Sponsored by Travel Wyoming
Hey there intrepid household explorers!
Summer is coming and I do know you’re on the brink of disconnect from the chaos of household life – all these limitless errands, carpool calls for, and extra-curricular BUSYNESS.
One of the very best methods to try this is by immersing your self in wide-open areas, the place you’ll be able to reconnect with nature and embark on outside adventures with your loved ones. (I imply, will the children be whining on the again of an ATV?)
This summer season (2024) we’re exchanging the chaos for the fun of a household highway journey to Wyoming. I can’t wait to recenter myself and be taught to breathe once more in large open areas with nothing else on my calendar to do however have enjoyable.
In this weblog publish, we’ll discover our strategy to organizing a household journey to southwest Wyoming. We’ll present a glimpse into our itinerary, tailor-made actions for each member of the family’s pursuits, and share the sources that guided our planning for this upcoming journey.
Why Visit the Salt to Stone Region in Wyoming?
While we’re partnering with Travel Wyoming on this journey, we got the present of a clean canvas and the liberty to decide on the place in Wyoming to go to.
We determined to highway journey the Salt to Stone area in southwest Wyoming. Since we’ve time constraints resulting from college schedules, we needed to go to an space of Wyoming that’s simple to get to and get round. It’s solely a two-hour direct flight to Salt Lake City from Raleigh after which a two-hour drive to our first cease within the Salt to Stone area.
We had been in search of a lesser-known Wyoming vacation spot full of beautiful landscapes, outdoor journey actions, and small cities.
As with any good journey, we additionally need to expertise indigenous tradition and farm-to-table experiences, together with Wyoming’s famend beef delicacies and native breweries.
Through my analysis (see sources used beneath) I found all of this within the Salt to Stone area: wild horse excursions, ATV mountain adventures, fossil digging, paddling alternatives, ghost cities, distinctive Western pitchfork campfire dinners, and sandboarding down sand dunes that sing.
Our Salt to Stone Itinerary
Our six-day highway journey will loop us across the areas of Kemmerer, Pinedale, South Pass City, Lander, and Rock Springs.
We’re renting a 4WD from Salt Lake City airport as its’ really useful for a few of the areas we’ll be driving to. Another cause to like a highway journey on this area of Wyoming—off highway adventures!
Day 1: Kemmerer – Pinedale
- Explore Fossils at Fossil Butte National Monument in Kemmerer the place you’ll discover a few of the largest assortment of fish fossils on the earth. You can’t dig for fossils on the nationwide monument, however you’ll be able to view them on the museum and revel in mountaineering on their trails. American Fossil is a spot close by the place you’ll be able to dig for fossils.
- Paddling boarding/ kayaking on Fremont Lake As quickly as Craig noticed Fremont Lake, he mentioned, “We have to stay there!” Gorgeous views and serenity of lake love. What extra is there to like?
- Check in: Lakeside Lodge I can’t watch for that early morning dawn espresso and sundown wine from the deck of our lakeside cottage. That’s the serenity I’m at all times searching for.
Day 2: Pinedale
- ATV journey on the scenic Skyline Drive and over to Half Moon Lake for lunch. This was our teen, Kalyra’s primary alternative! We love zipping round in an ATV!
- Exploring Downtown Pinedale with a day brewery go to to Wind River Brewery.
- Pitchfork Fondue Western Cookout A cultural outside eating expertise underneath the celebs
Day 3: South Pass & Lander
- Historical viewpoints of wagon ruts alongside the Oregon Trail and over the Continental Divide
- South Pass City State Historic Site – a ghost city that was as soon as a gold mining increase city.
- Red Canyon Scenic Overlook – We’re at all times planning for a panoramic vista pitstop!
- Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary tour – hey wild horses in beautiful surroundings!! This can be a tour that honors Native American tradition and shares their deep connection to horses. This was Savannah’s and my choose for the journey.
- Check in: I additionally couldn’t resist a singular B&B keep in The Millhouse, which was the city’s first flour mill.
