Where Wyoming Wanders

The whole guide, in words

Every place on the map, town by town — each with the note we'd give you across the kitchen counter. Wyo Stays is a licensed Wyoming brokerage; we live here.

Beyond Sheridan — Big Trips & Road-Trip Stops

Sheridan sits almost exactly halfway between Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore, right on I-90. Base here, skip the gateway-town prices, and day-trip in every direction — see the full road-trip guide.

• CodyGateway Town

  148 mi · ~3 hr (over the Bighorns via Greybull)

  The east gateway to Yellowstone (53 mi from the East Entrance) and home of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West — a Smithsonian Affiliate with five museums under one roof. Nightly summer rodeo, the historic Irma Hotel, and one of America's great scenic drives into the park. A perfect long-day trip from Sheridan, or the far end of a Bighorns loop. Base with us and skip Cody's peak-season room rates.

  Do Cody + Yellowstone as day trips from a Wyo Stays cabin — better value, fewer crowds.

• Jackson HoleGateway Town

  ~335 mi · ~5.5–6 hr (via Wind River Canyon & Dubois)

  The south gateway to Grand Teton and Yellowstone — world-class, and priced like it. Most travelers don't realize Sheridan is the crowd-free, half-the-price side of the same mountains. Great as the far anchor of a grand Wyoming loop; the drive down through Wind River Canyon is a stunner. Position Sheridan as the smarter first or last stop.

  Bookend a Teton trip with Sheridan — same Wyoming, none of the Jackson markup.

• UcrossGateway Town

  28 mi · ~30 min (SE on US-14/16)

  A 20,000-acre working ranch and one of the most respected artist residencies in the country. The public Big Red Barn gallery (1882, on the National Register) is free year-round, and the Ucross Café pours espresso and fresh pastries under enormous skies. A quietly extraordinary, only-locals-know-it half-day at the confluence of three creeks.

  A 30-minute drive to world-class art in the middle of a cattle ranch — pure Wyo Stays territory.

• ClearmontGateway Town

  35 mi · ~40 min (SE on US-14/16)

  Tiny ranch-country town on the Powder River road, gateway to Ucross and the wide-open eastern half of Sheridan County. The kind of place you drive to for the drive — big skies, cottonwoods, and not another car for miles. Pair it with Ucross for a slow backroads afternoon.

  The quiet side of the county, 40 minutes out — and you'll have it to yourself.

• BeulahGateway Town

  ~130 mi · ~2 hr (I-90 E toward the Black Hills)

  Wyoming's easternmost town and the gateway to the Black Hills — home of the Vore Buffalo Jump, a natural sinkhole where tribes drove bison from ~1500–1800 A.D., holding the bones of an estimated 20,000 buffalo. The Buffalo Jump Saloon serves grass-fed bison, and Sand Creek is a blue-ribbon trout fishery. The perfect break on the run to Devils Tower, Spearfish, or Mount Rushmore.

  On the road to the Black Hills? Start from Sheridan and hit Devils Tower + the Vore Jump on the way.

• Mount Rushmore National MemorialBig Day Trip

  ~250 mi · ~4 hr

  The face of America, ~4 hours east through the Black Hills. Sheridan is almost exactly halfway between Rushmore and Yellowstone — which is the whole point: do both from one Wyoming basecamp. Best as an overnight loop with Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, and Deadwood; doable as a very long day for the determined.

  Rushmore one direction, Yellowstone the other — Sheridan is the hinge of the Great American West road trip.

• Crazy Horse MemorialBig Day Trip

  ~255 mi · ~4.25 hr

  The largest mountain carving in the world, still in progress, honoring Lakota leader Crazy Horse. Pairs naturally with Mount Rushmore on a Black Hills overnight from Sheridan.

  Add it to a Black Hills loop out of your Sheridan basecamp.

• Custer State ParkBig Day Trip

  ~230 mi · ~3.75 hr

  71,000 acres of granite spires, the famous Wildlife Loop with free-roaming bison, and the white-knuckle Needles Highway. The best of the Black Hills in one park — anchor an overnight around it.

  The Black Hills wildlife loop, from a Wyo Stays basecamp.

• DeadwoodBig Day Trip

  ~150 mi · ~2.5 hr

  The Wild West town of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane — gold-rush history, saloons, and gaming, only 2.5 hours east. An easy add-on to a Devils Tower or Spearfish day.

  Wild West by day, back to the quiet of the Bighorns by night.

• Spearfish Canyon & WaterfallsBig Day Trip

  ~120 mi · ~2 hr

  A jaw-dropping limestone canyon with roadside waterfalls (Bridal Veil, Roughlock) and blazing fall color — the prettiest 2-hour drive to a day trip you can make east of here. Easy stops the whole family can do.

  Chase waterfalls in the Black Hills and be home for dinner.

• Badlands National ParkBig Day Trip

  ~290 mi · ~4.5 hr

  A surreal moonscape of striped spires and prairie, ~4.5 hours east — best paired with Wall Drug and a Black Hills overnight rather than a single day. Stunning at sunrise and sunset.

  Part of the great eastern loop from your Sheridan base.

• Wall DrugBig Day Trip

  ~275 mi · ~4.25 hr

  The world's most famous roadside stop — free ice water since 1931, a 5-cent coffee, jackalopes, and endless kitsch at the doorstep of the Badlands. Pure Americana and a guaranteed kid-pleaser on a Badlands run.

  The classic Great Plains road trip — start rested in Sheridan.

• Yellowstone National Park (East / Cody entrance)Big Day Trip

  ~200 mi · ~4 hr to the East Entrance (via Cody)

  The big one. The East Entrance via Cody is one of the most scenic approaches in the system. Doable as a long day to the Lamar Valley/NE via Beartooth, but far better as an overnight — and Sheridan is the crowd-free, better-value place everyone else drives past on the way. Ask us about routing over the Bighorns and through Cody.

