Explore Wyoming: 10 Must-Visit Places, From National Parks to Small Western Towns According To Reddit
Wyoming is one of the least-visited states in America — and one of the most rewarding. With just under 580,000 residents spread across 98,000 square miles, it has more bison than traffic lights and more national parkland per capita than almost anywhere on the continent. When Reddit travelers describe what they found there, they consistently sound surprised — not because Wyoming disappointed them, but because it far exceeded what they'd imagined.
These are the 10 places Reddit consistently names as unmissable in Wyoming.
1. Yellowstone National Park — America's Greatest Wonder
Region: Northwest Wyoming | Entry: $35 per vehicle
No list of Wyoming starts anywhere else. Yellowstone is the world's first national park and still its most astonishing — a 2.2-million-acre volcanic hotspot where the earth breathes steam and the wildlife moves without fear. Reddit threads about Yellowstone routinely stretch for hundreds of comments, and the consensus is always the same: photos cannot prepare you.
Lamar Valley earns the title of "America's Serengeti" from Reddit's wildlife community — bison herds, wolf packs, grizzly bears, and pronghorn, all visible from a car window on a single morning. Grand Prismatic Spring, a rainbow-ringed thermal pool 370 feet wide, is the park's most photographed feature. Old Faithful erupts reliably every 44 to 125 minutes, and Redditors recommend watching the less-crowded Morning Glory Pool and Norris Geyser Basin for a more immersive experience.
Reddit verdict: "Lamar Valley at dawn for wildlife, then Grand Prismatic at golden hour. That's the Yellowstone day that never leaves you."
2. Grand Teton National Park — The Most Dramatic Mountain View in America
Region: Northwest Wyoming | Entry: $35 per vehicle (combined pass with Yellowstone available)
The Teton Range has no foothills — the peaks simply erupt from the valley floor in a wall of granite that changes color from gray to orange to pink depending on the light. Reddit's photography community treats Grand Teton as one of the most reliably stunning national parks in the country, and the images they post come close to doing it justice.
Jenny Lake is the centerpiece: kayak or take the shuttle across, then hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point for views that Reddit users describe as life-altering. The Snake River Overlook is the classic Ansel Adams shot and still works. Visit in mid-September — the crowds drop by 40%, the aspens turn gold, and on clear mornings the peaks reflect perfectly in the still lowland ponds.
Reddit verdict: "Grand Teton is actually more beautiful than Yellowstone. I said what I said."
3. Devils Tower National Monument — Sacred Rock That Stops Everyone Cold
Region: Northeast Wyoming | Entry: $25 per vehicle
Rising 867 feet from the Belle Fourche River valley, Devils Tower is one of those natural features that seems impossible until you're standing beneath it. The volcanic monolith — columns of phonolite porphyry fused together into a geometric tower — is sacred to more than 20 Native American tribes and a UNESCO World Heritage nominee.
Reddit users who add it to a Black Hills road trip describe it as the unambiguous highlight. The 1.3-mile Tower Trail circles the base through a prairie dog colony. Hundreds of climbers attempt the summit each year. The light at dawn and dusk turns the columns amber and rose in a way that makes the monument feel alive.
Reddit verdict: "Devils Tower needs to be on every Wyoming itinerary. Nothing looks like this on earth."
4. Jackson Hole — The Town the Mountains Built
Region: Northwest Wyoming | Best For: Year-round adventure base
Jackson Hole is not the cheapest town in Wyoming — Redditors are consistently upfront about that — but it earns its reputation as the region's most vibrant hub. The famous antler arches on the town square, the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, and the National Elk Refuge (where up to 11,000 elk winter in a valley visible from the road) are all within easy walking distance of each other.
Skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort — with Corbet's Couloir and 4,139 feet of vertical — is some of the best in North America. The White Grass Ranch cross-country ski trails and the backcountry terrain above the resort keep Reddit's skiing community returning year after year.
Reddit verdict: "Jackson is expensive but worth it. The elk refuge alone is one of the great wildlife experiences in North America."
5. Cody — Rodeo, Buffalo Bill, and the Best Yellowstone Approach
Region: Northwest Wyoming | Best For: Western culture, Yellowstone gateway
Cody is the most authentically Western town in Wyoming, and Reddit threads consistently make that case. Founded by Buffalo Bill himself in 1896, the town hosts a nightly rodeo every evening from June through August — the longest-running in the United States — and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (five world-class museums in one complex) is one of the finest cultural institutions in the American West.
The 52-mile drive from Cody to Yellowstone along the Wapiti Valley and the North Fork of the Shoshone River is, according to numerous Reddit travelers, the most beautiful approach to any national park in America.
