National Parks of Wyoming

There is currently seven National Park Service Site in Wyoming and four associated sites.

Official National Parks of Wyoming

• Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
• Devils Tower National Monument
• Fort Laramie National Historic Site
• Fossil Butte National Monument
• Grand Teton National Park
• John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway
• Yellowstone National Park

Associated sites of Wyoming

• California National Historic Trail
• Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
• Oregon National Historic Trail
• Pony Express National Historic Trail

National Parks of Wyoming Map

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Wyoming National Parks

Wyoming is part of the West Coast Region.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Devils Tower National Monument

Fort Laramie National Historic Site

Fossil Butte National Monument

Grand Teton National Park

Get help planning your trip to Grand Teton National Park

• National Parks of Wyoming
• All about Grand Teton National Park
• The Ultimate Guide to Camping in Grand Teton National Park

John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway

Yellowstone National Park

Get help planning your trip to Yellowstone National Park

• National Parks of Wyoming
• National Parks of Montana
• National Parks of Idaho
• All About Yellowstone National Park
• How to Get to Yellowstone National Park
• 10 Things to Know Before Visiting Yellowstone National Park
• 11 Books to Read Before Visiting Yellowstone National Park
• One Day in Yellowstone National Park – Yellowstone’s Grand Loop Highlights Driving Tour
• The Ultimate Guide to Camping in Yellowstone National Park

California National Historic Trail

The California National Historic Trail is a massive 5,000 mile trail and runs thru 10 different states.  This trail retraces the overland routes over 250,000 emigrants took to reach the fertile farmlands and famed gold fields of California in the 1840’s and 1850’s.

Unlike some of the other trails of the National Trails System, the California Trail isn’t a single hiking trail. It is a disconnected series of hiking trails, roads, and sites.  Many of the US highways follow the wagon trail the settlers created as they rushed to California.  Emigrants had a choice of routes across the United States.  These trails start in Missouri and Nebraska. The then run thru Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming before splitting into Idaho and Utah.  They go thru Nevada and into California and Oregon.

Things to do in California National Historic Trail: Auto Tours, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Museums, Camping

How to get to California National Historic Trail: The route runs from Missouri and Nebraska to California and Oregon. The various trail routes are approximately followed by various Highways and Interstates.

Where to Stay in California National Historic Trail:

California National Historic Trail Entrance Fee: There may be nominal fees at trail-related federal, state, or locally owned historic sites and interpretive facilities.

California National Historic Trail Official Website: Click Here

Map of California National Historic Trail: Download

Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail

Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail follows the 1,300-mile route many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah.  Between 1846 and 1868, over 14,000 Mormons followed their leader Brigham Young west to build a new settlement.  From Council Bluffs, Iowa to Fort Bridger, Wyoming the Mormon Trail combines with the California and Oregon Trail.  The Mormons were forced out of their early settlements due to conflict with other settlers.

The trail runs through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah.  Today, the trail is mostly an autoroute.  The route stops in several other National Parks Sites such as Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Scotts Bluff National Monument and Fort Laramie National Historic Site.

Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail was established on November 10, 1978.

Oregon National Historic Trail

The Oregon National Historic Trail is often called the Oregon Trail.  This 2,170-mile trail was used to travel from Independence, Missouri to Oregon Territory.  These men and women headed west to fertile farmlands. The first half of the trail was used by travelers on the California National Historic Trail and the Mormon National Historic Trail.

Roughly 400,000 people packed up their lives into covered wagons to follow the Oregon Trail.  Several stops along the Oregon Trail are their own national park sites such as Scotts Bluff National Monument, Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, and Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.  Many other sites are within a couple hours drive of the trail.

Today, the trail runs thru Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.  The Oregon National Historic Trail is mostly an autoroute.

Things to do in Oregon National Historic Trail: Auto Tours, Hiking, Sightseeing, Wildlife Watching

How to get to Oregon National Historic Trail: The sites are located in every state the trail runs through.

Where to Stay in Oregon National Historic Trail: There are various places to stay along the trail.

Oregon National Historic Trail Entrance Fee: There may be nominal fees at  trail-related federal, state, or locally owned historic sites and interpretive facilities.

Oregon National Historic Trail Official Website: Click Here

Map of Oregon National Historic Trail: Download

Pony Express National Historic Trail

The Pony Express National Historic Trail follows the 1860 and 1861 mail route used by the Pony Express to transport mail between Missouri to California. The Pony Express used a relay of horse-mounted riders. The system was set-up so that riders would ride between 186 Pony Express stations. The stations were between 5-25 miles apart. At each station, the rider would switch to a fresh horse and continue on their journey. The Pony Express reduced the time to for a letter to travel across the US from six months to 10 days. After 18 months of speedy mail delivery, the Pony Express was replaced with the telegraph.

Pony Express National Historic Trail was declared a National Historic Trail on August 3, 1992. Today it is mostly an auto-touring route starting in Missouri and traveling through Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada on the way to California. There are sections of the trail where visitors can hike or ride along the trail. The trail is still being developed for tourism but there are several stations and museums along the route so visitors can learn more about the Pony Express.

In Wyoming, stops include Cold Springs Camp Monument, Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site and National Historic Landmark, Deer Creek Station Site, Big Sandy Pony Express Station, and many more stops.

View all the National Park Service Sites in neighboring states:

• Colorado National Parks – Colorado is home to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde and Rocky Mountain National Parks and 9 other units.
• National Park of Idaho
• National Parks of Montana
• National Parks of Nebraska
• National Parks of South Dakota
• Utah National Parks – Utah is home to the Mighty Five National Parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion) and 8 NPS units.