Wyoming Hiking & Backpacking Trips

Hiking and backpacking the many diverse trails around Cody, Wyoming offers the visitor some spectacular scenery as well as some longed-for solitude in a gorgeous natural environment.

The best way to experience the beauty of the Wyoming lands around Cody is to hike the trails. Enjoy the pine-scented air and alpine meadows as you move along through Mother Nature’s wondrous backcountry.

Hiking Clarks Fork
The Clarks Fork District in Shoshone National Forest provides a number of trails of varying lengths, ideal for any level hiker. Many of these trails have light use, thus you get some privacy and elbowroom.

Hiking Greybull
The Greybull District in the Shoshone National Forest has a great many trails of pristine beauty, some climbing to over 3,000 feet in elevation change for those adventurous hikers willing to take the challenge.

Hiking Wapiti
One of the most famous trails in the Wapiti District of the Shoshone National Forest is the Blackwater Fire Memorial trail, which is a designated National Recreation Trail. Other trails are of moderate difficulty and of moderate to heavy use, indicating their popularity.

Summer
Here you’ll find plenty of ideas for the perfect summer vacation in and around Cody, Wyoming. Go climbing, fishing or tour the nearby national parks and forests.

Epic Hikes
If you like those long, exciting hikes, you’ll find the Blackwater Natural Bridge Trail, only 40 miles outside of Cody, offers some great overnight experiences. Get great views of the natural rock arch on this strenuous hike. The Elk Fork and the Greybull River Trail are a couple of other hikes that have to be experienced to be believed.

Safety Tips
Knowing what to do to stay safe when hiking is important. A couple tips follow:

• Start slowly – this doesn’t mean hike at a slow speed. It means to start out your first hike with only a short excursion. Don’t overdo it.
• Don’t drink the water – although you may think those crystal clear streams are safe, they often are not. Bring your own water or a good water filter for use on your hiking trip.
• Keep food in tightly sealed containers – animals will come nosing around if they smell food and some of those animals can be dangerous to humans.

Planning Ahead
Be ready for any kind of weather. During the summer months, storms can come up unexpectedly at any elevation. Check the weather forecasts for the area where you will hike.

Leave No Trace
Here are seven important principles of “Leave No Trace” for use in any backcountry adventure:

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
3. Dispose of Waste Properly
4. Leave What You Find
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
6. Respect Wildlife
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors