7 Best Natural Wonders To Visit In Wyoming This Year

As the Rocky Mountains fracture and rivers cascade across the northern Mountain West, Wyoming charts its own path through North America’s geological history. As the Cowboy State, it bears more than just a nickname, carrying the weight of prehistoric bone beds, mineral-charged hot springs, and ancient fault lines that still whisper with seismic memory. From the Wind River Range to the jagged cliffs above Bighorn Lake, Wyoming harbors plateaus and basins cracked open by time, where fossilized fish lie buried beneath stone, and geysers roar to life over the boiling breath of an underground giant. Here, elevation seldom idles. Even the alpine ridges give way to volcanic remnants and glacial shelves that still melt into hollows of pine and limestone.

Traveling to scenic Wyoming towns across the state might land you near a red-sand wilderness where wild horses scatter through the sagebrush, or perhaps at the edge of a canyon so deep and striated it reads like a ledger of rock-layered millennia. In other corners, steam curls above hot mineral pools once frequented by mammoths, and river water vanishes into the earth only to reemerge, colder and clearer, a quarter mile later. Across these natural wonders, Wyoming delivers a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the Earth’s deeper mechanics, and this list gathers seven places where that reality stands clear.

The Sinks and the Rise, Lander

Just south of Lander, within Sinks Canyon State Park and defined by the state's mighty Wind River Range, you can find this astonishing geological oddity transpiring through a sinkhole. Here, the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River vanishes underground into a limestone cavern, known accurately as the Sinks, then reappears roughly a quarter-mile downstream in a placid spring called the Rise of the Popo Agie Trout Pool. Glacial shifts sculpted Madison limestone into fissures, moraines, and a subterranean course that precipitated this phenomenon by diverting river flow for about two hours before it resurfaces.

A visitor center perches at the Sinks and provides context for river behavior, while an observation deck edges the Rise, where rainbow trout frequent a tranquil pool. Tourists can hike nearby trails, including the one-mile North Slope, climb canyon walls, picnic, or camp amid changing habitats. You can also explore alpine lakes and reservoirs like Worthen Meadow, which are farther up the range. The best time to visit is late spring through late summer, when the water runs strong. During these months, trails are typically free of ice and snow, and the high-elevation air feels more accessible and less frigid.

Bighorn Canyon, Lovell

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area cuts through northern Wyoming into southern Montana with walls of red and ochre sandstone descending more than 1,000 feet to Bighorn Lake. Structured by the river over geologic time, the gorge extends for more than 55 miles within the canyon, presenting deep chasms, still waters, and benches dotted with desert flora. Lookouts such as Devil Canyon Overlook, just over the border in Montana, frame gorgeous scenes where canyon walls burn gold in late sun, while narrow bends highlight the sheer scale of the chasm.

Set near the Pryor Mountains, the area spreads across over 120,000 acres of cliffs, grasslands, and high desert ridges. Wild horses roam the uplands, bighorn sheep cling to steep faces, and golden eagles ride thermal drafts overhead. Hiking routes and boat access reveal different sides of the canyon, with midsummer through early fall offering the best conditions. During this time, reservoir waters remain open, trails are manageable, and wildlife activity peaks as the canyon turns luminous under autumn skies.

Vedauwoo, Laramie

Between Laramie and Cheyenne rises Vedauwoo, a dramatic cluster of outcrops and hoodoos carved from Sherman Granite, which dates back nearly 1.4 billion years. These rock masses form part of Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, with their name derived from the Arapaho word for “earth-born,” reflecting Indigenous cultural ties to the area. Scenic access comes through various means, including a simple drive along Happy Jack Road. The rocky structures are accompanied by the Laramie Mountains in the background, their very rise precipitating erosion over millions of years, exposing Vedauwoo’s stark forms.

Just off the roadway stands a historic site, Tree-in-the-Rock, where a solitary limber pine rooted in a granite crack became a regional landmark more than a century ago. Today, Vedauwoo serves as a playground for climbers and campers alike, with designated sites for picnicking, tent camping, and RVs. Crack climbing routes attract skilled adventurers, while trails allow encounters with moose, mule deer, and raptors along the granite corridors. Summer and early fall offer the most reliable access, balancing clear skies with manageable temperatures before high-altitude snowfall limits visitation.

Hot Springs State Park, Thermopolis

Hot Springs State Park channels what many regard as the largest single mineral hot spring in the world into soaking pools, terraces, and streaming runoff that streaks limestone with vivid hues. According to official Wyoming State Parks data, the springs’ combined discharge of about 1.8 million gallons of mineral water per day is even greater than that of the Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. Supplemented by the Big Spring at a constant flow, these waters emerge heavily endowed with calcium carbonate and other minerals. They sculpt travertine shelves that change color with shifting light and the growth of algae. Beyond the bathhouse and soaking areas, boardwalks lead to thermal terraces where steam rises above the Bighorn River.

