I spent a good chunk of time in Wyoming and am officially declaring it as my favorite state in the U.S. If you have not been, you need to add it to your list! I stayed in Cody, Jackson, the Shoshone Forest, and near both Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Every single place I stayed was beautiful – and not because I was choosing pretty places. Western Wyoming is gorgeous. If you are planning at trip to Wyoming, here are a few of the top places to visit in Wyoming.
Cody, Wyoming is located about one hour away from Yellowstone National Park. This is a great place to start your adventure because you will be at the very north-end of the state. Cody has gorgeous hiking trails, a great food scene, and all the basic “necessity” stores that you may need. The Buffalo Bill Museum is also located in Cody, and it should not be skipped. Plan at least 4-6 hours to get through the whole thing, though, because it is gigantic.
My favorite hiking trail in Cody was the Shoshone Riverway Trail. It is approximately 2.5 miles and travels alongside of the Shoshone River. The views on this trail are gorgeous and it is very well maintained. There are a couple of picnic table areas, too, if you want to have a quick lunch after your hike.
I stopped at two food spots in Cody: Wyo Dough and Annie’s Soda Saloon. Wyo Dough is a pretty popular pizza joint. I got an order of their garlic cheese curds along with a kids meal chicken tenders. Everything was great – even the curds. I ordered to-go, but for the 3 minutes I was in the restaurant, I could tell that it was all good vibes. If I lived in Cody (which I might someday), I would hang out at this spot regularly.
The second place is Annie’s Soda Saloon. They make all of their own soda and have over 30 flavors! I ordered the pomegranate and it was delicious. Huckleberry ice cream was recommended to me, so I ordered some of that in a waffle dish and OMG we need to get huckleberry ice cream in Wisconsin somehow. It was SO good. I went on a hunt the next day to find huckleberry jam because I needed more of it in my life.
Yellowstone is one of the most beautiful National Parks throughout the United States. And rightfully so, I may add. If you have not seen the park yet, it should be a bucket list item. We only visited for one day and I think we could have spent at least 3 if we truly went through it all.
Some personal highlights within the park included watching Old Faithful explode, witnessing the Grand Prismatic Spring, and hiking the Upper and Lower Falls trail. Old Faithful has always been a bucket list item for me so I was grateful to see it while we were there. The Upper and Lower Falls hiking trails were unintentional but it was a spectacular sight.
We saw a decent amount of wildlife within the park as well: bison, deer, and elk. We ended up staying at a campsite in between Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons and woke up to an elk that morning.
The Grand Tetons might be my favorite National Park. I visited back in 2019 and fell in love. It is difficult visiting National Parks with a pup since they are not allowed to hike, but I left Kona in the RV for a bit at this one so I could hike around Jenny Lake. The views are absolutely breathtaking and I am convinced it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
The Tetons have a ton of bike paths and hiking trails throughout the park. It is different in Yellowstone that way - there are not that many "attractions" within GTNP but I personally think it is more beautiful overall.
Just south of the Tetons is the last city in Wyoming I want to cover - Jackson. Although it is a tourist town, it is so picturesque, especially in the fall. They have tons of dog friendly hiking trails in Jackson so Kona and I were able to stretch our legs a bit.
If you are looking for a bite to eat, Snake River Brewing has fantastic craft beer and pizza. On the south side of the city is Jackson Hole Still Works - Jackson's only craft distillery. They serve "sloshies" (alcoholic slushees) that are a local favorite.
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