Alcova Reservoir (Mills)
Alcova Dam and Powerplant, features of the Kendrick Project, are on the North Platte River about 30 miles from Casper, Wyoming. The Alcova Reservoir covers 2, 470 surface acres. Facilities include 6 campgrounds, 8 boat ramps, interpretive trail and marina concession. Available fish species include brown trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and walleye. Rainbow and brown trout are stocked annually. Dinosaur interpretive trail is located near Cottonwood Creek Beach.
Deaver Reservoir (Mills)
Deaver Dam, completed in 1918 as part of the Shoshone Project is offstream 12 miles northeast of Powell, Wyoming. Popular local warm and cold-water fishery includes trout, walleye, and catfish. Fishery open year-round with Wyoming State fishing license. Approximately 800 surface acres. Boating with motors less than 10 horsepower. Available services include restroom, picnic tables, primitive boat ramp, primitive camping. No drinking water.
Guernsey Reservoir (Guernsey)
One hundred and eighty miles below Alcova Dam and 25 miles below Glendo Dam, the Guernsey Dam, North Platte Project, controls the river flow of the North Platte. Water released from Pathfinder Reservoir can be stored and released to fit varying irrigation demands. Water is released through the Guernsey Powerplant. The dam is in a rocky canyon 2 miles northwest of the town of Guernsey, in Platte County, Wyoming.
Lake Cameahwait (Mills)
Also known as "Bass Lake". Fishing year-round with Wyoming State license. Fish species include trout, bass, perch, ling, bluegill, green sunfish, and crappie. Good access via shoreline roads. Approximately 80 surface acres. Available services include: picnic/camp shelters, restrooms, boat ramp, and primitive camping. No drinking water. Other activities include swimming, hiking, watchable wildlife, waterfowl, and big game hunting in season with Wyoming State hunting license.
Pilot Butte Reservoir (Pavillion)
Pilot Butte Dam and Reservoir are part of the Riverton Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program. The dam is 10 miles below the Wind River Diversion Dam and was completed in 1926. Fishing year-round with Wyoming State license. Fish species include trout, ling, and crappie. Limited shoreline access via roads. Approximately 1, 000 surface acres. Available services include picnic/camping shelters, restroom, and boat ramp. No drinking water.
Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Laramie)
Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1932 primarily as a resting and breeding ground for migratory birds and to provide a haven for resident wildlife. The Refuge is located in the southern part of the Laramie Plains, a montane, park-like geographic area surrounded by mountains in southeastern Wyoming. The Refuge, at an elevation of 7, 150 feet, includes 1, 968 acres of greasewood and grassland uplands and marshlands.
National Elk Refuge (Jackson)
National Elk Refuge, located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was established in 1912 to provide winter habitat and preserve the Jackson elk herd. The Refuge's nearly 25, 000 acres provide a winter home for one of the largest wintering concentrations of elk, with nearly 7, 500 animals annually. These animals also participate in one of the longest herd migrations of elk in the lower United States on their way to and from National Elk Refuge.
Fremont Canyon Recreation Area (Pathfinder Dam) (Mills)
Located 4 miles downriver from Pathfinder Dam, North Platte Project, on the rim of the historic North Platte River canyon between Pathfinder and Alcova Reservoirs. Currently only water that is released from Pathfinder Dam and bypasses Fremont Powerplant flows past the Fremont Canyon recreation area. Interpretive signs, restroom and picnic shelter are provided. The area is also popular for rock climbing. Current Reservoir Levels.
Medicine Bow-Routt NFs and Thunder Basin National Grassland (Laramie)
The Medicine Bow/Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grasslands (TBNG) encompasses nearly 3 million acres from the north and eastern borders of Wyoming, south to the I-70 corridor that traverses northcentral Colorado.
National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center and Whiskey Mount (Lander)
The Interpretive Center provides an educational wildlife experience that highlights the local Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herd, the largest wintering Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herd in North America.
South Pass Historic Mining Area (LANDER)
This 30-square-mile area was a focal point for the discovery of gold in 1842 and the resultant 1867 gold rush that settled this part of Wyoming. By 1868, about 1, 500 people lived in the District towns of South Pass and Atlantic City, but by 1872 the boom was over and the area was all but abandoned. BLM maintains 2 campgrounds and the ghost town of Miner's Delight in the area.
