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.

American Westward Expansion

The Oregon California Mormon and Bozeman Trails

River Valley Trails played an important role in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route for several major emigrant trails, including the Oregon, California, Mormon and Bozeman Trails. The French were the first Europeans to reach the Platte. At Casper, Wyoming the trails left the North Platte valley and followed the Sweetwater River valley and other river valleys going further west.

The Platte River originates in the state of Nebraska and is about 310 miles - 500 km - long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over 1,050 miles - 1,690 km. The Platte is a tributary of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. 

The North Platte River is approximately 716 miles - 1,152 km – long, across Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. It is navigable over most of its length at high water by canoes, kayaks and rafts. In Colorado and Wyoming, the river is narrower and much swifter flowing than it is in Nebraska, where it becomes a slow, shallow stream. The upper reaches of the river in the Rockies in Colorado and Wyoming are popular for recreation rafting and fishing. 

Casper Wyoming was established in 1860. Near what is now Casper was the location of several ferries that offered passage across the North Platte River during the summer Trail season starting about 1847. The wagon trails following the south side of the Platte/North Platte River ferried or waded in low water years across the South Platte River in several places to stay on the south side of the North Platte River where the trails were located. Those who went to Denver followed the South Platte River trail into Colorado. Historically, the North Platte River used to be up to a mile wide (1.6 km) in many places as evidenced by the old streambed and written records. 

The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River located in the eastern flank of the Colorado Rockies, Nebraska and southeastern Wyoming near Cheyenne. The river forms southwest of Denver in the South Park grassland basin and is a major source of drinking water for the Denver area, flowing north through central Denver. The highly industrial Denver Valley is also a major railroad route. North of Denver it is joined by Clear Creek which descends from the mountains to the west in a canyon that was the cradle of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush.

The South Platte is the Principal Source of Water for Eastern Colorado

History originally called the Rio Chato, and before the city of Denver was founded, many travelers came to the South Platte River to escape the arid Great Plains. 

Fly Fishing a Gold Medal Western trout river on the Eastern Slope of Colorado, the river is well known for its brown and rainbow trout.

the best way to travel is in the company of people who live and work in the places you visit.

Your Connection to the Oregon California Mormon and Bozeman Trails

The Downtown Cheyenne Historic District

Cheyenne was named for the Native American Cheyenne nation. Today it sits at the northern terminus of the fast-growing Front Range Urban Corridor to Denver and Pueblo, Colorado. It is located where the Union Pacific Railroad meets Crow Creek, a South Platte River tributary, in 1867.

The Downtown Cheyenne Historic District is comprised of ten architecturally or historically significant buildings and twelve other buildings constructed during the same period, dating from the late 19^th Century through the 1920's, during which the tiny frontier tent town grew into a territorial, then a State Capitol. These structures reflect the history of Cheyenne during major growth periods and form the nucleus of the original Central Business District. Primarily commercial in character, the district also contains a pedestrian oriented activity area known as the Old Town Mall.

The Downtown Cheyenne Historic District Encompasses 205 acres and 67 buildings

Cheyenne is part of a unique breed of American towns established in the 1860s and 1870s during construction of the transcontinental railroad. From the beginning, the area encompassed by the Historic District was developed as a commercial area. Stores built of canvas and wood fronts came first but were soon replaced with more permanent wood buildings. Like the structures they replaced, these buildings were easy prey for fires. By the 1870s, contractors began placing an emphasis on fireproofing with the brick and mortar buildings constructed from this period that remain today.

The architectural styles range from commercial Victorian to early 20^th Century commercial with Beaux Arts details. None of the buildings are unique in their architectural style or design but several have a significant degree of architectural merit thanks to the size and geographic location of Cheyenne.

The buildings in the Historic District represent a broad range of activities that took place during Cheyenne's first 50 or 60 years. Some date from a time when Cheyenne was being transformed from a dusty little frontier town to the Magic City of the Plains. Other buildings such as the Plains Hotel and the Capitol Avenue Theater came about through community effort and pride. Breweries, saloons, boarding houses, and the inexpensive eating establishments played a major role in Cheyenne’s development.

The North and South Platte Rivers

American River Trails

The Platte River originates in the state of Nebraska and is about 310 miles - 500 km - long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte, it flows for over 1,050 miles - 1,690 km. The Platte is a tributary of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

River Valley Trails played an important role in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route for several major emigrant trails, including the Oregon, California, Mormon and Bozeman Trails. The French were the first Europeans to reach the Platte. At Casper, Wyoming the trails left the North Platte valley and followed the Sweetwater River valley and other river valleys going further west.

The North Platte River is approximately 716 miles - 1,152 km – long, across Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. It is navigable over most of its length at high water by canoes, kayaks and rafts. In Colorado and Wyoming, the river is narrower and much swifter flowing than it is in Nebraska, where it becomes a slow, shallow stream. The upper reaches of the river in the Rockies in Colorado and Wyoming are popular for recreation rafting and fishing.

Casper Wyoming was established in 1860. Near what is now Casper was the location of several ferries that offered passage across the North Platte River during the summer Trail season starting about 1847. The wagon trails following the south side of the Platte/North Platte River ferried or waded in low water years across the South Platte River in several places to stay on the south side of the North Platte River where the trails were located. Those who went to Denver followed the South Platte River trail into Colorado. Historically, the North Platte River used to be up to a mile wide (1.6 km) in many places as evidenced by the old streambed and written records.

Planning Your Trip assumes uniquely local dimensions in the places you visit, rooted in the local economy, history and traditions. TEMA develops personalized itineraries based on your preferences; we leverage an in-depth knowledge of your destinations with superior client service throughout your trip.

Your anchor locations when visiting the North and South Platte Rivers include Denver and Wyoming

The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River located in the eastern flank of the Colorado Rockies, Nebraska and southeastern Wyoming near Cheyenne. The river forms southwest of Denver in the South Park grassland basin and is a major source of drinking water for the Denver area, flowing north through central Denver. The highly industrial Denver Valley is also a major railroad route. North of Denver it is joined by Clear Creek which descends from the mountains to the west in a canyon that was the cradle of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush.

The South Platte is the Principal Source of Water for Eastern Colorado

History originally called the Rio Chato, and before the city of Denver was founded, many travelers came to the South Platte River to escape the arid Great Plains.

Fly Fishing a Gold Medal Western trout river on the Eastern Slope of Colorado, the river is well known for its brown and rainbow trout. 

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