Wyoming has a way of making the landscape feel larger than life. The best places to visit in Wyoming range from mineral springs and towering granite peaks to dusty Western streets where legends once walked. This is a state where buffalo roam beneath enormous skies, geysers erupt on schedule, and historic buildings still echo with frontier stories.
Beyond its spectacular scenery, Wyoming delivers plenty of personality. Steaming mineral pools, a grand hotel steeped in cowboy history, towering rock formations, and historic downtown streets bring the state’s character into sharp focus.
From colorful geothermal wonders to rugged mountain vistas, the best places to visit in Wyoming offer a fascinating mix of natural beauty, frontier history, and distinctly Western charm.
9 Thermopolis Hot Springs
Thermopolis is home to one of Wyoming’s most remarkable natural attractions: Hot Springs State Park, where more than 3.5 million gallons of mineral-rich water emerge from the ground every day. The water reaches about 135 degrees before cooling as it flows through the terraces. Visitors can soak in both indoor and outdoor pools, enjoying the warm mineral water while taking in views of the surrounding hills and colorful formations.
The springs have been important to Native American peoples for centuries, and Wyoming established Hot Springs State Reserve in 1897 after acquiring the land through an agreement with the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes. The Rainbow Terraces are especially striking, with bands of white, orange, yellow, and pink mineral deposits created by the flowing thermal water. The park also features a swinging bridge over the Bighorn River and beautifully landscaped grounds surrounding the springs.
8 Bighorn National Forest
Bighorn National Forest stretches across more than 1 million acres of mountains, forests, alpine meadows, waterfalls, and deep canyons in north-central Wyoming. The Bighorn Mountains rise dramatically from the surrounding plains, creating a landscape that feels wonderfully remote. Scenic drives reveal pine-covered slopes, rocky cliffs, high-elevation lakes, and sweeping overlooks where the horizon seems to stretch forever.
The Cloud Peak Wilderness protects some of the most spectacular terrain, including Cloud Peak, which rises 13,167 feet above sea level. One of the forest’s most fascinating roads is the Bighorn Scenic Byway, climbing from the plains toward high mountain country. Along the way, Shell Falls plunges 120 feet through a rugged canyon, while nearby Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark reflects the area’s deep Native American history.
7 Devils Tower
Rising 867 feet above the surrounding prairie, Devils Tower looks almost impossibly sculpted. The massive formation consists of columns of phonolite porphyry, created when molten rock cooled and contracted deep underground millions of years ago. Erosion eventually stripped away the softer surrounding rock, revealing the dramatic tower seen today. Its vertical columns make the formation especially distinctive and have fascinated visitors for generations.
Devils Tower became America’s first national monument when President Theodore Roosevelt signed the proclamation establishing it on September 24, 1906. The tower also carries deep spiritual significance for several Native American tribes, and prayer bundles can sometimes be seen in the surrounding forest. Its striking silhouette gained another layer of fame after appearing prominently in the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
6 Cheyenne
Wyoming’s capital combines frontier history with the polished architecture of a surprisingly elegant Western city. Cheyenne was founded in 1867 as the Union Pacific Railroad pushed westward, and the railroad quickly transformed the settlement into a bustling transportation center. Historic downtown streets still feature handsome brick buildings, ornate facades, old-fashioned storefronts, and the impressive Wyoming State Capitol, completed in 1890.
Cheyenne embraces its cowboy identity every July during Cheyenne Frontier Days, one of the largest outdoor rodeos in the world. The celebration began in 1897 and has grown into a ten-day spectacle of rodeo competition, concerts, parades, and Western traditions. The city’s Old West atmosphere becomes especially vivid around the historic Cheyenne Depot Plaza, where the beautifully restored 1887 Union Pacific Depot stands as a reminder of the railroad’s enormous influence.
5 Buffalo
Tucked against the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, Buffalo feels like a Western movie set that never stopped being real. Its historic downtown is lined with beautifully preserved brick buildings, including the Occidental Hotel, which opened in 1880 and became a gathering place for ranchers, travelers, soldiers, and famous frontier characters. The hotel’s richly decorated interior still captures the atmosphere of Wyoming’s rough-and-ready territorial days.
Buffalo’s history is closely tied to the legendary figures of the American West. Calamity Jane passed through the region, while Buffalo Bill Cody spent time in the area and became part of its colorful mythology. The town also sits near the historic Bozeman Trail, a route used by emigrants traveling toward Montana during the 1860s. Today, independent shops, galleries, restaurants, and historic buildings give downtown Buffalo a wonderfully authentic character and earn it as spot as one of the best places to visit in Wyoming.
