William Cody settled in Wyoming along the eastern border of Yellowstone National Park and helped to found Cody, Wyoming in 1896. The Shoshone River runs through Cody. About 10,000 people live here at an elevation of 5,016 feet. We last visited in 2018 and enjoyed our stay, but wanted to return to explore the area more. Once again, our time was limited and poor weather limited our activities, so we will just have to return.
The Wyoming Bighorn Mountains are located between Montana and Wyoming east of the Rockies and Yellowstone and extend for 200 miles. Cloud Peak is the tallest mountain at 13,175 feet.
Buffalo is a favorite stop for us when traveling between the Black Hills of South Dakota and Yellowstone. It is just the right size, has lots of history and just enough amenities. The Bighorn mountains are picturesque and have plenty of hiking trails and big animals for sightseeing. We stayed in the Buffalo and Sheridan area before and looked forward to returning.
Spearfish is in western South Dakota near the Wyoming border. Part of the Black Hills, it’s known for waterfalls, an outdoor lifestyle and nature. Spearfish Canyon, a deep gorge formed by Spearfish creek, drops about 3,000 feet in a short distance of 40 miles. The water from the creek was vital in the agricultural development of Spearfish and for hydroelectric power. Gold was briefly mined in the canyon. Now the creek continues to provide irrigation, hydroelectric power, fishing, kayaking, a fish hatchery, and a place to just relax.
Medora is located in the far western part of North Dakota, almost next to the Montana border. It’s where Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located. There isn’t much else here, but between the National Park and just enough to see and do in Medora, it’s just enough.
Custer is a great location to stay when visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is ideally located to see most of the Black Hills sights, other than Deadwood or Sturgis, and has plenty of bars and restaurants when not sightseeing. We last visited in 2018, so opted to not see some of the same attractions as before. Instead we focused on new sites and revisited favorites, like Custer State Park.
