8 Of The Most Bizarre Landmarks In Wyoming

In the Mountain West of the U.S., states like Wyoming will never cease to amaze tourists. With its abundance of trendy commercial, natural, and historical landmarks, there is no doubt that people find plenty of satisfying stops and fascinating wonders. Alongside those features, there are often many quirks and unusual or strange places that will also pique the curiosity of travelers far and wide. These bizarre landmarks in the "Equality State" are sure to generate foot traffic!

Mama Mimi Sculpture

The Mama Mimi Sculpture, or commonly referred to as the "Giant Troll," is an architectural marvel near Jackson. Created out of recycled wood, steel, and driftwood in 2021 by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, the structure stands strong with its photographic scenery and fairytale-esque themes in Rendezvous Park. Those who stop and observe may find it to be a random and bizarre timber sight at first, but it is quite rustic and pleasant up close as a unique hiking stopping point. This artistic rendition of recycled materials is one among many of Dambo's most innovative creations that leave a lasting impression.

Grand Prismatic Spring

The Grand Prismatic Spring, located in Midway Geyser Basin, is a stunning landmark that will surprise newcomers! Within Yellowstone National Park, the steam hot spring is made of sulfurous bubbles, mineral-rich bacteria, and a ring of colorful hues that will astonish tourists as they take in a good glance of the landscape. Even if people are not allowed to swim in it, its vibrant rainbow exterior, combined with hot spring enjoyment, is enough to captivate audiences as it shines with vibrance and beauty. Plus, the landmark has some seasonal color changes, making it a splendid option for anyone who likes seeing natural transformations over time. With a discharge of 460 US gallons per minute, it is a must-visit in the state.

Bighorn Medicine Wheel

There is a mysterious pattern of stones sitting in a circle at the summit of Medicine Mountain inside Bighorn National Forest. Known as the Medicine Wheel, the white limestone layout attracts visitors each year with its Native American cairn complexity. This stop is not only a photographic sight to behold in person, but is also quite unusual since it holds celestial significance and cultural ideologies about rituals and astronomy.

Many theorize that the landmark was used by natives for centuries, and that New Age spiritualists relied on these to determine summer solstice events. While it remains a cultural highlight for Bighorn Range locals, there will never be a day when people are not intrigued by what it meant for those who studied solar and lunar cycles back then.

Smith Mansion

The Smith Mansion is a psychedelic tourist haven in Wapiti Valley. The estate, built out of locally harvested wood and logs in the late 20th century, is an iconic stop in Cody for all who want to appreciate truly bizarre tourism. The owner, who had a wife and children, had an obsession with building and constructing all of its parts, from its mundane exterior to its fancy interior. His addiction to working on and constructing new parts for the house became non-stop, and even reportedly led to a divorce with his wife in the process. Even after this situation, the owner went right back to working on the house and worked even harder on it to distract himself, and one day he fell and lost his life while on the upper balcony.

With the history of the landmark in mind, locals and outsiders always find a reason to stop and take in the view of the estate from afar as an enchanting home full of winding staircases and scenic terraces. Although the bleak history of the mansion remains in the present day, there is no doubt that the Smith Mansion has a strange legacy built on stranger origins.

Greater Green River Intergalactic Spaceport

The Greater Green River Intergalactic Spaceport is a UFO landing strip that can be seen in the small town of Green River. The town created this rugged attraction in the 1990s based on the hopefulness of townsfolk that Jupiter had sentient life trying to depart after Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet fragments would impact the planet, although there was little to no reason to prove this based on NASA's findings, as this was all a running joke. While there was disappointment in the scientific community about Jupiter, the attraction itself became a historical and cultural part of Green River.

Today, the dirt strip acts as a tourist "spaceport" for residents and outsiders alike to absorb, not only as a serious sci-fi retreat but also based on a humorous concept about extraterrestrial lifeforms making their way to Earth. While homeless aliens may not visit the town anytime soon, there is no reason not to consider interstellar hotspots in Wyoming!

Fossil Bone Cabin

There is a weird roadside cabin off Highway 30 that is sure to raise some eyebrows. The Fossil Bone Cabin is a private Medicine Bow residence that is not only dusty and full of old museum relics but also has an uncanny architecture made out of more than 5,796 dinosaur bones! Originally a public landmark in the 1930s, it became a hidden paleontological site that still brings tourists around. Even if one cannot enter its grounds and see what it has to offer, as it is closed off to visitors, it is a significant stop for motorists to see excavated quarry bones and dinosaur fragments from a long time ago.

Tree in the Rock

There is something seemingly off about a boulder in the middle of Interstate 80 that has a tree growing out of it. Located in Buford, the roadside stop labeled as Tree in the Rock is an 1860s wonder that has been around since the early railroad days of the Union Pacific. Tourists who visit can move some of the foliage around the boulder to witness a hidden plaque that talks about its natural habitat and upbringing from over 2,000 years ago!

What remains more strange about the rock tree is that it lies within a mysterious small town with few or no inhabitants in sight. As of 2020, it was listed as having a population of 0. It is essentially a ghost town that contains an unnecessarily curious tree in a rock, but it has never ceased to bring special moments to tourists, even now.

Parting of the Waters

Found high atop Bridger-Teton National Forest in Moran is the Parting of the Waters, a hydrologic creek that is known to split into two sections with different stream outcomes for anything that passes through it. Formally called Two Ocean Pass, the geography makes it such that any fish or object that flows through inevitably gets caught at a crossroads. Then it diverges into a stream that empties into either the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean.

With flattened terrain and opposing directions at a confluence, it is easy for nature trekkers to take in all it has to offer while out on an adventure. The best part about this landmark is that it is also one of the only bodies of water in the entire world that behaves in this manner!

Finishing Thoughts

These strange landmarks are never going to sound or look boring to anyone visiting for the first time, not even to residents who have been around in Wyoming for a long time. There are plenty of historical surprises to uncover and lots of amazing nature-oriented motivators to keep people invested in travel in the "Equality State," and these mysterious and unusual stops are the perfect reason to get out of the house!