4 Cody
Cody delivers Western history with a generous dose of theatrical flair. Founded in 1896 by William F. Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, the town grew near the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Buffalo Bill envisioned Cody as a gateway for travelers heading toward the park, and his influence remains everywhere, from the town’s name to its celebrated museums and enduring cowboy culture.
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is the centerpiece, combining five museums devoted to Western art, firearms, Native American cultures, natural history, and Buffalo Bill himself. In summer, the Cody Nite Rodeo keeps the Western spirit roaring after dark, while the historic Irma Hotel, opened by Buffalo Bill in 1902 and named for his daughter, adds Victorian-era charm. Cody’s streets feel alive with stories of ranchers, performers, explorers, and showmen.
3 Jackson
Jackson blends rugged mountain scenery with an energetic downtown packed with Western character. The town grew from a small settlement in the late 1800s and was named for fur trapper Davey Jackson. Today, the famous town square is framed by four enormous arches constructed from elk antlers collected from the nearby National Elk Refuge. The arches give Jackson an unmistakable identity and make the square one of Wyoming’s most recognizable landmarks.
The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, opened in 1937, adds another memorable piece of Western history. Its interior features saddle-style bar stools and a distinctly cowboy atmosphere, while the surrounding streets offer galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and historic buildings. Horse-drawn stagecoaches and wagon rides add to the frontier ambiance during warmer months. With the jagged Teton Range rising nearby, Jackson manages to feel both polished and gloriously wild.
2 Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is a landscape of spectacular contradictions: boiling springs beside icy rivers, colorful pools surrounded by pine forests, and thundering waterfalls hidden within immense canyons. Established on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park, protecting an extraordinary volcanic landscape that stretches across more than 2 million acres. Its geothermal activity makes the park unlike almost anywhere else on Earth.
Old Faithful remains the star attraction, regularly sending a towering column of hot water into the sky. Nearby, Grand Prismatic Spring glows with rings of intense blue, orange, yellow, and green created by heat-loving microorganisms. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Artist Paintpots, and Mammoth Hot Springs are also visitors’ favorites.
Yellowstone also contains the historic Old Faithful Inn, completed in 1904. Its enormous log construction, massive stone fireplace, and soaring timber-framed lobby make it one of the country’s most remarkable examples of rustic architecture.
1 Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park delivers the kind of mountain scenery that makes everything else seem suddenly smaller. The jagged Teton Range rises dramatically from the valley floor, with Grand Teton reaching 13,775 feet. Unlike many mountain ranges, the Tetons have relatively little foothill terrain, allowing their steep granite faces to rise with astonishing clarity above Jackson Hole.
The park’s scenery is enhanced by sparkling lakes, winding rivers, golden meadows, and historic buildings scattered through the valley. Mormon Row is especially photogenic, with weathered barns and homesteads standing beneath the towering peaks. The Chapel of the Transfiguration, built in 1925, has a rustic log exterior and a small window framing the mountains like a natural cathedral. Nearby Jenny Lake offers some of the park’s most beautiful views, while Snake River overlooks reveal the Tetons in all their dramatic glory.
Conclusion
From steaming springs and historic cowboy towns to enormous mountains and geothermal wonders, Wyoming packs extraordinary variety into one unforgettable state. The best places to visit in Wyoming reveal a destination where history, adventure, architecture, and wild landscapes come together, creating a road trip filled with stories at nearly every turn.
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About the Author
Patti Morrow
is a travel influencer and founder of the award-winning international blog Luggage and Lipstick. TripAdvisor called her one of the “20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers Having More Fun Than Millennials,” and she was named one of the “Top 35 Travel Blogs” in the world.
She is also the star of the upcoming TV series “Destination Takeover,” which is scheduled to premiere in the near future.
Patti is the author of the book “Girls Go Solo: Tips for Women Traveling Alone,” and has over 150 bylines in 40 print and online publications, including The Huffington Post, International Living Magazine, Washington Post Sunday Travel, Travel Girl, Travel Play Live Magazine, and Ladies Home Journal. Her blog articles are consistently featured on Google’s AI search, as well as appearing on page one of Google search for specific keywords.
She has traveled extensively through six continents and more than 100 countries and island territories – putting her in an elite club of having traveled more than 99.99% of people! She is always looking for fabulous destinations, exotic beaches, and adventure activities for her Baby Boomer tribe.
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