Photo by Jeff Vanuga
When it comes to the preservation of America’s scenic and geologic treasures, Wyoming was there first. Located within the state’s borders is Yellowstone, the first national park. Wyoming also contains the first national forest, the Shoshone; the first road west, the Oregon Trail; and the first ever designated national monument, Devils Tower.
In all, Wyoming is home to a total of seven nationally designated areas. In addition to the above, there are also Grand Teton National Park, Fossil Butte National Monument, and the Bighorn Canyon and Flaming Gorge National Recreation Areas.
In northeast Wyoming, Devils Tower rises 1,280 feet above the pine forests of the Wyoming Black Hills. This massive tower of volcanic rock served as a landmark for explorers and travelers heading west from the Black Hills, and it plays an important role in the legends and folklore of American Indians, who call it Bear Lodge. Devils Tower also starred in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
At the other corner of Wyoming sits the state’s second national monument, Fossil Butte. Just a few miles north of Kemmerer, Fossil Butte is where Wyoming’s prehistoric past as an inland sea can be seen. Embedded in the three-foot-thick layer of sedimentary sandstone are rich deposits of fossil plants, reptiles, and fish, including turtles, crocodiles, perch, paddlefish, herring and other species.
In Montana, travelers can learn more about the Northern Plains Indian wars at several battlefields, including the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument near Hardin, and the Big Hole National Battlefield near Wisdom.
At Little Bighorn, an army of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors overran the Seventh Cavalry and General George Armstrong Custer. At Big Hole, the U.S. Cavalry’s surprise attack on the sleeping camp of Chief Joseph and five bands of Nez Perce was overthrown, with heavy losses to the Cavalry.
Other nationally-designated areas in Montana include: Glacier National Park and a portion of Yellowstone; the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area—shared with Wyoming; the Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site near Deer Lodge; and portions of the Nez Perce National Historical Park in locations near Missoula, Wisdom, Laurel and Chinook.
The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument covers 375,000 acres of public land. The park holds a vast array of plants and wildlife, remarkable geological features, recreational opportunities, and areas of historical and cultural significance.
In Idaho, there are five areas designated historic parks, including the Nez Perce National Historic Park at Spalding, the City of Rocks National Reserve in south-central Idaho, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area north of Boise, and two national monuments.
Craters of the Moon National Monument, in central Idaho, encompasses the largest lava field in the contiguous United States.
In northeastern Utah, don’t miss Dinosaur National Monument, located 20 miles east of Vernal. Known as the most productive Jurassic Period dinosaur quarry in the world, about 350 tons of fossils have been excavated here since 1909. The Quarry Visitor Center encases a wall of sandstone in which more than 1,600 dinosaur bones have been sealed. The Monument also has wonderful hiking trails, whitewater rafting, Indian rock art sites, and restored pioneer cabins.
Mount Rushmore Memorial, in South Dakota’s Black Hills region, is a dramatic mountain featuring the sculpted faces of four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The 60-foot-tall faces loom 500 feet above as you view them. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum started the project in 1927. It took 14 years to complete, and cost $1 million. A stop at Mt. Rushmore en route to or from Yellowstone Park is a must.