Muddy Mountain Recreation Area and Education Center (Mills)
From Casper, drive south approximately 9 miles on State Highway 251 to the top of Casper Mountain, where the state road ends and County Road 505 begins. Continue on this paved road for approximately 3 miles, where it turns into a maintained dirt road. Follow this road for 3 miles to its intersection with Circle Drive. A BLM gravel road begins here; a sign indicates that it is 4 more miles to the EEA.
Shoshone River Pathway (Mills)
The Shoshone River Pathway is a segment in a network of trails in and around Cody, Wyoming. The Shoshone River Pathway (Stock Nature Trail) provides access to 55 acres of Bureau of Reclamation withdrawn lands managed under a Memorandum of Understanding by the city of Cody. Approximately 3/4 miles of gravel surfaced trail winds through upland and riparian vegetation communities along the scenic Shoshone River. On-site facilities include a restroom, resting benches and interpretive signage.
Mosier Gulch Recreation Area (Buffalo)
This area in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains is a fine place for flyfishing in Clear Creek or hunting the big game wandering out of the mountains or from the Bud Love area.
Weston Hills Recreation Area (Buffalo)
This area is just west of a segment of Thunder Basin National Grassland. Although the lower elevations here are grasslands, stands of ponderosa pines line the ridges and cover the uplands. Some intermittent creeks run near the campground. Mule deer and pronghorn antelope are abundant here. The recreationist has a choice of exploring the surrounding area on foot, on horseback, or in a high-clearance four wheel drive.
Goldeneye Reservoir (Casper)
Day use area on the shore of Goldeneye Reservoir. There is sometimes quite good trout and walleye fishing in the reservoir, and the area attracts wildlife like antelope and waterfowl.
Rim Lake (Rawlins)
This small day use area is at the southern end of the Great Divide Basin. The Atlantic Rim of the Continental Divide curves north here, and the lake lies at the northern tip. This is a nice quiet fishing area, with some undeveloped parts of the Continental Divide Trail nearby. Day use only.
Boulder Lake Recreation Site (Pinedale)
This campground is on the southern shore of Boulder Lake. There is access into the Bridger Wilderness here, great fishing, and plenty of big game in the fall. 14 day stay limit.
Pine Creek Ski Area (Kemmerer)
This ski area offers skiers a 1200' vertical rise from the Star Valley floor. There is a chairlift and a tow rope. Instructional programs and rentals are available during the winter. This mountain is at the southern end of the Tunp Range.
Three Patches Recreation Area (Rock Springs)
Three Patches is located near the top of Aspen Mountain. It is a popular local picnic area.
Bessemer Bend (Casper)
When early emigrants tried to capitalize on the commercial potential of the Mormon trail, they established toll ferries and bridges across the North Platte River. Bessemer Bend, located upstream, became a favorite free crossing because when the water was low. It was also emigrants` last chance to cross the Platte on their journey west.
Killpecker Sand Dunes (Rock Springs)
This area is comprised of two wilderness study areas, one of which is open to ORV use. If you want to hike and explore the dunes areas on foot, all the dunes east of Killpecker, stretching out across the Great Divide Basin, are open to low impact recreation, and dispersed camping.
Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge (Alcova)
Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1928 by Executive Order 4860 which reserved public lands on Pathfinder Reservoir as a refuge and breeding ground for native birds. The Refuge overlays portions of the Bureau of Reclamations Pathfinder Reservoir. The Refuge consists of four small units totaling 16, 807 acres. They are Sweetwater Arm, Goose Bay, DeWeese Creek, and Sage Creek. The Refuge is an important waterfowl unit in the western edge of the Central Flyway.
Devils Tower National Monument (Devils Tower)
The nearly vertical monolith known as Devils Tower rises 1, 267 feet above the meandering Belle Fourche River. Once hidden below the earth's surface, erosion has stripped away the softer rock layers revealing Devils Tower. Known by several northern plains tribes as Bears Lodge, it is a sacred site of worship for many American Indians. The rolling hills of this 1, 347 acre park are covered with pine forests, deciduous woodlands, and prairie grasslands.
Grand Teton National Park (Moose)
Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park protects stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife. The central feature of the park is the Teton Range ? an active, fault-block, 40-mile-long mountain front. The range includes eight peaks over 12, 000 feet (3, 658 m), including the Grand Teton at 13, 770 feet (4, 198 m). Seven morainal lakes run along the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes can be found in the backcountry.
