Day Trips
Medicine Bow National Forest
Just west of Cheyenne, the Medicine Bow National Forest offers a variety of recreational opportunities and natural attractions, including the Vedauwoo Recreation Area and the Snowy Range Ski Area. (307) 745-2300.
Snowy Range Ski Area
Located about 80 miles west of Cheyenne. Downhill and cross-country skiing; snowmobiling in the winter. Summer hiking and scenic drives. (307)745-2300. Click Here
Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site
Listed on the National Register, this imposing stone structure was built in 1872 and held the most violent and desperate outlaws (including the notorious Butch Cassidy) during the dramatic time of Wyoming's Territorial days and early Statehood. Now a museum, visitors can walk into the strap-iron cells where convicts were locked up, worked and lived.
The Historic Site not only focuses on crimes, convicts and confinement but also agriculture science. The University of Wyoming acquired the site in 1903 for a research experiment station and, for 86 years, used science to advance farming and ranching methods. Located on 197 acres, the site offers restored historic buildings, museum exhibits, special events, a picnic area and visitor center with a gift shop.
The site is at 975 Snowy Range Road, 45 miles west of Cheyenne located just off I-80 at exit 311. Open daily 8am-7pm May 1 - October 31. (307)-745-3733 or www.wyomingterritorialprison.com
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Located 80 miles north of Cheyenne. Fort Laramie was built in 1834 as a fur trading post. The military acquired it in 1849 and used it as a post from 1849 to 1890 to guard the wagons along the various trails that went through the area. Open year round. (307) 837-2221. Click Here
Oregon Trail Ruts & Register Cliff/Guernsey, Wyoming
Ruts carved into sandstone by wagon trains heading west along the Oregon Trail are located west of Gurnsey, and 80 miles North of Cheyenne. Register Cliffs was a resting point along the Oregon Trail where travelers stopped for the night and carved their names in the sandstone cliffs. Self-guided tours of both sites. (307) 777-6323.
Curt Gowdy State Park
Located 26 miles west of Cheyenne along Highway 210. Excellent for camping, boating, hiking and fishing. (307) 632-7946. Click Here
Vedauwoo Recreation Area
Known for spectacular granite rock formations. The Vedauwoo Recreation Area is located in the Medicine Bow National Forest, about 25 miles West of Cheyenne. See the sights, hike, mountain bike, or picnic in these awesome rocks. (307) 745-2300. Click Here
Ames Monument
Ames Monument is a truly unique state historic site west of Cheyenne, about 25 miles. The monument is a 60 foot pyramid built in 1883 as a monument to Oliver and Oakes Ames, who were instrumental in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. (307) 777-6323 or (307) 632-7946.
Full Day Tours from Cheyenne
North – Oregon Trail Country
(Approximately 9 hours for a full round trip)
Travel north on I-25 and turn east on Hwy 26 to Guernsey (98 miles). Near Guernsey, tour the Oregon Trail Ruts, perhaps the best visual remnant of the Oregon Trail remaining today. For a distance of several hundred yards is a trail of wagon ruts worn down by thousands of wagon wheels in the limestone. Nearby is Register Cliffs, where early travelers carved their names into the soft limestone.
Next, travel east (13 miles) on Hwy 26 to the Fort Laramie National Historic Site. Fort Laramie’s mission was to protect weary travelers crossing Wyoming on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails between 1849 and 1890. Continue east on Hwy 26 (48 miles) and visit Scottsbluff National Monument, another major site along the Trail routes. Return west on Hwy 26 and turn south on Hwy 85 back to Cheyenne.
Expanded Tour Options: Go north on Hwy 85 to the premier attractions of Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, the Black Hills, and Devils Tower National Monument .
South – The Rocky Mountains and Denver
After experiencing these man-made attractions, head west on Hwy 34 to Estes Park (31 mi.) and Rocky Mountain National Park. The park includes 266,000 acres of beautiful mountain scenery with valleys at about 8,000 feet and peaks of over 12,000 feet. The park is primarily a scenic park with motoring, horseback riding, hiking, and mountain climbing being the most popular activities.
Continue on Hwy 34 and then south on Hwy 40 to I-70. Turn east toward Denver, sampling one or two of the city’s attractions, and then north on I-25 to Cheyenne.
Expanded Tour Options
Denver has a variety of exciting opportunities for stop-overs at the Mile High City.
Botanic Gardens
720-865-3500
Denver Zoo
720-337-1400
Butterfly Pavilion
& Insect Center
303-469-5441
Elitch Gardens
Theme Park
303-595-4386
Denver Art Museum
720-865-5000
Denver Museum of Nature
& Science
303-370-6000
U.S. Mint
303-405-4761
Wings Over the Rockies
Air & Space Museum
303-360-5360
Denver Rockies Baseball
303-ROCKIES
East -- Eastern Crossroads
(Approximately 9 hours for a full round trip)
Turn north on Hwy 385 and west on Hwy 92/26 (53 miles) to the Chimney Rock National Historic Site, a famous landmark for weary travelers along the trails cutting through the region. Continue on Hwy 92/26 to Scottsbluff, NE (19 miles) and view the Scotts Bluff National Monument (308) 436-9700 x0. Continue on Hwy 26 and turn south on Hwy 85, at Torrington back to Cheyenne.
Expanded Tour Options: Travel on I-80 to the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument (222 mi.) in Kearney, Nebraska. This eight-story bridge spans the Interstate Highway and is the region’s newest major attraction. The Monument includes interactive exhibits and films chronicling the great westward migration of settlers in the 1800s.
West -- The Wyoming West
(Approximately 9 hours for a full round trip)
Take a trip back in time traveling west on I-80 (25 miles) to the ancient rock formations at the Vedauwoo Recreation Area. Sightsee, hike, or mountain bike in these awesome formations. For more outdoor options, enjoy the beautiful solitude of Curt Gowdy State Park just east of Vedauwoo.
Continue your trek to Laramie (20 mi.) and tour the University of Wyoming Geological Museum which is dominated by dinosaurs native to the Wyoming region – Brontosaurus, Allosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, and many other animal and plant fossils. Limited hours, so please call ahead.
Next visit the Old West at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site. Beautifully restored, the site features a frontier prison that once held the notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy. Receive a "convict identity" and take a self-guided tour (or guided tours offered on Friday through Monday) of the prison grounds. Then visit the prison Broom Factory and watch the volunteers make brooms just as the convicts did in 1892.
Continue west on the Snowy Range Road (Hwy 130) which was the second road in the nation to receive scenic byway designation. This highway takes you up to 10,000 feet in the beautiful Rocky Mountains where you will see its fast-moving streams, deep alpine lakes, rugged wilderness, dramatic mountain ranges and abundant wildlife. Visit the quaint small towns of Centennial and Saratoga, where you can soak in the Saratoga Hot Springs.
Continue north on Hwy 130 to Interstate 80, turn east, and return to Cheyenne.
Expanded Tour Options: While in Laramie, visit the University of Wyoming Art Museum which offers rotating exhibits from its collection of more than 6,000 works of art. The Museum includes an outdoor sculpture terrace and museum store. Free.
