A great place to begin your trip to Sheridan is at our community calendar; from 3rd Thursday Street Festivals to the WYO Rodeo, the Sheridan WYO Film Festival to Sunday afternoon polo matches, there’s always something going on under the Bighorn Mountains.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Day 1 – Spend the day exploring Tongue River Canyon. The canyon is an excellent place to hike, mountain bike, fly fish, and rock climb. Bring a picnic or take your appetite to Dayton or Ranchester for lunch.
Day 2 – Enjoy the morning biking or hiking Soldier Ridge Trail, a 4-mile (one-way) trail located on the outskirts of town. Or bike or walk the miles of pathways that tour through town.
Day 3 – Sibley Lake, just off Bighorn Scenic Byway (US Highway 14) near Burgess Junction, is one of the most beautiful and easily accessible lakes in the Bighorn National Forest. Kayak, hike, fish, swim and watch wildlife from a secluded spot on the lake, and spend the night at the Sibley Lake Campground, the only Bighorn National Forest campground that offers electrical hookups.
Day 4 – Drive the Bighorn Scenic Byway to Steamboat Rock, one of Wyoming’s most beloved icons. Hike the 1.7-mile (round trip) trail to the top of Steamboat for stunning panoramic views of Sheridan County and the Bighorn Mountains, then return to Sheridan’s Historic Downtown for a sizeable reward – lunch or dinner at one of our fantastic restaurants, followed by happy hour at one of our legendary Western watering holes.
Day 5 – Visit the Medicine Wheel, the remarkable National Historic Landmark and archaeological site that was first constructed by Plains Indians between 300-800 years ago. Built near the summit of Medicine Mountain at 9,642-feet, the Medicine Wheel has significant astrological meaning, and is still an important ceremonial site. Access the Medicine Wheel via U.S. Highway 14 Alternate, which runs between Burgess Junction and Cody.
Day 6 – Shell Falls is the thundering heartbeat of the magnificent Bighorn Mountains. The Shell Falls Interpretive Center is located partway down massive Shell Canyon, near the quaint town of Shell, easily accessed from Sheridan via US Highway 14 (approx. 1 hr 30 min driving time). The falls tumble more than 120 feet over sheer walls of granite into a great pool surrounded by massive ponderosa pine.
Day 7 – Head up to Story and hike South Piney Creek. The South fork of Piney Creek is a small mountain stream that courses through a beautiful limestone-walled canyon with opportunities for hiking, fishing, and rock climbing. Have lunch in Story.
GO TOWN & COUNTRY
Day 1 – Enjoy the wooded oasis of Kendrick Park. Grab a cone from the park’s ice-cream stand and stretch your legs with a walk around the park, finding all of the chainsaw-carved tree sculptures and resident buffalo and elk. Afterwards, walk up the hill for a tour of the Trail End State Historic Site. This elegant Flemish Revival Historic House Museum was built in 1913 and was once home to Wyoming Governor and United States Senator John B. Kendrick.
Day 2 – Tour Historic Main Street. Embrace historic Downtown Sheridan’s architectural marvels – 46 of our buildings are on the National Registry of Historic Places – while many of our new restaurants, galleries, shops and cafes have a unique flair all their own. While marveling at the architecture, don’t miss the outdoor art that line the sidewalks along Main Street. Downtown is home to more than 60 pieces of outdoor art, from Jerry McKellar’s beloved Huckleberry Daze grizzly bear to D. Michael Thomas’ epic Cool Waters cowboy at Whitney Commons. Sheridan’s community art sculptures are curious, creative, and unique. Along the way, by sure to stop into King’s Saddlery, showcasing a fabulous collection of cowboy memorabilia including hundreds of saddles, wagons, chaps, spurs, antique gems, Indian artifacts as well as a variety of wild game animals.
Day 3 – Find out why Sheridan is called the Golf Capital of Wyoming. Sheridan is home to three courses and 63 holes of championship golf. Swing your sticks at The Powder Horn, Kendrick Municipal Golf Course or Hidden Bridge.
Day 4 – Decode American history at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Fort Phil Kearny, Connor Battlefield, and more. Experience the past through Bozeman Trail Days, the Fetterman Massacre, and Rosebud.
Day 5 – Come to know Sheridan’s flourishing arts and culture scene. Take in a concert or a play at the historic WYO Theater, Mars Black Box Theater, Whitney Center for the Arts or the Carriage House Theater. Explore the expansive Western and American Indian art collections at the Brinton Museum in Big Horn, and then head out and see what local artists are up to by way of the Ucross Foundation and Galleries.
Day 6 – Head up to Story and enjoy beautiful South Piney Creek. The South Fork of Piney Creek is a small mountain stream that courses through a beautiful limestone-walled canyon with opportunities for hiking, fishing, and rock climbing.
Day 7 – Visit some of the oldest dude and guest ranches in America, and become King of the West – if only for a day. For 135 years, Eaton’s Ranch has offered guests a western experience and shared with them a way of life. Canyon Ranch, 15 miles south of Sheridan, has been owned and operated by the Wallop family for more than a century, and is the perfect spot for a unique vacation in Wyoming.