  Yellowstone without Yellowstone prices — base in the Bighorns and drive in.

• Beartooth Highway (US-212)Big Day Trip

  ~180 mi · ~3.5 hr to Red Lodge

  Called the most beautiful drive in America — a switchbacking climb to nearly 11,000 feet on the way to Yellowstone's NE entrance. Open summer only (roughly late May–early Oct). An epic full-day drive-and-return, or the scenic route into the park.

  Take the most beautiful road in America into Yellowstone — from a Sheridan basecamp.

• Thermopolis Hot Springs (Hot Springs State Park)Big Day Trip

  ~150 mi · ~2.5 hr (via Ten Sleep & the Bighorn Basin)

  The world's largest mineral hot spring, with a FREE state bathhouse — soak for nothing in the middle of Wyoming. Add the Wyoming Dinosaur Center and the drive down through Ten Sleep Canyon and it's a superb, underrated day trip. Deeply relaxing after a few days on the trails.

  Soak in the world's largest hot spring for free, then home to the Bighorns.

• Ten Sleep & Ten Sleep CanyonBig Day Trip

  ~90 mi · ~2 hr (over the Bighorns on US-16)

  A world-class rock-climbing destination and a charming small town on the far side of the Bighorns via the Cloud Peak Skyway. Ten Sleep Brewing and the canyon drive make it a perfect loop-back day over the mountains.

  Loop the Bighorns: up the Skyway, down into Ten Sleep, home by dark.

• Tongue River Reservoir State ParkLakes & Fishing

  Decker (MT line)

  A 12-mile reservoir in red-shale canyon country that's given up two state fishing records. Boat, swim, camp, or just cast from the bank. About 45 minutes north.

• Devils Tower National MonumentBig Day Trips

  Devils Tower

  America's first national monument, ~1.5 hours east — an 867-ft volcanic monolith rising straight out of the prairie. The paved 1.3-mile loop around the base is easy for everyone. The single best half-to-full-day trip from Sheridan.

• Little Bighorn Battlefield National MonumentBig Day Trips

  Crow Agency, MT

  Custer's Last Stand, ~1 hour north across the Montana line. Sobering, beautifully interpreted, and genuinely moving. Time it with the summer living-history programs if you can.

• Yellowstone National Park (northeast gateway)Big Day Trips

  via Cody/Cooke City

  The big one, ~3.5–4 hours west. Doable as a very long day, but far better as an overnight — and Sheridan is the crowd-free basecamp everyone else drives past. Ask us about routing over the Bighorns and through Cody.

• Bighorn Canyon National Recreation AreaBig Day Trips

  Lovell

  A 1,000-ft-deep canyon, turquoise reservoir, and the Pryor Mountain wild-horse range on the west side of the Bighorns, ~2 hours out. Spectacular and uncrowded — combine it with the Medicine Wheel for an epic loop.

• Bighorn Lake (Horseshoe Bend)Lakes & Fishing

  Lovell

  The 71-mile reservoir of Bighorn Canyon — boating, swimming, and a marina at Horseshoe Bend, wrapped in red canyon walls and wild horses.

Questions we answer every week

The calendar that shapes a trip

• Sheridan WYO RodeoSheridan · annual, 2nd full week of July

  The 95th year and the single biggest week in Sheridan — 50+ events: PRCA rodeo nights, the Boot Kick-Off, pancake breakfast, Sneakers & Spurs 5K, the Main Street Parade, carnival, and the World Championship Indian Relay. If a guest's stay touches this week, everything books out and rates peak. Book 90+ days ahead.

• Don King DaysBig Horn · annual, Labor Day weekend

  38th year — steer roping, old-style bronc riding, and championship polo at the Big Horn Equestrian Center. The most authentically Wyoming event on the calendar and a perfect shoulder-season draw. Pairs with a stay in Big Horn or downtown Sheridan.

• Sunday Polo at Big Horn Equestrian CenterBig Horn · annual, Sun afternoons all summer

  Free Sunday-afternoon polo all summer with the Bighorns behind the field. Bring a blanket and a cooler. The easiest 'wow, this place is special' win we can hand a guest.

• Sheridan Farmers MarketSheridan · annual, Thursday evenings in summer

  Thursday-evening market on Grinnell Plaza — produce, makers, food trucks, live music. The best free night out downtown in July and August.

• Longmire DaysBuffalo · annual, late July (verify)

  Buffalo is the real-life setting for Craig Johnson's Longmire novels, and each summer the town throws a multi-day festival with cast appearances, author talks, and Western events. Huge for Johnson County — a reason to book Clear Creek Crossing or the Buffalo cabins. Verify exact dates; they shift year to year.

• Occidental Bluegrass JamBuffalo · weekly, Thursdays 7–9pm year-round

  Free live bluegrass every Thursday in the historic Occidental Saloon. Walkable from the Buffalo stays — the definitive Johnson County evening.

• Third Thursday Street FestivalSheridan · annual, 3rd Thursday May–Sep

  Main Street closes for music, vendors, and food on the third Thursday of each summer month. Easy, festive, walkable from any downtown stay.

• Antelope Butte Winter SeasonBighorns · annual, snow-dependent

  The community ski hill spins its lifts once snow allows — the anchor of a Sheridan winter trip. Best rates of the year on stays; pair with Antelope Butte turns by day and the Mint Bar by night.

• Big-Game Hunting SeasonRegion · annual (per WY Game & Fish units)

  Elk, deer, and antelope seasons fill the fall. This is a core Wyo Stays audience — surface hunting-friendly cabins, early-coffee logistics, and guide connections. Confirm dates/units at wgfd.wyo.gov.