Wyoming's 9 Best Scenic Byways, Ranked by What's Actually Worth the Drive
From the Beartooth Highway (Charles Kuralt's pick for America's most beautiful drive) to the Snowy Range and Cloud Peak Skyway, the working short list of Wyoming scenic byways with elevations, season windows, and what to stop for.
Wyoming has 21 designated scenic byways, two of them national and 19 state, by Scenic America’s count, and plenty of unofficial drives that any local will tell you are at least as good. The byways do not all earn equal time. Some are genuinely once-in-a-lifetime drives at the level of California’s Pacific Coast Highway or Montana’s Going-to-the-Sun Road. Others are good but not destination-worthy, suitable as connector routes when you are heading somewhere else.
This is the working short list of nine, ranked roughly by what is actually worth the drive for a visitor with a few days. Four of the nine close for winter, and the rest can close briefly in storms; confirm with the Wyoming Department of Transportation before driving any of them outside the May-to-October window.
1. Beartooth Highway (US-212), Red Lodge to Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance
Length: About 68 to 70 miles, from Red Lodge, Montana, dipping into Wyoming over the Beartooth Pass and back into Montana at Cooke City and the park’s Northeast Entrance.
Top elevation: 10,947 feet at the Beartooth Pass, the highest paved primary road in Wyoming.
Season: Memorial Day weekend (late May) through mid-October, closed in winter. The actual opening date varies by snow year.
Why it earns the top spot: It is an All-American Road, the top tier of the national scenic byways program. Charles Kuralt, the longtime CBS News On the Road correspondent, is widely quoted calling it the most beautiful drive in America. The road climbs from Red Lodge through forest, then through subalpine meadow, then onto the Beartooth Plateau itself, an alpine landscape of glacial lakes, snowfields, and exposed granite. Top of the World, the store at about 9,400 feet roughly halfway along, is a destination in itself.
Stop for: The Beartooth Pass viewpoint (do the short hike to the rock outcrop). The Top of the World store (ice cream, postcards, fuel). Pilot Peak overlook on the descent toward Cooke City. The wildflowers in late June and early July are exceptional.
Pair with: The Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (entry 2). The loop from Cody over the Chief Joseph and the Beartooth to Red Lodge and back runs about 180 miles and takes a full day with stops. WYDOT says to allow at least three hours from Red Lodge to Yellowstone on the Beartooth alone.
2. Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY-296), Cody to the Beartooth
Length: 47 miles, from the junction with WY-120 about 17 miles north of Cody, northwest to US-212 (the Beartooth).
Top elevation: 8,060 feet at Dead Indian Pass.
Season: Open in winter. Best viewing May through October.
Why it’s worth the drive: The byway climbs over Dead Indian Pass and down into Sunlight Basin in the Shoshone National Forest, with a switchback descent that is one of the more dramatic drives in the state. The Dead Indian Summit Overlook, a paved turnout at the high point, takes in a 220-degree panorama of the Absaroka and Beartooth mountains. The byway is named for Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce, who came through this country during their 1877 retreat toward Canada.
Stop for: Dead Indian Summit Overlook. The Sunlight Creek bridge, the highest highway bridge in Wyoming.
3. Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY-130), Laramie to Saratoga
Length: 27 miles across the Medicine Bow National Forest.
Top elevation: 10,847 feet at the Snowy Range Pass, the second-highest mountain pass in Wyoming.
Season: Open from late May until snow closes it, usually around mid-November.
Why it earns the spot: It was the nation’s second National Forest Scenic Byway. The drive crosses the Medicine Bow Mountains (locally called “the Snowies”) and provides the most accessible high-altitude alpine scenery in southern Wyoming. The Snowy Range Pass viewpoint looks south toward the highest peaks of the range, including Medicine Bow Peak (12,013 feet). The drive is a natural pairing with Laramie and the historic Centennial mining-camp area at the foot of the pass.
Stop for: Mirror Lake (a short walk from the parking area, glassy reflection of Medicine Bow Peak). Lake Marie, its sister lake. Brooklyn Lake area (multiple short hikes). The Snowy Range Pass viewpoint itself.
Pair with: A soak at the Saratoga Hot Pool at the western end of the drive.
4. Big Horn Scenic Byway (US-14), Dayton to Shell
Length: 47 miles across the central Bighorn Mountains, between Dayton and Shell (Sheridan and Greybull are the nearest full-service towns).
Top elevation: 9,033 feet at Granite Pass.
Season: Open in winter, though heavy snow can close it for short periods in winter or early spring.
