Things to See and Do (continued) 

Red Gulch / Alkali National Back Country Byway traverses 32 miles along the western edge of the Bighorn Mountains. An informational exhibit marks each entrance with historical information as well as road conditions. Take a step back in time as you travel this historic route. A series of wayside exhibits is planned in the near future. Explore the many different types of transportation our ancestors used to travel this scenic route. The road is marked with mileage signs to help you track your trip and it can be driven May through October. During and immediately after even light rain, travel on the byway is not safe since it can get very muddy. The road winds through remote country side. Please take all necessary safety precautions. The road is maintained on an annual basis, however some areas can accumulate several inches of dust. In normal conditions, a high clearance, two-wheel drive vehicle can manage the road without much difficulty.

You can get there driving from U.S. Highway 14 four miles west of Shell and turn south onto the Red Gulch Road. The southern entry can be reached from U.S. Highway 31, north of Hyattville.

Duck Swamp Environmental Education Area provides an outdoor learning experience on Bureau of Land Management-administered public lands. This area, located just north of Worland, on WY Highway 433, highlights the natural dynamics of a wetland area along the Big Horn River. The 80-acre tract encompasses an old river oxbow that has become a cattail marsh, providing habitat for numerous wildlife species.

You can get there by driving two miles north of Worland on WY Highway 433, or by driving 20 miles south of Manderson on WY Highway 433. The Duck Swamp Environmental Education Area is on the east side of the road.

The Big Horn River provides boating, fishing, and hunting in northern Wyoming's Big Horn Basin. It irrigates farmland and is occasionally fed by small tributaries from both the east and west sides of the basin. Boaters appreciate its solitude and ever-changing scenery. Anglers can catch Brown, Cutthroat and Rainbow trout, and Ling. The Big Horn River is approximately 130 miles long and is publicly accessible in a number of locations; check with the local BLM office for details.

The Middle Fork of the Powder River Campground attracts hundreds of anglers yearning to fish the clear waters of this blue-ribbon trout stream. Flowing through the rolling hills of the southern Bighorn Mountains, this river is home to a small BLM-administered campground nestled on its bank.

You can get there from Ten Sleep by driving 20 miles south on WY Highway 434 to Big Trails, turn east onto the Dry Farm Road and continue on this road 10 miles to the Hazelton Road. Continue driving south on the Hazelton Road 10 miles to the campground located on the east side of the road. From Buffalo drive 23 miles west on U.S. Highway 16 to the Hazelton Road turnoff and continue on this road 40 miles to the campground. From Casper, drive west 50 miles on U.S. Highway 20/26, and turn north at Waltman. Follow the Thirty-Three Mile Stock Drive 42 miles to the campground.

Castle Gardens Scenic Area gets its name from some impressive rock formations. A small campground managed by the BLM, comes with tables, grills, and toilet facilities, and is cradled by sandstone from the Mesa Verde Formation.

The easily-weathered sandstone forms the many odd shapes or hoodoos, in what has been called the Teapot Sandstone member of the Mesa Verde Formation, because the shapes resemble teapots.

You can get there by driving two miles west of Ten Sleep on U.S. Highway 16 and follow the signs five miles to Castle Gardens Scenic Area.

Gooseberry Scenic Area is named for the Gooseberry Creek south of the site. This scenic area provides panoramic view of the sculptured landscape. The overlook reveals a mystical world of bizarre geologic arches, goblins, hoodoos, mushrooms, and castles. The colorful and banded rocks of the Tatman and Willwood Formations attract many people wishing to capture the beauty with their camera.

You can get there from Worland by driving seven miles south on U.S. Highway 20/26 and turning west on WY Highway 431. Continue driving 23 miles to the scenic area. The Gooseberry Scenic Area is on the north side of the road.

Big Cedar Ridge Plant Fossil Area holds plant fossils that are 72 million years old. Big Cedar Ridge is located on public lands about halfway between Worland and Ten Sleep, Wyoming. When these plants were growing the dinosaur reign was coming to a close. The plant fossils are keys that may unlock the mysteries of what the environment was like so long ago. A complete late Cretaceous-age plant community was buried in place by volcanic ash. Through erosion and continued research, Big Cedar Ridge slowly unveils its treasure of fossilized plants. For nearly three miles, the exposed fossils show the relationship between ancient plants and their landscape. You can help scientists by reporting your fossil finds to the BLM. Plant fossils (animals without a backbone) can be collected in small amounts with hand tools.