Reddit verdict: "Skip the West Entrance crowds. Enter Yellowstone from Cody. The Wapiti Valley drive is extraordinary."
6. Sheridan — Wyoming's Most Charming Historic Town
Region: Northeast Wyoming | Best For: History, Bighorn Mountains access
Sheridan has been named one of the Top Ten True Western Towns in America multiple times, and Reddit users who discover it are invariably glad they stopped. The main street is lined with preserved 19th-century storefronts, the Sheridan Inn (where Buffalo Bill auditioned Wild West performers from the front porch) is operational and achingly beautiful, and King's Saddlery — a working saddle shop that has outfitted ranchers since 1946 — gives the town an authenticity no amount of renovation can manufacture.
The Bighorn Scenic Byway begins just outside of town, climbing into the Bighorn Mountains through meadows and old-growth forest to Cloud Peak at over 13,000 feet.
Reddit verdict: "Sheridan might be Wyoming's most underrated town. Main Street is genuinely historic and King's Saddlery is worth a full hour."
7. Thermopolis — Free Hot Springs, Ancient Canyons, Dinosaurs
Region: Central Wyoming | Best For: Families, relaxation, geology
Thermopolis holds a fact that stops most visitors mid-sentence: it contains the world's largest mineral hot springs, and by Wyoming state law, a portion must remain free to the public in perpetuity. The Star Plunge state bath house has offered free mineral soaking since 1897.
Wind River Canyon just south of town is a stunning drive where the road squeezes between 2,500-foot walls of Precambrian rock — some of the oldest exposed geology on earth. The Wyoming Dinosaur Center offers actual fossil dig participation. Redditors call Thermopolis the most underrated stop in the state.
Reddit verdict: "Thermopolis has free hot springs, a stunning canyon, and a dinosaur dig. I don't understand why it's not more famous."
8. Laramie — College Town at the Edge of the Mountain West
Region: Southeast Wyoming | Best For: Culture, hiking, history
Laramie surprises travelers who arrive expecting another windswept prairie town. The University of Wyoming gives it an energy and restaurant scene disproportionate to its size, and Vedauwoo — a collection of dramatic granite tors rising from the Medicine Bow National Forest just east of town — is a climbing and hiking destination that Reddit's outdoor community consistently praises.
The Wyoming Territorial Prison, where Butch Cassidy was once held, adds a compelling historical layer. For budget travelers, Redditors recommend Laramie as the best base in southern Wyoming.
Reddit verdict: "Laramie is genuinely cool. Vedauwoo is one of the weirdest and most beautiful rock formations I've ever hiked through."
9. Sinks Canyon State Park — One of Wyoming's Best Free Experiences
Region: Near Lander, Central Wyoming | Entry: Free
Sinks Canyon is where the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River literally disappears underground into a limestone cave, travels through subterranean channels, and re-emerges a quarter mile later in a calm, trout-filled pool. The geology is genuinely mysterious — the water that enters the cave takes two hours longer to exit than direct flow would suggest.
Reddit's outdoor community rates it among the best free experiences in the Rocky Mountain West. The trail through the canyon passes through multiple distinct ecosystems and the wildlife sightings — bighorn sheep, black bears, moose — are exceptional.
Reddit verdict: "Sinks Canyon is free, bizarre, beautiful, and almost nobody outside Wyoming has heard of it."
10. Chief Joseph Scenic Byway — Wyoming's Most Beautiful Drive
Region: Northwest Wyoming, between Cody and Cooke City | Entry: Free
The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway connects Cody to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone through 47 miles of mountain terrain that Reddit's road trip community describes as the finest scenic drive in Wyoming — and among the best in the country. The route crosses Dead Indian Pass at 8,060 feet, with views across the Absaroka Range and into the Clark's Fork Valley that stretch for 60 miles on clear days.
At the summit, the landscape is simultaneously vast and intimate — jagged peaks on every horizon and an empty two-lane road dropping through switchbacks toward Yellowstone's quiet northeast corner.
Reddit verdict: "Chief Joseph Highway is the most beautiful drive I've ever done in America. Pull over at every turnout. You will not regret it."
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I spend in Wyoming?
Reddit travelers recommend at least 7–10 days to cover Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and two or three of the towns on this list without rushing. The distances between Wyoming's highlights are significant.
When is the best time to visit Wyoming?
June through September for most destinations. Mid-September is Reddit's favorite — crowds drop, fall color begins, and wildlife is active. Thermopolis and the towns are good year-round.
Do I need a national parks pass for Wyoming?
If you're visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton, the America the Beautiful Annual Pass ($80) covers both and pays for itself on a single trip.