Hot Springs State Park also sustains a managed bison herd that grazes near cliffs, its narrow trails and suspension bridges promoting walking, fishing, and seasonal birdwatching. Established in 1897, the site preserves both geological wonders and recreational access. Against Wyoming's frigid seasonal backdrop, late spring through early autumn provides the most rewarding experience. Outdoor pools remain comfortably warm while surrounding landscapes bloom, and wildlife activity peaks along the riverbanks. Moreover, not more than 30 miles northwest of the park lies Legend Rock, where nearly 300 rock engravings date back to 10,000 to 11,000 years ago.

Red Desert, Rock Springs

Wyoming’s Red Desert spans approximately 9,320 square miles in the state’s heart, giving rise to a sprawling high-altitude sagebrush sea. The broad region hosts the continent’s largest migratory pronghorn herd and the world’s most expansive desert elk herd. Rock Springs and Rawlins field offices manage this vast terrain, supporting wild horse herds, rugged landforms like Killpecker Sand Dunes, and scattered badlands defined by wind and occasional snow. Lake Gosiute supplements saline runoff, nourishing seasonal wetlands and migratory birds as sand drifts shift each season.

Life thrives in and around Red Desert despite its aridity, as exemplified by a mule deer migration corridor that runs through, sage-grouse and raptors that hunt overhead, and burrowing animals that dig into the cool soil. Wyoming's ranching heritage endures at the nearby Crookston Ranch, where a grazing culture meets the raw terrain. Spring and early summer remain ideal for visiting, wildlife pulses with fresh forage, dust settles from winter winds, and daytime warmth stays below scorching thresholds. Winters bring sparse snow and cold, but frost carries more sting here than across lower valleys, reminding visitors they’ve entered a high desert of extremes.

Fossil Butte National Monument, Kemmerer

Southwest Wyoming's Fossil Butte is an eminent national monument 15 miles west of Kemmerer, whose rust-colored prominence within the Green River Formation preserves an ancient record of life from 34 to 56 million years ago. Unlike the waterfalls and alpine summits more commonly associated with natural wonders, this butte is a sophisticated amalgamation of geology and paleontology. Layers of sediment once laid down in primordial lakes now immortalize entire ecosystems of prehistoric wildlife, from crocodiles to delicate bats and whole schools of fish, preserved with astonishing clarity.

The Fossil Butte National Monument Visitor Center enhances the experience with galleries featuring fossilized turtles, palm leaves, and aquatic species preserved in exceptional condition. Such collaborative efforts render the butte’s standing as one of the world’s finest paleontological archives. The Fossil Butte's surrounding terrain is a tableau of gullies, sagebrush flats, and pastel badlands, bordered distantly by the Uinta and Wyoming Ranges. Wildlife such as pronghorn, mule deer, and raptors overlay the prehistoric narrative, animating the present-day vitality. For the fullest experience, visiting from late spring to early autumn affords dry trails and clear skies, when the butte’s mineral hues radiate most vividly under Wyoming’s high desert light.

Yellowstone National Park, Cody

Roughly fifty miles west of Cody, the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming’s volcanic heart, begins stirring long before the gates swing open. The terrain climbs across the state’s northwestern edge, where geothermal force and biological intensity collide to create a landscape that never stands still. Hot springs, including the Grand Prismatic Spring and Mammoth Hot Springs, shine with neon clarity. Fumaroles breathe sulfur from deep inside the earth as Old Faithful earns its reputation by erupting every hour or two. Geysers vault steam into the sky, but the paramount attraction lies in the Yellowstone Caldera, the belly of an ancient supervolcano still simmering beneath.

Glacial ice once scraped valleys into form, later torn apart by molten upheaval and quakes that bent rivers, carved canyons, and forged terraces of limestone and travertine. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone slices deep into these tinted layers. Meanwhile, mud pots churn near Norris Geyser Basin. Past the geothermal violence and canyons, wildlife holds its own. Elk linger across Lamar Valley’s meadows as grizzlies comb lupine-covered slopes. Bison march across Hayden Valley, while wolves shadow the Lamar River corridor, watched by birders and biologists. Exploring a natural wonder as gigantic as Yellowstone demands intention and time. Peak months here run from late May through September, when trails thaw, waterfalls roar, and the park breathes with energy you can feel through your boots.

Geysers, Canyons, and Bone Beds in Wyoming

Wyoming cascades from high alpine ridges to desert basins, joining plateaus and deep canyons carved through time and movement. Its wild places remain largely untamed, from the fossil-packed beds of Fossil Butte National Monument near Kemmerer to the steaming geothermal show of Yellowstone National Park. Alongside these giants, The Sinks and the Rise near Lander send rivers underground only to reappear fresh, while Bighorn Canyon near Lovell cuts sharply into rock layered with ancient history. Vedauwoo’s twisted granite formations challenge hikers and climbers alike, while the red sands of the Red Desert spill open beneath wide Mountain West skies. All in all, Wyoming's natural wonders don’t just mark points on the map but hold stories of deep time, shifting earth, and living wildlife.