You can get there from Worland by driving 15 miles east on WY Highway 16 to the Blue Bank Road. Continue driving on the Blue Bank Road 15 miles to Big Cedar Ridge.

Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site Located at the mouth of Medicine Lodge Canyon, six miles northeast of Hyattville, off Hwy. 31 along the western slope of the Big Horn Mountains, is Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site. The sandstone cliff does not look much like someone's home, but beneath this towering wall archaeologists discovered evidence that people have lived at this site contiguously for over 10,000 years. The petroglyphs and pictographs etched and painted on the wall's surface indicate a human presence to the early white homesteaders, but not to such an ancient degree.

In 1969 Dr. George Frison, then Wyoming State Archaeologist, began a series of investigations that involved digging through 26 feet of soil and rocky sediments at the base of the cliff. He discovered 60 cultural levels spanning some 10,000 years of human occupancy. Also, found during the dig were fire pits, food storage pits, manos and metates, projectile points and a bone pile. This unique find has enabled archaeologists to study lifestyle changes over time and in fact, has provided a key to interpreting the archaeology of the entire Big Horn Basin of Northern Wyoming.

Today Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site, administered jointly by the Division of State Parks and Historic Sites, Wyoming Department of Commerce and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is a favorite camping spot for people who come to relax, fish, hike, hunt, bird watch, bike or learn about the rich cultural past of the area. The dig site itself has been back-filled for protection, but there is a Visitor Center on the site to provide information and pictures of what took place.

For more details about the Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site contact Superintendent Dave Taylor at Box 62, Hyattville, WY 82428, 307-469-2234 or Division of State Parks and Historic Sites, Wyoming Department of Commerce, 6101 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, WY 82002, 307-777-6323.

Northeast of Hyattville you will also find the Elk Wildlife Habitat Site. Just past the turnoff to the Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site is Cold Springs Road. Travel 4.5 miles to the entrance to the Elk Wildlife Habitat Site.

Photos courtesy of the Wyoming Department of Commerce

Washakie Museum offers its visitors an opportunity to relate to the living environment of the early settlers from thousands of years ago to one hundred years ago. Exhibits, including a major historical photograph collection, and learning programs relating to the art, history, geology, archaeology and paleontology of the region are featured at the museum, as well as musical and theatrical events. The "Please Touch" exhibits offer fun for both children and adults. The art exhibits change regularly. Please call for upcoming events.

Washakie Museum 1115 Obie Sue (12th & Obie Sue), Worland. 347-4102.

Ten Sleep Preserve - The Nature Conservancy's Tensleep Preserve lies 10 miles from the town of Ten Sleep. Violet-blue flowers called Cary's penstemon, a rare and threatened wildflower, grow better on the 10,000 acres than almost anywhere. Mule deer, mountain lions, a variety of birds of prey like bald and golden eagles and merlins, Merriam's shrews, black bear, elk, beaver, and the rare spotted bat, as well as other wildlife live in the preserve's canyons. They are worth the watching.

The Tensleep Preserve is a spectacular example of the wildness and diversity of Wyoming. The heart of this protected natural area is a 12 mile stretch of Canyon Creek, carving a deep canyon through the southwestern flanks of the Bighorn Mountains. A rugged collection of canyons, uplands and forests, the Preserve is home to eight plant communities, and over 120 bird species.

Ancient pictographs and Indian gathering sites reveal a long history of people and the land. The ecological richness that first attracted early American peoples to this site continues to attract visitors as The Nature Conservancy manages this preserve for both people and the environment.

Tensleep Preserve is located in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in north central Wyoming. For any visit to Tensleep, we request that you call the preserve to plan your visit before you arrive. From mid-April to mid-December, contact: Tensleep Preserve, HC-30, Box 101, Ten Sleep, WY 82442, (307) 347-2671. During the winter months, contact: Wyoming Chapter, 258 Main Street, Suite 200, Lander, WY 82520, (307) 332-2971.

For more information contact us at:

Worland-Ten Sleep Chamber of Commerce
120 North 10th St., Worland, WY 82401 ~ (307) 347-3226 ~ Fax: (307) 347-3025

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