Wyoming

Travel Guide North America USA Western United States Wyoming

Introduction

Chapel at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Wyoming is one of the largest states in the United States but has a very low population density. The main attractions of Wyoming is its low population density, which makes for large open spaces and wilderness that few people will ever experience. With over 48% of the state owned by the federal government and an additional 6% owned by state government makes for large areas of the state open for public access. The majority of the public land is administrated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service.

Several different Native American groups lived in the Wyoming area such as the Crow, Arapaho, Lakota and Shoshone. John Colter was the first person to explore in the region and he arrived in 1807. Later on the Oregon Trail cut into Wyoming and in 1868 the Union Pacific Railroad went into the state. One of Wyoming's claim to fame is being the first USA territory to give women the right to vote in 1869 and the first state to elected a women governor in 1924.

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Geography

View of Tetons as we leave the park, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming

Wyoming is one of the states where the Great Plains collide with the Rocky Mountains. The plains in this state are broken up by different mountain ranges like the Wind River Mountain Range, the Black Hills, Teton Ranges, Big Horn Mountains and the Sierra Madre range. There is also some very intense volcanic activity in the state, especially in the Yellowstone National Park area. All this wilderness makes the state extremely pretty.

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Cities

Cheyenne - Is the state capital.
Casper
Cody - famous because of Buffalo Bill
Jackson
Laramie
Lander

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Sights and Activities

Wilderness Areas

Grizzly Bear, Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone National Park is one of the most famous parks in the world. Although mainly known for its geothermal activity this park is also famous for being the home to countless wildlife species. This includes large herds of bison, one of the few places in North America were they live still in the wild. There also many other animals like wolves, grizzles, lynxes, elks, pronghorns, and moose. Some animals are very easy to spot from a car while others live very deep in the park and would take lots of time and energy to find. A trip to Yellowstone will allow any visitor at least to glimpse many kinds of animals, even if it is a bison just relaxing on the side of the road.
Grand Teton National Park
Devils Tower National Monument
Fossil Butte National Monument
Wind River Mountain Range
Black Hills
N.O.L.S. (National Outdoor Leadership School) - This wilderness school leads people of all ages in back country exhibitions in the Wind River Range that last from 4 to 12 weeks in length. There excellent instructors teach there students all the necessary skills to live and thrive in the wilderness. The exhibitions take students deep in the back country that few people ever see. The Wyoming chapter is located in Lander. There are other NOLS headquarters in Alaska and Arizona

Other Sights and Activities

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Events and Festivals

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Weather

The states is generally a semi-arid continental climate that is drier and more windy then compared to the rest of the USA. Due to the elevation of the state the summers are warm with the highest temperatures in July around 85 °F at lower elevations. At higher elevations the temperatures are around 70 °F. At night the temperature can be considerably lower. In the winter Wyoming can be extremely cold. The state is pretty arid with only 10 inches (250 mm) of rain per year, although some areas get lots of snow in the winter.

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Getting There

By Plane

There are several noteworthy options to get to Wyoming by plane:

Jackson Hole Airport (JAC), located just within the boundaries of the Grand Teton National Park(!), has flights to Salt Lake City, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Denver and Los Angeles.
Yellowstone Regional Airport (COD) near Cody offers flights to Salt Lake City and Denver.
Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.

If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

Wyoming has a number of National Scenic Byways which offer a great way to explore the state crossing beautiful landscapes. Mostly, there are lots of national parks, state parks or monuments along the way and it's generally a better alternative than the faster but boring Interstate Highways.

By Bus

By Boat

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Eat

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Drink

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Sleep

Hotel and Motel Chains

There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include: