
My 12-year-old daughter stands on the boardwalk at Yellowstone's West Thumb Geyser Basin, aiming a borrowed digital laser thermometer at the hot pools and mud pots simmering nearby. She clicks the trigger and reads the display: 120 degrees … 155 degrees … even 170 degrees. more...
One of "nine young men from Kentucky" who accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their explorations of Louisiana Territory, John Colter became one of the expedition's most adept hunters. He was about thirty years old when the expedition set off in 1804, stood five feet ten inches tall, and looked out at the world through piercing blue eyes. read more
Isa Lake is one of the world's most unusual lakes because its water drains to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans – and does it backwards. read more