Day 4: Lander
- Sinks Canyon State Park: Hiking in nature at all times calls us. In this state park we will see the place the Popo Agie River disappears right into a limestone cavern and reappears hours later at “The Rise.” We’ll additionally benefit from the Hike the Falls Trail to see a sequence of waterfalls.
- Explore Downtown Lander – Looking ahead to yummy treats, artisan espresso, native brews, farm-to-table meals experiences, and reside music.
Day 5: Rock Springs
- White Mountain Petroglyphs – see the historical past of The Plains and Great Basin Native Americans advised via etchings on the sandstone walks of White Mountain.
- Sand browsing at Killpecker Sand Dunes – take heed to the singing of the second largest lively sand dune area on the earth as we surf them.
- Explore Downtown Rock Springs – extra native tradition, meals, and brews.
- Check in: Outlaw Inn, a Western themed lodge listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Our itinerary was crafted to inform a narrative of enjoyable adventures, in wide-open areas, the place fewer toes imprint the earth.
Resources Used to Researching Wyoming Trip
All journeys begin with some type of analysis.To keep away from being overwhelmed by an excessive amount of info, we like to stay to reliable sources which have the expertise, experience, and authority on a vacation spot.
We’ll be creating an in-depth weblog publish, pictures, and IG movies after our journey that will help you plan a visit to the Salt to Stone Region.
For now, we will share the planning sources we’ve used for this summer season Wyoming journey.
- The Wyoming Official Travel Guide is a improbable useful resource for its visible info, paper map, and suggestions for touring in every area of the state. You can get your personal Wyoming journey information from Wyoming Tourism right here.
- With maps, itinerary guides, and regional sections, the Travel Wyoming web site makes it simple to analysis the totally different sorts of journeys out there in Wyoming to cater to all pursuits. Travel Wyoming’s on-line listing makes it simple to seek for distinctive locations to remain in addition to native locations to eat and drink.
- Regional web sites made it simpler to search out much more info on highlights and issues to do in every space, together with logistics on getting round. These web sites had been linked to from the Travel Wyoming website.
A Few More Booking Tips
- Remember to not cram an excessive amount of in. Leave area between the necessary excursions and sights, particularly if touring longer distances, to permit for any delays. Any additional time you find yourself having can be utilized for relaxation, to linger in a café, discover a brand new path, or to find a neighborhood secret.
- As we’re planning to go to Wyoming over Memorial Day Weekend – the primary weekend of the summer season journey season in Wyoming – we needed to plan for a few different excursions and sights in our itinerary, simply in case the climate interrupted it.
- I used spreadsheets, Notion, and Google maps to report my analysis, plot out our route, and craft every day’s schedule. It additionally makes it simple with regards to reserving every expertise as all key info is simple to search out, and I can simply report affirmation numbers and entry it after I arrive.
- Book all the things as far prematurely as you’ll be able to, so that you don’t miss out on fashionable sights, flights, and lodging. I’m so glad all key components to this summer season journey in Wyoming are already booked!
Remember to Travel Responsibly
In a vacation spot like Wyoming with its limitless wildlife and pure areas, it’s necessary to be acutely aware vacationers. Love Mother Nature, go away solely footprints, and take solely pictures and recollections.
Stay on the marked trails when mountaineering, get permits when required, drive safely, respect native tradition and traditions, and NEVER go close to wildlife—regardless of how cute you suppose that selfie could also be. We intend to buy bear spray after we arrive in Wyoming (you’ll be able to’t journey on planes with it) simply to be protected.
Click to be taught extra tips about accountable journey in Wyoming.
We’re Ready for a Great Time in Wyoming
With virtually all the things booked and an itinerary crafted, we are actually prepared for memorable moments within the Salt to Stone area of Wyoming.
This summer season highway journey incorporates what we love most about journey: journey in lovely outside areas to assist us disconnect from the chaos and reconnect with one another.
Join our e mail neighborhood and observe us on Instagram and Facebook so that you don’t miss our footage of the journey.
We’ll even have an in-depth weblog publish written upon return. We’ll see you in Wyoming over Memorial Weekend!