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Buffalo and Johnson County Scenic Driving Tours
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The Cloud Peak Scenic Skyway, a portion of U.S. Highway 16 west from Buffalo, Wyoming, (left),is the fastest, safest and most scenic route to Yellowstone National Park thorugh the Big HornMountains.
The Cloud Peak Scenic Skyway traverses the southern Big Horn Mountains and offers breathtaking vistas of the snowcapped peaks of the Big Horns along its 45 mile length to Ten Sleep. Highlights include Hospital Hill, Powder Pass, Meadow Lark Lake and Tensleep Canyon. There is an abundance of wildlife, including deer, elk and moose in the Big Horns and sometimes can be seen from the highway.
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Historic and Scenic Loop Tours around Buffalo and Johnson County, Wyoming
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Nothing compares to visiting actual historical sites and visualizing the events as they occured. There are numberous sites in and around Buffalo and Johnson County. The more accessible sites are listed below. Please be sure to not the special conditions. Each route begins and ends in Buffalo. Maps to these sites are available through the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce. |
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| Bud Love WinterRange(1-2 hours) On this tour, there is some of the most scenic mountain views imaginable of the Big Horn Mountains. As you drive past the winter game range, expect to see white tail deer, mule deer, antelope, wild turkey and other game birds, as well as elk in the winter months. On many occasions, you can expect to see hundreds of deer during this loop tour. |
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Fort Phil Kearny(1/2 to a full day tour) Relive some of the Wests legendary history on this tour of where some of the fiercest fighting between Native Americans and the U.S. Calvary took place. The highlight of this tour is the Fort Phil Kearny Historic Site, which has a visitor's center and museum with outstanding displays of battle scenes and local history. Go further down Wyoming 193 to Story to visit the site of the Wagon Box Fight. Retrace your steps and as you come to Highway 87, turn left to the Fetterman Monument and historic walk where you can trace the movements of both sides in this tragic battle.
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| Dry Creek Petrified Trees (1 - 2 hours)A brief drive through Wyoming ranch country takes you back 60 million years on this tour. What will you find?The petrified tree and tree stumps for which the area is named, of course. And you will also find a complete eight station ecological walking tour. |
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Crazy Woman Canyon (half day), but NOT recommended for trailers or large RVs) One of the favorite outings for local folks looking for a beautiful drive and a nice, cool place to picnic in the middle of the summer, Crazy Woman Canyon offers a close up view of beautiful rock formations as it hugs a roaring mountain stream along its way. This tour follows a single dirt road through high canyon walls and ends with a great view of the surrounding Big Horn Mountains. |
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| Pole Creek and Sheep Mountain(one half to a full day, but high clearance vehicles are necessary for some sections of this route) This tour provides breathtaking panoramic views of Hazelton and Cloud Peaks, the Powder River Basin, as well as likely sightings of mule deer and other wildlife. |
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Hole-in-the-Wall Country and Outlaw Cave (one half to a full day, but high clearance vehicles are necessary for some sections of this route) This loop tour takes you deep into Wyoming's Legendary Outlaw Country -the hideout area of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! Johnson County locals and visitors enjoy the wildlife found on this tour as much they do soaking up the history and tales about this wild bunch of outlaws. Nearby Outlaw Cave is a prehistoric rock shelter and Indian Pictographs are to be found a short distance further along the trail. The Middle Fork of the Powder River is also viewed along this route as well as beautiful panoramas of the red mountain walls, the canyon at the Middle Fork of the Powder River and the Dull Knife Battlefield. |
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| Lake DeSmet & Ucross(half to a full day) Enjoy the best of both worlds -- Wyoming outdoors at its best and a great art gallery on the site of an old stage coach stop.Lake DeSmet (right) was named for the great missionary to the Native Americans of this region. The lake that bears the name of Father DeSmet, whose statue graces the western shoreline, is a wonderful place to fish, picnic, swim or just cool off for a while.There are also great facilities for boating and picnicking. Traveling on, you will come to one of the best public art galleries in the region, Big Red as it is known locally. This Big Red barn houses great art exhibits. As you return to Buffalo you will have plenty of opportunities to view mule deer, wild turkey and other wildlife. |
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