Why it earns the spot: A state and Forest Service scenic byway. The byway climbs the eastern Bighorn front from Dayton, crosses the range at Granite Pass, then descends the dramatic Shell Canyon switchbacks toward Shell. Shell Falls (a 120-foot waterfall) is a short walk from the highway. The drive provides access to the Cloud Peak Wilderness to its south.
Stop for: The Shell Falls interpretive site and the falls overlook. The Burgess Junction area (Forest Service visitor center, several trailheads). Sibley Lake. The Antelope Butte ski area near Granite Pass.
Pair with: Sheridan on the east end and Cody (via continued US-14 west) on the west end.
5. Cloud Peak Skyway (US-16), Buffalo to Ten Sleep
Length: 47 miles across the southern Bighorn Mountains.
Top elevation: 9,666 feet at Powder River Pass.
Season: Open in winter, though snow can close the high pass for short periods.
Why it’s worth the drive: A state and Forest Service scenic byway. The Cloud Peak Skyway provides the southern crossing of the Bighorns and access to the Cloud Peak Wilderness via West Ten Sleep Lake (one of the most popular trailheads into the wilderness, and a common start for Bighorn pack trips). The descent into Tensleep Canyon at the western end is geologically striking, with limestone and dolomite cliffs above Tensleep Creek.
Stop for: Meadowlark Lake (recreation area, boating, fishing). Powder River Pass viewpoint. Tensleep Canyon overlooks. The small town of Ten Sleep at the western end.
Pair with: Buffalo on the east end (Occidental Hotel, TA Ranch).
6. Medicine Wheel Passage (US-14A), the Northern Bighorns
Length: 27 miles across the northern Bighorn Mountains, an alternate to US-14.
Top elevation: The Medicine Wheel itself sits at nearly 10,000 feet, a walk above the highway.
Season: Closed in winter.
Why it’s worth the drive: A state and Forest Service scenic byway. The signature feature is the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark, a circle of limestone boulders about 80 feet across with 28 spokes radiating from a central cairn, built in stages by Native Americans within the past 1,000 years and still a sacred site. The wheel is on the slopes of Medicine Mountain. Seeing it up close takes a three-mile round-trip walk; the wheel itself is closed to vehicles to preserve the site. The setting (high tundra, 360-degree views, the wheel itself) is one of the more powerful experiences accessible from a Wyoming highway.
Stop for: The Medicine Wheel itself (1.5-mile walk each way, allow 90 minutes round-trip). The Burgess Junction Visitor Center (Forest Service interpretation). The Bald Mountain City pullout, with interpretive signs at the site of a gold-mining ghost town.
Notes: Treat the Medicine Wheel as the active ceremonial site it is. The Forest Service may close access during ceremonial use; respect any closures and do not photograph offering bundles or remove anything from the site.
7. Centennial Scenic Byway (US-26/89/191), Dubois to Pinedale
Length: 163 miles between Dubois and Pinedale.
Top elevation: 9,658 feet at Togwotee Pass.
Season: Open year-round. The Togwotee Pass section can be winter-driving conditions November through April.
Why it’s worth the drive: A state scenic byway. The Centennial connects Dubois (Wind River country) over Togwotee Pass into the Jackson Hole valley at Moran Junction, then south through Jackson, Hoback Junction and Bondurant to Pinedale and the Wind River Range west slope. West of the pass, drivers coming from the east get their first big view of the Tetons across the valley.
Stop for: Togwotee Pass. Brooks Lake (gravel side road, classic mountain lake setting). The Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale. The Green River Lakes side road into the Bridger Wilderness.
8. Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway (US-20), Thermopolis to Shoshoni
Length: 34 miles through the Wind River Canyon.
Top elevation: Under 5,000 feet (this is a low-elevation drive).
Season: Open year-round.
Why it’s worth the drive: A state scenic byway. The Wind River cuts a canyon as much as 2,500 feet deep through the Owl Creek Mountains. Driving north, you pass through Precambrian rock at the three road tunnels, then under high cliffs of Bighorn Dolomite and Madison Limestone, and out through red Chugwater sandstone at the north end. The river changes its name on the way: it enters as the Wind River and leaves, at the Wedding of the Waters, as the Bighorn. Same water, different name.
Stop for: The Wedding of the Waters interpretive site at the canyon mouth. Boysen State Park at the southern end (lake, fishing, camping). The Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis at the northern end.
9. Battle Highway (WY-70), the Sierra Madre
Length: WY-70 runs about 57 miles from Riverside, next to Encampment, west over the Sierra Madre to Baggs near the Colorado line. The stretch inside the Medicine Bow National Forest was designated the Battle Pass Scenic Byway in 2012.