National Historic Trails Interpretive Center (Cheyenne)
Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Laramie)
Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1993 to protect the last known breeding population of the Wyoming toad. The Refuge encompasses 1, 776 acres and is located southwest of Laramie, Wyoming. There are four main lakes that are associated with many other "Laramie plains lakes", a series of high elevation lakes in a short grass-prairie ecosystem. The Refuge is not staffed and is a satellite of Arapaho NWR.
Stateline Islands Unit (Mills)
The 107.46 acre Stateline Islands Unit lies along the North Platte River, one half mile south of Henry, Nebraska and approximately 25 miles west of the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge. The main island is surrounded by water except for a small portion on the extreme southwest corner where a levee now exists. A number of ponds are on the island which are extensively used by wildlife.
Bridger-Teton National Forests (Jackson)
Located in western Wyoming, the Bridger-Teton National Forest with its 3.4 million acres, is the second largest National Forest outside of Alaska. Included are more than 1.2 million acres of wilderness. The forest is a land of varied recreational opportunities, beautiful vistas, and abundant wildlife. Its crystal blue skies are punctuated by awesome mountain ranges which reach from 5, 900 to over 13, 000 feet. The highest point in Wyoming, Gannet Peak, is located in the Wind River Mountains.
Bighorn National Forest (Sheridan)
The Bighorn National Forest encompasses 1, 107, 671 acres in the Big Horn Mountains of north-central Wyoming. It is traversed by US 14 (Big Horn Scenic Byway), which crosses 8, 950-foot Granite Pass and winds through scenic Shell Falls and Canyon; US 14A (Medicine Wheel Passage), which passes Medicine Mountain near the enigmatic Medicine Wheel; and US 16 (Cloud Peak Skyway), which crosses Powder River Pass (9, 677 ft.) and threads through beautiful TenSleep Canyon.
Shoshone National Forest (Cody)
Located in the Wind River and Absaroka mountain ranges of northwestern Wyoming, lies the 2.4 million acre Shoshone National Forest. Elevations range from 4, 600 feet near Cody to 13, 804 feet atop Gannett Peak, the highest point in Wyoming. The higher mountains are snowclad most of the year. Immense areas of exposed rock are interspersed with meadows and forests.
Boysen Reservoir (Shoshoni)
Boysen Dam, Reservoir, and Powerplant, features of the Boysen Unit, Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, are on the Wind River about 20 miles upstream from Thermopolis, Wyoming. Fishing open year-round with State fishing license. Fish species include trout, walleye, perch, and ling. Approximately 20, 000 surface acres and 77 miles of shoreline. Good access via shoreline roads and boat ramps.
Buffalo Bill Reservoir (Cody)
Buffalo Bill Dam, of the Shoshone Project, constructed 1905-1910 on the Shoshone River about 6 miles upstream from Cody, Wyoming, is one of the first high concrete dams built in the United States. It is a feature of the Shoshone Project, one of Reclamation's earliest irrigation projects. Colonel William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody made the area now occupied by the Shoshone Project, famous in the early days of the West.
Glendo Reservoir (Glendo)
Within sight of 10, 272 foot Laramie Peak, Glendo Reservoir serves as an important resting and feeding place for numerous wetlands birds. It is also very attractive to migrant and nesting passerine species as they follow the North Platte River during migration. Glendo Dam and reservoir are features of the Pick Sloan Missouri Basin Project - Glendo Unit. Recreation is managed for the Bureau of Reclamation by Wyoming State Parks and Historic Sites.
Gray Reef Reservoir (Mills)
Gray Reef Dam, Glendo Unit, PSMBP, is on the North Platte River about 27 miles southwest of Casper, Wyoming and 2 miles downstream from Alcova Dam. Although the reservoir has a total capacity of 1, 800 acre-feet with a surface area of 182 acres, under its prescribed function as a reregulating reservoir, the water surface elevation of Gray Reef fluctuates widely from nearly full to nearly empty on a daily basis. Therefore, fish are not stocked in the reservoir.
Jackson Lake Boat Ramp (Moose)
Jackson Lake is a natural lake that was enlarged by Jackson Lake Dam which is part of the Mindoka Project. This 25, 540 acre lake offers fishing year-round except November for cutthroat, brown, and lake trout. Reservoir acre feet and total reservoir capacity and cubic feet/second release rates for rivers below Upper Snake River Basin reservoirs and select river locations are updated daily and graphically provided.
Keyhole Reservoir (Moorcroft)
Keyhole Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, consists of Keyhole Dam and Reservoir and is on the Belle Fourche River about 17 miles northeast of Moorcroft, Wyoming. French trappers settled in the vicinity of Belle Fourche and engaged in fur trading as early as 1854. Settlement in the area began with the gold rush to the Black Hills in 1876. Livestock became the principal industry in the general area.
Kortes Reservoir/Miracle Mile Area (Mills)
Kortes Dam reservoir is located in a narrow canyon below Seminoe Dam. No boat ramp available due to frequent water surges from Seminoe Dam. The Miracle Mile Area extends downstream approximately 5.5 miles from the bottom of Kortes Dam to the boundary of the southern management unit of the Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge. Eleven primitive camping areas in the Miracle Mile. Available species include brown trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and walleye. No fish stocked in Kortes Reservoir.
Ocean Lake (Mills)
Ocean Lake is a feature of the PSMBP Riverton Unit. Fishing year-round with Wyoming State license. The reservoir is famous for its crappie and ling fishing. Fish species include trout, walleye, perch, bluegill, green sunfish, and crappie. Limited access via shoreline roads. Several boat ramps located at developed recreation sites around lake. Approximately 6, 000 surface acres.
Pathfinder Reservoir (Mills)
The North Platte Project extends 111 miles along the river valley from near Guernsey, Wyoming to below Bridgeport, Nebraska. Pathfinder Dam and Reservoir are part of this project. Pathfinder Dam is one of the first constructed by the Reclamation Service (now the Bureau of Reclamation). Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Pathfinder Dam is the primary historic attraction at the reservoir. Construction of the masonry dam between 1905 and 1909 was a major engineering feat.
Ralston Reservoir (Cody)
Ralston Reservoir is formed by Ralston Dam, Shoshone Project, located offstream on the Garland Canal about 2 miles southwest of Ralston, Wyoming. No fishing. Excellent wildlife viewing area, especially wetland and waterfowl species (ducks, pelicans, and sandhill cranes). Available services include accessible bridge and walkway to viewing area and restroom. No overnight camping. No drinking water. Waterfowl hunting in season with State license.
Seminoe Reservoir (Sinclair)
The Seminoe Dam and Powerplant are on the North Platte River about 72 miles southwest of Casper, Wyoming. The Seminoe Reservoir, a major feature of the Kendrick Project, provides storage capacity for water to irrigate project lands.Recreation managed for the Bureau of Reclamation by Wyoming State Parks and Historic Sites. Seminoe State Park provides 3 campgrounds and 3 boat ramps. Available species include walleye, brown trout, rainbow trout, and cutthroat trout.
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (Green River)
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in southwestern Wyoming. The name Seedskadee originated from the Shoshone Indian word "Sisk-a-dee-agie" meaning "river of the prairie hen". The 26, 400 acre Refuge protects a diverse mosaic of riparian, wetland, and upland shrub habitats along 36 miles of the Green River. It is literally an oasis of biological diversity that bisects the vast high desert sagebrush plains of southwest Wyoming.
National Historic Trail Interpretive (Casper)
The Oregon Trail Corridor includes the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California, and Pony Express Trails. This corridor of overland routes was created by more than 350, 000 emigrants as they traveled west. The year 1843 is recognized as the start of the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri; the trail is marked with hundreds of sites emblematic of the courage and hope of the people who traveled it.
North Platte River (Rawlins)
The North Platte River is a popular fishery that traverses various terrains. The upper 20 miles run through rugged forest. The next 40 miles alternates between agricultural meadows and rugged sagebrush/ juniper communities. The rest of the river to Seminoe Reservoir is primarily rolling sagebrush hills and juniper breaks.The North Platte River is a blue-ribbon "wild" trout fishery from the border all the way to the Pick Bridge access north of Saratoga, about 65 river miles.
