9 Undisturbed Towns To Visit In Wyoming
Wyoming is a land of many less-explored wonders, particularly from the many undisturbed towns to visit in the state. Named after the Native American word mecheweamiing, meaning "at the big plains," Wyoming offers stunning landscapes—from vast plains to majestic mountains. Beyond the popular attractions at the Yellowstone National Park, you will discover hotspots like Jackson or Thermopolis as well as uncover Wyoming's rich history in places like Dubois and Pinedale. Each of the undisturbed towns to visit in Wyoming is equally delightful and beautiful in the Equality State, so you will not have a hard time choosing which towns to visit first or last.
Buffalo
Buffalo is the perfect destination if you are a fan of the American buffalos. The Bighorn National Park close to the Bighorn Mountain is an excellent region teeming not only with buffalos but also the bighorn sheep and other remarkable animals of Wyoming. Fort Phil Kearney, on the other hand, is a memorable and historic location where the infamous Fetterman Fight took place. The Museum of the Occidental Hotel talks about how a man named Owen Wister “got his man here” from long ago, while the Jim Gatchell Museum displays over 15,000 artifacts from the violent period of the Wild West. Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and the rest of the Wild Bunch once resided in a place called the “Hole in the Wall” close to Buffalo which you can visit. Whether for the history or the outdoors, the small town of Buffalo has it all for you.
Jackson
Yellowstone National Park may be a more popular attraction worth visiting in the state of Wyoming, but the two-hour-away town of Jackson is an equally desirable destination at the big plains—or specifically, within the mountains. Where archways made of antlers greet newcomers at the National Elk Refuge and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center and where one can see the works of Georgia O’Keefe and Andy Warhol at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson is a rather underrated and undisturbed small town even though it ought to be as popular as its neighbor of Yellowstone.
There are opportunities for mountain climbing and skiing to be experienced in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the Snow King Mountain Resort, and the Grand Targhee Resort at Teton Village—each of which lead you to the tallest mountain peaks in Wyoming. At the Snow King Mountain Resort in particular, you can participate in the annual World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb occurring from March 21 to 24. Lastly, if the chill mountain winds stiffen your muscles, you can always warm yourself nicely and neatly in one of Jackson’s cozy establishments like the Inn On the Creek, Hitching Post Lodge, or Huff House Inns and Cabins.
Thermopolis
With a name like Thermopolis (“hot city”), one might expect this place to be in Greece. In actuality, the small town of Thermopolis is at the northeast corner of the Wind River Reservation and on the banks of the Bighorn River. As the name implies, Thermopolis is a place filled with dozens of hot attractions, specifically the hot springs of the Hot Spring State Park. Other nearby bodies of water include the Bighorn Basin and the Boysen Reservoir at Boysen State Park.
About 10,000 years ago, indigenous Native Americans drew over 283 or more rock drawings which you can admire at the Legend Rock Petroglyph Site. Wind River Canyon are plentiful with the bison, while the Wyoming Dinosaur Center shelters the skeletons of many prehistoric animals excavated in the area. The Shoshone National Forest is relatively near to Thermopolis, but perhaps the closest places you can spend your days and nights in Thermopolis are the quaint lodgings of El Rancho or Hot Springs Hotel and Spa.
Sundance
The Sundance Kid was one of the most famous outlaws of the Wild West in his time, and his legend started out in the humble town of Sundance. When he first visited the place, he performed a Native American ceremony known as Sun Dance, giving him his renowned title. Since then, both the fugitive and the town have inspired something like the Utah/United States Film Festival into renaming itself into the Sundance Film Festival that all are familiar with. Both the Crook County Museum & 1875 Gallery and the Sip ‘n Walk Historical Tour offer a more comprehensive narrative about the town and that kid who made it famous, though the latter offers beverages during the tour. Beyond Sundance, you can explore locations like First National Monument, the Devil’s Tower, and the Bearlodge District of the Black Hills National Forest. Finally, you can always come back to Sundance in order to sleep peacefully at either the Bear Mountain Resort or Bear Lodge Motel.
