4 Best Sights in Cheyenne, Laramie, and Southern Wyoming, Wyoming

As you make your way west to Baggs over the Battle Highway (Highway 70), you'll cross the Continental Divide and the Rocky Mountains. This route takes you through the mining country that was developed during the 1897–1908 copper-mining boom in the Sierra Madres; interpretive signs along the way point out historic sites. Legend has it that in 1878, Thomas Edison was fishing near Battle Pass with a bamboo rod when he began to ponder the idea of a filament, which led to his invention of the incandescent light bulb. Note that this section of the highway closes to car travel in winter, though it stays open for snowmobiles.

Although I–80 connects Cheyenne and Laramie more quickly, the drive between the two cities on Happy Jack Road (Highway 210) is very scenic, particularly in spring and early summer, when wildflowers are in full bloom. The road winds over the high plains, past Curt Gowdy State Park, and provides access to the Vedauwoo Recreation Area before linking back to I–80, 7 miles east of Laramie at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument. At this state rest area you can obtain information about the region and view a larger-than-life sculpture of the 16th president's head looming above you.

Wild horses, antelope, desert elk, coyotes, hawks, and sage grouse are among the wild animals you might see on the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Loop Tour, which also takes you past such prominent features as Pilot Butte, the Killpecker Sand Dunes, and segments of the Overland Trail. Along the route there are pullouts with interpretive panels.

This loop links Rock Springs and Green River; it takes two to three hours to drive the full 50-mile route, half of which is on gravel roads, between the two towns. From Rock Springs, travel north for 14 miles on Highway 191. Turn left onto Sweetwater County Road 4-14 and follow the route for 2½ miles before turning left onto Sweetwater County Road 4-53, which will take you to Green River, 33½ miles away.

Highway 130 between Centennial and Saratoga is known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. This paved road, which is in excellent condition, crosses through the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, providing views of 12,013-foot Medicine Bow Peak and access to hiking trails, 10 campgrounds (6 right near the road), picnic areas, and 100 alpine lakes and streams. Gravel roads lead off the route into the national forest.

At the top of the 10,847-foot Snowy Range Pass, about 10 miles west of Centennial, take a short walk to the Libby Flats Observation Site for views of the Snowy Range and, on clear days, Rocky Mountain National Park to the southwest in Colorado. Lake Marie, a jewel of a mountain lake at an elevation of approximately 10,000 feet, is also here. On the Saratoga side of the mountain the road passes through pine forest and descends to the North Platte River valley, with cattle ranches on both sides of the highway. Note that the byway is impassable in winter and therefore is closed between approximately mid-October and Memorial Day.