Keep exploring

I’ll use this walk through Cody to point out a few great stops that really add to your visit, both in town and nearby. Just a few minutes from downtown, Old Trail Town takes you straight into the Old West, with a collection of authentic 19th-century buildings, including the cabin of the outlaw Butch Cassidy. Back in town, take a moment to see the impressive mural at the Historic Cody Mural and Museum, painted in 1951 by artist Edward T. Grigware, it sits beneath a large dome inside a chapel and tells the story of the Mormon pioneers through vivid, life-size scenes. If you’re in the mood for a bit of nature, the Paul Stock Nature Trail offers an easy and pleasant walk along the Shoshone River, winding through cottonwoods and willows, with nice views of the surrounding cliffs and a good chance of spotting birds, beavers, or deer. Just a few minutes’ drive west, after the impressive Buffalo Bill Dam, you will discover Buffalo Bill State Park, where you can enjoy the lake and the cliffs of Shoshone Canyon. Keep heading in the same direction and the road leads you through the scenic Wapiti Valley all the way to Yellowstone’s East Entrance, one of the park’s quietest and most scenic access points. To the north, the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center shares a lesser-known part of American history, telling the story of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. If you enjoy scenic drives, two routes really stand out: the Beartooth Highway, with its alpine lakes and peaks rising above 10,000 feet, and the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, which crosses the Absaroka Mountains along the path taken by Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce in 1877. To the east of Cody, the hills of the McCullough Peaks and their wild mustangs are well worth the detour, and a bit farther out, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area opens up into a vast canyon lined with cliffs hundreds of meters high. And if you have a little more time, Thermopolis is well worth the detour, known for its natural hot springs, some of the largest in the world, where you can even soak for free in water over 40 degrees Celsius. All of this makes Cody much more than just a gateway to Yellowstone, it’s a destination in its own right, with a great mix of history, wide-open landscapes, and memorable places to explore.