Southwest Wyoming
Written: Oct 02 '07 (Updated Oct 02 '07)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Wildlife viewing, outdoor activities
Cons: Long distances to get from town to town.
The Bottom Line: Wyoming has something for every outdoor enthusiast.
|
|
|
| cmaw63's Full Review: Wyoming |
Most people are familiar with Yellowstone National Park. Located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, it is a popular place for tourists. Much less is known about southern Wyoming and what it has to offer.
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
Stretching from southern Wyoming into northern Utah, The Flaming Gorge NRA is one of the region's most popular places to visit. With the damming of Green River a 91 mile long lake, with 300 miles of shoreline, was created. It is a recreation paradise. Boating, fishing, and camping are some of the most popular activities. There are hiking and mountain bike trails. 100 miles of them. During the winter those same trails can be used for snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing. Each state has its own set of regulations that must be followed while in that section of the Flaming Gorge NRA. Entry into the recreation area is $2/day or $5 for up to 15 days.
We did a day trip to the area, so had no fees to pay. Visiting the lake while on the Wyoming side led me to an encounter of the wildlife kind. Climbing a small hill I must have been quieter than I thought. As I reached the top so did three antelope coming from the other side. They didn't seem to be nearly as surprised as I was. It was strange and wonderful to be so near these animals as I stood quietly and made no attempt to get any closer to them. They stared at me for a few minutes and then slowly walked away. I will caution people to not try to get close to or pet any wildlife.
With the desert surrounding it, the lake seems out of place. Sagebrush, sand, and rock formations fill the horizon until you go around a curve or over a small hill. There are several gravel roads along U.S. 191 that lead to the lake. The road we took ended in a small parking area that had a ramp and dock for putting boats in. I was informed that most of the gravel roads lead to a similar type of area.
The gorge is on the Utah side but, worth the extra travel time to get to.
Wyoming Public Lands
Outdoor enthusiasts have 18.4 million acres of Wyoming Public Land to explore. World-class hunting and fishing, camping, mountain biking, snowmobiling, and wildlife viewing are a few of the activities available. Want to go back in time? Visit the dinosaur tracks near Shell, Wyoming. Maybe traveling a trail, like the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Pioneer Trail, that the original settlers used and pretending to be an early explorer is more your thing.
The public land in southern Wyoming mainly consists of high desert plains, sand dunes, badlands, and rugged mountains. Although it is a desert area there are many creeks, rivers, and lakes. It is free to camp in most areas of the public lands. We camped along a creek above Kemmerer, Wyoming. The water in the creek was clear enough that we could see the rocks on the bottom and the fish swimming by. Snuggled between the hills covered with sagebrush and occasional clusters of trees, we were able to watch for the wildlife that came to the creek for a drink. The most amazing animals we saw were a bull and cow moose near a waterfall.
When using the public lands remember there are no zookeepers, there isn't a fence, moat, or other barrier to keep the wild animals away from you. Do not attempt to get close to them as the animal will attack if they feel threatened.
Where we were is free-range country. The most abundant animals are cows. They will stand alongside and in the roads. Adjust your speed accordingly when coming up on a herd of cattle as we came upon some that definitely thought they had the right of way. When you do see a herd of cattle look carefully. Often antelope would be grazing away next to the cows.
Traveling on the Public Lands can be an adventure. While the main roads are hard packed gravel, most roads in the area were rutted, rock strewn, with fallen tree limbs packed dirt.We paid $20 for an ATV 4-wheeler usage pass. I was only using it for 3 days, but the pass is good for a year. If you have access to a 4-wheeler you can get to places that are rarely traveled and beautiful in its solitude. If your only vehicle isn't 4-wheel drive you can stay on the main roads and still view amazing scenery and animals.
Wild horse viewing is another incentive to visit Southwest Wyoming. Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Loop outside of Rock Springs and Green River was one of the highlights of my trip. Wild horses grazed near the road allowing me to satisfy my photography hobby.
Towns
I bought the $20 ATV tag at the BLM office in Rock Springs. Maps, information, and advice can be had for the asking at the office. Rock Springs is the biggest city in the area with approximately 19,000 people living there. While there make sure you have what you need, if you don't Rock Springs is the best place to stock up.
We spent a few days in Green River, Wyoming. It is a nice town with friendly people and deer wandering the streets. Yes, deer...3 does and 2 fawns rambled down the street where we stayed. We were not on the edge of town either. Green River runs alongside the town providing fishing opportunities. There is a nice recreation area we visited that allowed for wildlife viewing, dog exercising, and hiking.
Kemmerer, Wyoming was our last stop before heading into the Public Lands. It is a small town that offers everything we could have needed before going on our camping adventure. The people are friendly and we enjoyed chatting with several of them about the best places to view wildlife and/or camp. Kemmerer's claim to fame is it is the home of JC Penny's Mother Store. It is the original JC Penny's store and is still in operation today.
Overall
I can't wait to visit Southwestern Wyoming again. The wide open space and abundance of wildlife make it an outdoor enthusiasts heaven. Since it is quite a distance from town to town make sure you have gassed the vehicle and bought drinks (especially water) to have in case you get lost.
Step back in time and see how it was when the west was first explored. Visit Southwestern Wyoming.
Photos can be seen at http://epi-cmaw63.pbwiki.com/Wyoming
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
cmaw63
|
 in Pets, Home and Garden, Books |
|
Member: Julie
Location: Illinois, USA
Reviews written: 307
Trusted by: 71 members
About Me:
Looking forward to my first grandbaby. She's due November 24!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.