Experience Americas Most Treasured Roads
Touring the Byway
45 Miles | 4 Days / 3 Nights | Gateway City: Sheridan, Wyoming
We recommend starting your journey in Sheridan, where you can tour the Museum at the Bighorns, Trail End State Historic Site and the Don King Museum, before spending the night at a fully restored flour mill.
On Day Two, you’ll be heading south to Buffalo. Along the way, explore the Brinton Museum with extensive art collections and Fort Phil Kearney State Historic Site. Once in Buffalo, you can stay at the historic landmark Occidental Hotel, complete with a restaurant, saloon and its own museum.
Before leaving Buffalo on Day Three, you can take the historic walking tour and visit the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum, before heading out to drive the Cloud Peak Skyway. Even though the Byway ends at Ten Sleep (yes, that’s the real name of a town), you can continue to Worland and then drive north to Greybull for an overnight stay. While there, you can tour the Greybull Museum, the Bighorn Basin Geoscience Center and the Museum of Flight and Ariel Firefighting.
From there, we wish you safe passage if you are traveling another Wyoming Scenic Byway in the area, or a safe and pleasant journey home.
View the Detailed Itinerary below to see the full route, which is complete with dining, shopping, and lodging recommendations!
Highlighted Attractions
Trail End Historic Site
This 1908 Flemish Revival style historic home was built by Wyoming cattleman, banker, governor, and U.S. Senator, John B. Kendrick. Trail End elegantly displays different aspects of Wyoming’s rich and colorful history in authentically furnished rooms surrounded by finely manicured lawns.
The Brinton Museum
Connecting the past, present, and future of the American West and showcasing each in collections of unique and engaging artwork, the Quarter Circle A Ranch encompasses 620 acres, also designated as an Audubon Important Bird Area with gardens and outdoor sculptures. Exhibits in the Historic Brinton Ranch House feature Bradford Brinton’s collection of original watercolors, oils, pen and ink drawings, sculptures, and historical documents in their original setting. All together, they comprise one of the most significant collections of Western and Native American art in the Rocky Mountain West. Enjoy indoor and outdoor dining with 180-degree views of the Bighorn Mountains.
Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site
Fort Phil Kearney was the largest of three forts built along the Bozeman Trail, a route which led to the gold fields in Montana. Originally entirely surrounded by an eight-foot fence, it was constructed to protect freighters, prospectors and travelers making their way west. The Wagon Box Fight of 1867 occurred when 32 woodcutters and guards were attacked outside the fort and defended themselves by firing new breech-loading rifles from a corral of wagon boxes until help arrived from the fort. When the Fort Laramie Treaty was finalized in 1868, all the forts were abandoned. Today, trails within the property lead visitors to the sites of the conflict, and interpretive signs explain the events from the perspectives of both the military and Native Americans.
The Historic Occidental Hotel
The “Ox” is one of the most famous landmark hotels in Buffalo, Wyoming. Travel back into the real Old West! This award-winning restoration of a famous Old West Wyoming Hotel offers authentic historic accommodations in Buffalo, Wyoming with all the modern comforts added. It includes an elegant 1908 Historic Saloon, fine dining in The Virginian Restaurant, a quaint breakfast spot called the Busy Bee and live music every Thursday night…. all at the foot of the beautiful Big Horn Mountains.
Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum of the West
Before he opened a pharmacy in 1900, Jim Gatchell had grown up on a nearby Lakota Native American reservation. Fluent in Lakota and known for his caring nature, Native Americans who grew to trust him brought him guns, war bonnets, tools, medicine bags, bows, arrows and clothing. As word about the gifts got out, local residents began donating mementos of historic names, places and events from Johnson County. This is the collection of more than 15,000 items you’ll discover in the museum in downtown Buffalo.
To experience all that the Sky Road Across The Bighorns has to offer, download the complete itinerary!
The detailed itinerary includes:
- A complete trip experience organized in geographic order, to print down and go.
- A full description of the Byway tour.
- Each trip experience begins in a gateway city with commercial flight availability (and often ending in another) to enhance the Byway experience.
- Attractions and activities along the full length of the Byway selected to truly tell the story of the places you visit.
- Detailed description of each attraction and activity, including the address, telephone number, hours of operation, admission fees and suggested time to allow for a visit.
- Accommodations (related to the theme of the Byway or unique to the destination wherever possible) positioned in the correct locations and including breakfast wherever possible.
- Dining suggestions positioned in the correct locations for lunch and dinner.
- All attractions, accommodations and dining locations arranged into Days that allow time for relaxation, savoring meals and enjoying the experience.
- A road trip to create memories and intrigue your mind.