Sightseeing & Wildlife

Worland

Lovingly known as “Worlando Beach,” Wyoming’s hot spot has deep roots in agriculture, oil, and gas, add to that a Pepsi bottling company supplying seven states and you have a diversity nearly recession proof. Shopping our local stores and specialty shops will take your mind off the road as you walk the downtown. N44*01.10 W107*57.20

Ten Sleep

The perfect location, halfway between the summer encampment and the winter encampment of the Sioux tribe, ten days or ‘ten sleeps’ from each, the location was a favored hunting camp and resting place before moving on to restore their supplies before moving on to their camp. Ten Sleep continues to be a great place to stop and rest, replenish yourself before moving on. Hunting , fishing, rock climbing, hiking or just taking in the scenery, this community welcomes you with open arms and invites you to stick around and enjoy. N44*02.02 W107*26.59

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 Ten Sleep 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.

Ten Sleep Canyon

From Meadowlark Lake down to the red ridges of the foot hills outside of Ten Sleep, Highway 16 traverses Ten Sleep Canyon and is one of god’s wonders. Extreme Sports men and women are finding this unspoiled beauty while rock climbing, caving, hiking or mountain biking. The cliffs take on a life of their own with shapes and faces carved out by millions of years of wind and water, with the trees and plants filling in the detail. A trip up or down the old highway is a special treat, but make sure you have time and a vehicle that can handle it.

Ten Sleep Preserve is located in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in north central Wyoming. For any visit to Ten Sleep, we request that you call the preserve to plan your visit before you arrive. From mid-April to mid-December, contact: Ten Sleep 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. N43 58.736 W107 13.745

Gooseberry Scenic Area

Hidden right next to the highway is a wonder of nature, a Painted Desert filled with wondrous shapes, colors and landscapes. Have a little time? Step out beyond the overlook and onto the trail, but be sure you bring your camera because the next hour or so will be filled with a mystical world of geologic arches, mushrooms and colorful walls. The banded rocks of the Tatman and Wilwood formations ever changing from the wind and what little water the area gets, holes and caves have washed out displaying the colorful mud patterns at your feet. On Wyoming Highway 431, just 23 miles west of the US Highway 20/26 intersection, 8 miles south of Worland.

Artesian Fountain

Travelers will also enjoy a stop at our Artesian Fountain, fill your water jugs or taste the award winning water that is bottled and sold as Aquavista. The fountain sits just north of the Indian Brave and next to the Worland-Ten Sleep Chamber of Commerce, filled with information about our area and the state of Wyoming, they will gladly assist you. N44 01.03 W107 57.24

Duck Swamp Environmental Education Area Overlook

80 acres encompassing an old river oxbow that has turned into a cattail march, home to many species of birds and wildlife. From the overlook you can watch them in their natural habitat, located just north of Worland on highway 433. This unique site provides an outdoor learning experience on Bureau of Land Management public lands. N44 02.50 W107 57.53

Sand Creek Divide

The high point between Worland and Ten Sleep doesn’t mean much unless you want to see five mountain ranges from one location To the east the Big Horn Mountains, to the south the Owl Creek Mountains, to the west the Absaroka Mountains the northwest are the Carter Mountains and to the north the Pryor Mountains. The Big Horn Basin opens up before you and you can see it all while standing in one location. N44 01.55 W107 43.43

Signal Bluff

One the west edge of Ten Sleep is a large red bluff, visible for forty miles to the north and to the south along the Big Horn Mountains, and easy place for smoke to be spotted during the day and even a small fire at night from all along the range. N44 01.54 W107 28.14

Castle Gardens

Wind and water has shaped the sandstone in to amazing vistas and formations, this area and picnic ground has been a local favorite for years, climbing the rocks and wandering the area gives many picture opportunities. The small campground comes with tables, grills, and toilet facilities among the sandstone from the Mesa Verde Formation.
Two miles from Ten Sleep, you turn south and follow the signs. N43 57.25 W107 31.01

Wigwam Rearing Station

If you like fishing this will be a special treat, the Wigwam Rearing station is where many of the fish stocked across Wyoming are raised. Two springsd and a well provide 1400 gallons of water per minute at a constant temperature of 50*F, this is important for the growth and in determining how many fish can held at any given time. Using water from Ten Sleep Creek provides water for the Snake River Cutthroat Brood stock, providing nearly wild conditions for spawning. Not only does Wigwam have the cutthroat brood stock but also Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout and has many other species at various ages. N44 03.52 W107 22.54

Ten Sleep Fish Hatchery

Ten Sleep State Fish Hatchery was constructed in 1939 and is nestled in the beautiful Ten Sleep Canyon, 9 miles east of the town of Ten Sleep, Wyoming off U.S. Highway 16 on U.S. Highway 435. It is situated upstream form the confluence of Leigh Creek and Ten Sleep Creek at the base of the popular Big Horn Mountains.

In a typical year, the hatchery receives between 5 and 6 million green eggs (just fertilized) some are hatched at the facility, and others are shipped to facilities throughout the state and the country as eyed eggs.  The eggs hatched at the facility are either stocked in area waters as fish or transferred to other state operated facilities. N44 04.54 W107 18.36

Rome Hill Road

Once an Indian trail, just a bit of a horse track coming down the side of the mountain. Around 1900 Bull & Neal opened the Rome Store on Canyon Creek east of Ten Sleep, and then created a “rough lock “road over the trail. A “rough lock” was done simply by placing a pole through the spokes on the wagon wheels and locking them into place to “skid” the load down the hill or mountain in this case. Over the years it was used to drag logs off the mountain in much the same fashion. In the 1930s it was graded into the road we see to day. The Rome Hill Road provides a back route up to the mountain or off of it with a beauty all its own.