Experience Americas Most Treasured Roads
Touring the Byway
3 Days / 2 Nights | Gateway City: Casper, Wyoming
We recommend starting and ending your journey on the backway in Casper. On Day One, tour the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, Fort Caspar Museum, the Nicolayson Art Museum and the Casper Planetarium before staying at Red Butte Ranch.
On Day Two, visit the Tate Geological Museum before heading out on the South Big Horn/Red Wall Back Country Backway. You’ll be driving the entire 102 miles, since there are no services on the road. Make sure the tires on your car are good and your gas tank full. At the end of the drive, return to Casper.
On Day Three, enjoy the rest of the Casper College museums, Casper Mountain and the Bridal Trail. From there, if you’re traveling another Wyoming Scenic Byway, we wish you safe passage, 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
National Historic Trails Interpretive Center
Celebrating the Oregon, Mormon, California, Pony Express, Bridger and Bozeman trails, the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center commemorates the Native American history of the region, as well as early explorers and pioneers who traveled the corridors west. Hands-on, interactive exhibits, multi-media programs and virtual education opportunities illustrate the historic westward expansion.
Fort Caspar
This fully reconstructed frontier outpost includes a stockade, a replica of the Mormon ferry that operated here from 1847-1849 and an interpretive center illustrating Casper’s first 100 years. Exhibits are enhanced with authentic objects from the museum’s collection, complemented with interactive videos.
Tate Geological Museum
The Tate houses a collection of over 6,000 fossil and mineral specimens gifted by Marion and Inez Tate. Highlights include Dee the Mammoth, an 11,600-year-old Columbian Mammoth which lived in the American West during the Pleistocene, or Ice Age, the skull of Nicole the Torosaurus, the Mesozoic Marine, exhibits featuring the underwater world that existed in Wyoming during much of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, and the Hall of Minerals.
Casper Mountain
Arguably the most iconic landmark in central Wyoming is Casper Mountain. The mountain boasts dense forests, stunning vistas, abundant wildlife, beautiful trails, and stunning views of the basin. A beautiful waterfall, where hiking to watch the clear, rushing water cascade down the mountainside delivers one of nature’s best offerings. There are hikes for all levels of experience and capabilities.
Casper Planetarium
Wyoming’s oldest planetarium is now sporting the latest digital planetarium technology, with a virtual starship, time machine and regular programming in a full-dome presentation similar to an IMAX theatre.
To experience all that The Bighorn Road Less Traveled 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.