Lovell
Lovell, lounging on the strands of the Bighorn Lake, is another gateway to the vast woodland hectares of the Bighorn National Forest. Hundreds of wild mustangs gallop and trot about at the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center, while the humungous Yellowtail Dam regulates the flow of the nearby rivers at the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. A Japanese-American confinement site from World War II continues to intrigue and unnerve visitors at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center. Individuals with an affinity for prehistory can travel to the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite where dinosaur footprints are preserved. On the other hand, people who fancy the indigenous cultures of Wyoming can see a handful of Native American stones at the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark. There are more lovely landmarks to see in Lovell, but first you ought to book a room in one of the town’s humble accommodations like the Cattlemen Motel, the Western Motel, or Horseshoe Bend Motel.
Dubois
Dubois, a remote town an hour and 40 minutes away from Jackson, is one of the finest destinations to admire Wyoming’s beloved animal, the bighorn sheep. Many of these proud and powerful creatures can be learned about at the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center. Meanwhile, the Dubois Museum highlights Dubois’s beginnings as a humble pioneering town and jump-off point to other destinations in the area. The Shoshone National Forest, which President Theodore Roosevelt announced was the first national forest in the US, enchants visitors with its timeless and transcendental secrets. Finally, the Wild West-themed rodeos from June 14 to August 23 every Fridays captivates newcomers with its activities and events. For those of you intrigued by Dubois’s undisturbed charm, you can always book a room in one of the town’s excellent establishments such as the Chinook Winds Lodge.
Laramie
Laramie is considered one of the highest towns in Wyoming, rising over 7,200 feet above sea level on the Snowy Range Mountains. The Overland Trail and Cherokee Trail are two panoramic routes that terminate towards the former 1600s settlements of the Arapaho and Cheyenne people. The Historic Laramie Unio Depot and Fort Sanders are additional sites of history, though specifically about Laramie’s pioneering and frontier past.
Back in the days of the Wild West, Butch Cassidy was imprisoned at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site for which you can learn all about. Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is teeming with some of Wyoming’s most reclusive and amazing wildlife. Visitors to Laramie will be enamored by the Geological Museum in University of Wyoming, which closely resembles the fictitious dinosaur theme park in the movie Jurassic Park. Before you head off on any adventures in Laramie, you ought to first choose between Old Corral Hotel & Steakhouse or the Mountain View Historic Hotel as suitable lodgings for a merrier vacation in town.
Lander
The town of Lander is precisely “where the rails end the trails begin.” When taking the Lander Trail which engineer Frederick W. Lander created, travelers may come across historic routes which thousands of wagons had traversed on their sojourn throughout Wyoming. The Sinks Canyon State Park, the Red Canyon, the Wild River Mountain Range, Cottonwood Campground, and Wild Iris are some of the dozens of regions worth exploring around Lander. Additionally, the Fremont County Pioneer Museum and the Museum of the American West are two notable landmarks that display the artifacts and articles of Lander’s history. The Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River leads one towards the Wind River Indian Reservation, and quaint abodes like the Rodeway Inn will keep visitors satisfied and safe in their vacation in Lander.
Pinedale
Pinedale is a gateway to many of the beautiful ecosystems characterizing Wyoming’s dynamic nature sceneries. Along the Path of the Pronghorn, you will come across one of the last remaining long-distance animal migrations in the Western Hemisphere. The Wind River Range, the Gros Ventre Mountains, and the Wyoming Range are home to hundreds of gray wolves and grizzly bears, so be careful and respectful when adventuring through some of these regions.
For safer travels, you can certainly go exploring at the Bridger-Teton National Forest which is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. On the other hand, you might want to attend the many events transpiring in Pinedale. There is the oldest and longest cattle drive in the US, the Green River Drift, from the months of June to October, the Wind River Brew Fest on September 7, and a reenactment of the Green River Rendezvous on July. Weary travelers can retire and rejuvenate for a new day in one of Pinedale’s exquisite abodes, like the Pinedale Hotel & Suites or the Jackalope Motor Lodge.
At the big plains of Wyoming or even from the heights of gargantuan mountains, travelers will be amazed by the throngs of mustangs, buffalo, bighorn sheep, and pronghorns roaming freely. More importantly, they will be mesmerized and astounded by the undisturbed towns to visit in Wyoming. While names like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid may ring a bell, the towns that shaped their stories—or were shaped by them—are destinations that ought to be visited to appreciate the many historic figures that remade the US. Once you explore these undisturbed towns, you will not regret your explorations in the many beautiful destinations outside the Yellowstone National Park. So, why not plan a trip to Wyoming’s hidden treasures this year and beyond?