Newton Lakes (Cody)
Newton Lakes are jointly managed by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. The West lake is managed as a family fishery for Yellowstone Cutthroat trout and several warm water species including bluegill and crappie. The East lake is managed as a trophy fishery for Eagle Lake Rainbow and brown trout. It is well known regionally and nationally among serious fly fishermen.
Castle Gardens Scenic Area (Worland)
Castle Gardens rises ornately out of the badlands, a stone forest of red spires, giant toadstools and other fascinating and byzantine formations. Sage, cedar and juniper surround the geological wonderland, which includes a unique picnic area in the "bowl" of the Garden. This quiet day use area south of the lovely town of Tensleep once saw a terrible massacre, when some cattlemen shot Joe Emge, two other men, and all their sheep.
Upper Green River Recreation Area (Pinedale)
This section of the Green River is popular with wildlife enthusiasts who enjoy the many species of birds and small mammals who make this area their home. Elk and mule deer frequent the area, and kokanee salmon and trout inhabit the waters. This is cattle country- in the June, cowboys round up the thousands of cattle which graze in the area through the winter, and herd them together in what is called the "Green River Drift.
Fontenelle Creek Recreation Area (Kemmerer)
This campground is on the shores of Fontenelle Reservoir, created when the Green River was dammed. The area contains fishing and water sports within spectacular badlands. There are several historic sites from the trapping days and the western migration, like Holden Hill and Names Hill.
Legend Rock Petroglyph Site (Worland)
This is one of the finest sites for prehistoric rock art in Wyoming. 283 petroglyphs have been found here, depicting bison, elk, humans, and a flying jackrabbit. Not much is known about the people who pecked these into the rock, but it is suspected that these had shamanic significance. Nearby is another prehistoric site, Great Arrow, a stone structure that points toward the Medicine Wheel in the Bighorn Mountains.
Names Hill (Pinedale)
This site is part of a popular shortcut, the Lander Cutoff, between the South Pass and the Snake River valleys. Over 13, 000 emigrants used this route in 1859, the first year it was open. Many of them carved their names onto the "register" of the route, Names Hill, as they rested by the river after a dry walk from the Big Sandy River. The most famous name on the register is that of trapper Jim Bridger, who passed by in 1844.
Yellowstone National Park (Yellowstone National Park)
Long before any recorded human history in Yellowstone, a massive volcanic eruption spewed an immense volume of ash that covered all of the western U.S., much of the Midwest, northern Mexico and some areas of the eastern Pacific. The eruption dwarfed that of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 and left a caldera 30 miles wide by 45 miles long.
Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge (Albany County)
Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1932 and is located in the southern part of Albany County, Wyoming. The Refuge consists of 1, 116 acres on three separate parcels of land interspersed with private and state land. Bamforth Lake, located a the bottom of a basin, is mostly state owned with approximately 100 acres of the total 550-acre lake bottom acres under Refuge control. The remainder of the Refuge is dominated by a greasewood and grassland upland and alkali flats.
Fossil Butte National Monument (Kemmerer)
This 50-million year old lake bed is one of the richest fossil localities in the world. Recorded in limestone are dynamic and complete paleoecosystems that spanned two million years. Preservation is so complete that it allows for detailed study of climate change and its effects on biological communities. Visitors discover that this resource displays the interrelationships of plants, insects, fishes, reptiles and mammals, like few other known fossil sites.
Fort Laramie National Historic Site (Fort Laramie)
Fort Laramie- the Crossroads of a Nation Moving West. This unique historic place preserves and interprets one of America's most important locations in the history of westward expansion and Indian resistance. In 1834, where the Cheyenne and Arapaho travelled, traded and hunted, a fur trading post was created. Soon to be known as Fort Laramie, it rested at a location that would quickly prove to be the path of least resistance across a continent.
John D Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway (Moose)
Located at the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Rockefeller Parkway connects Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The late conservationist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. made significant contributions to several national parks including Grand Teton, Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, and Virgin Islands. In 1972 Congress dedicated a 24, 000 acre parcel of land as John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway to recognize his generosity and foresight.
Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (Green River)
Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located south of Cokeville, Wyoming, is centered around a 20-mile stretch of the Bear River and its associated wetlands and uplands. The Refuge was established in 1992. While the approved acquisition boundary for the Refuge totals 26, 657 acres, only 7, 483 acres have been purchased or are protected through conservation easements to date. Land acquisition is ongoing from willing sellers only.