Top elevation: 9,955 feet at Battle Pass.
Season: Closed in winter over the pass, typically November into spring.
Why it’s worth the drive: The least-known of the routes here. Battle Pass crosses the Sierra Madre at nearly 10,000 feet, and a side road leads to Aspen Alley, a narrow stretch of road bordered tightly by aspens that turn gold in fall. The route also passes the small ranching communities of Encampment and Riverside.
Stop for: Aspen Alley (best in fall for the color). Battle Pass viewpoint. The Grand Encampment Museum in Encampment (the area’s copper-mining boom).
How to plan a Wyoming byway road trip
Four of the byways close for winter: the Beartooth, Snowy Range, Medicine Wheel Passage and Battle Pass, with exact dates depending on the snow year and WYDOT’s plowing schedule. The Beartooth usually opens around Memorial Day, sometimes not until June, and closes by mid-October. The others (Chief Joseph, Big Horn, Cloud Peak Skyway, Centennial, Wind River Canyon) stay open in winter, though storms can close the high passes for short periods.
The byways group geographically into three clusters, each sustainable as a 3-4 day trip:
Northern Cluster (Cody / Sheridan / Bighorns): Beartooth + Chief Joseph + Bighorn (US-14) + Medicine Wheel + Cloud Peak Skyway. Plan 4 days. Base in Cody for the Beartooth/Chief Joseph loop; move to Sheridan for the Bighorn crossings.
Western Cluster (Jackson / Pinedale / Dubois): Centennial Scenic Byway end-to-end, plus Snake River and Yellowstone connections. Plan 3 days.
Southern Cluster (Laramie / Saratoga / Encampment): Snowy Range + Battle Highway over the Sierra Madre. Shortest cluster, can be done in 2-3 days from Laramie or Cheyenne.
Add the Wind River Canyon as a connector between the Northern and Western clusters; the drive from Thermopolis south to Shoshoni and on to Riverton or Lander makes a natural transit between the two regions.
What to carry on a Wyoming byway drive
Byways mean long stretches with no services. A few items earn their keep:
- Klean Kanteen insulated 20 oz, Wyoming at altitude in July is dry. Fills at any gas station, stays cold all day.
- Leatherman Wave Plus, for the flat tire, the stuck hood latch, the campsite where you need a real tool.
- Kinco lined work gloves, early mornings at 8,000 feet require it.
- BESTEK 3-socket car charger with 4 USB ports, long gaps between services mean your phone, GPS, and passenger devices all need to stay live.
Related reading on this site
- Cody, Wyoming: Buffalo Bill’s town and the gateway to Yellowstone
- Sheridan, Wyoming: home of King’s Saddlery
- Buffalo, Wyoming: the Occidental Hotel, the TA Ranch, and the Bighorn Front
- Jackson, Wyoming: town square, Tetons, and the gateway to Yellowstone South
- Laramie, Wyoming: railroad town and university capital
- Pinedale, Wyoming: Wind River gateway and Mountain Man Museum
- Wyoming’s best horse packing trails
- Wyoming hot springs you can actually soak in: fees, seasons, access
- 9 classic Wyoming dive bars still worth the stop
Further reading
- Wyoming Department of Transportation, scenic byway brochures for the Big Horn, Buffalo Bill-Yellowstone Country, Centennial and Snowy Range byways.
- WYDOT road conditions before any high-pass drive.
Sources
- Scenic America, National Scenic Byways Program: Wyoming (two national and 19 state scenic byways; Beartooth an All-American Road)
- Wyoming Department of Transportation, Wyoming's Scenic Byways & Backways (brochures)
- WYDOT, Buffalo Bill - Yellowstone Country Scenic Byways brochure (Beartooth, Chief Joseph)
- WYDOT, Big Horn Mountain Country Scenic Byways brochure (Big Horn, Medicine Wheel Passage, Cloud Peak Skyway)
- WYDOT, Centennial Scenic Byway brochure (163 miles; Togwotee Pass 9,658 feet)
- WYDOT, Snowy Range Scenic Byway brochure (10,847 feet; open late May to mid-November)
- Wikipedia, Wyoming Highway 70 (pointer: 57.66 miles; closed in winter over Battle Pass; Battle Pass Scenic Byway designated 2012 per WYDOT)
- Wikipedia, Wind River Canyon (pointer: up to 2,500 feet deep; Precambrian rock at the three tunnels)
- Bighorn National Forest, scenic driving
- Bridger-Teton National Forest, scenic byways