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 nine federally or state-designated scenic byways and roughly the same number 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, ranked roughly by what is actually worth the drive for a visitor with a few days. All but two are seasonal (closed in winter); confirm with the Wyoming Department of Transportation before driving any of them outside the May-to-October window.
1. Beartooth Highway (US-212), Cody to Red Lodge
Length: 68 miles. The Wyoming portion runs from the Yellowstone Northeast Entrance / Cooke City area east through the Beartooth Pass and into Montana.
Top elevation: 10,947 feet at the Beartooth Pass, the highest paved highway in the Northern Rockies.
Season: Memorial Day weekend (late May) through mid-October. Plowing the pass in spring takes 2-3 weeks and the road’s actual opening date varies by snow year.
Why it earns the top spot: Federal designation as both a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road, the highest highway designation. Charles Kuralt called it the most beautiful drive in America. The road climbs from sage brush at 5,000 feet through forest, then through subalpine meadow, then onto the Beartooth Plateau itself, an alpine landscape of glacial lakes, snowfields, and exposed granite that you cannot see from any other paved road in the region. Top of the World, the gas station and store at the high point, 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). Loop drive total runs about 130 miles and takes a full day with stops.
2. Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY-296), Cody to the Beartooth
Length: 47 miles, from Cody north and west to the junction with US-212 (the Beartooth) at the Wyoming-Montana state line.
Top elevation: 8,071 feet at Dead Indian Pass.
Season: Open year-round. Best viewing May through October. Winter driving is fine but the Sunlight Basin views are partly snow-obscured.
Why it’s worth the drive: The byway climbs through the Sunlight Basin, the largest unbroken expanse of National Forest land in the lower 48 (Shoshone National Forest), with a switchback descent into the Clarks Fork Canyon that is one of the more dramatic drives in the state. Dead Indian Pass viewpoint provides a 100-mile view east into the Bighorn Basin. 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 Pass viewpoint (easy walk to the overlook). Sunlight Bridge over the Clarks Fork (one of the highest bridges in Wyoming). The Painter Outpost roadhouse near the junction with US-212 (food and gas).
3. Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY-130), Laramie to Saratoga
Length: 29 miles across the Medicine Bow National Forest.
Top elevation: 10,847 feet at the Snowy Range Pass, the second-highest paved highway in Wyoming.
Season: Open Memorial Day through October, sometimes longer.
Why it earns the spot: Federal National Scenic Byway designation. 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 (10-minute walk from the parking area, glassy reflection of Medicine Bow Peak). Lake Marie (drive-up access, picnic area). Brooklyn Lake area (multiple short hikes). The Snowy Range Pass viewpoint itself, with interpretive panels.
Pair with: A soak at the Saratoga Hot Pool at the western end of the drive.
4. Bighorn Scenic Byway (US-14), Sheridan to Greybull
Length: 58 miles across the central Bighorn Mountains.
Top elevation: 9,033 feet at Granite Pass.
Season: Open year-round, but the high section is winter-driving conditions November through April.
Why it earns the spot: Federal National Scenic Byway designation. The byway climbs the eastern Bighorn front from Dayton, crosses the range at Granite Pass, then descends the dramatic Shell Canyon switchbacks to Shell and on to Greybull. Shell Canyon is the most photographed section, with Shell Falls (a 120-foot waterfall) accessible via a short walk from the highway. The drive provides access to the Cloud Peak Wilderness on its north flank.
Stop for: Shell Falls visitor center and the falls overlook. The Burgess Junction area (Forest Service visitor center, several trailheads). Sibley Lake. The Antelope Butte ski area road provides side access into high country.
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 Tensleep
Length: 47 miles across the southern Bighorn Mountains.
Top elevation: 9,666 feet at Powder River Pass.
Season: Open year-round, but the high pass is closed by snow occasionally in winter.
Why it’s worth the drive: State Scenic Byway designation. The Cloud Peak Skyway provides the southern crossing of the Bighorns and direct access to the Cloud Peak Wilderness via West Tensleep Lake (the most-used trailhead for Bighorn pack trips). The descent into Tensleep Canyon at the western end is geologically striking, exposed sandstone walls in shades of red, with the Tensleep Creek paralleling the highway.
Stop for: Meadowlark Lake (recreation area, swimming, fishing). Powder River Pass viewpoint. Tensleep Canyon overlooks. Tensleep Brewing in the small town of Tensleep 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: 9,500 feet near Burgess Junction.
Season: Open Memorial Day through mid-October.
Why it’s worth the drive: Federal National Scenic Byway. The signature feature is the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark, an 80-foot-diameter stone wheel built by Plains Indians at least 700 years ago and still actively used as a ceremonial site by Crow, Cheyenne, Lakota, Arapaho, and Shoshone people today. The wheel is on Medicine Mountain at 9,640 feet. Access requires a 1.5-mile walk on a service road; 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). Bald Mountain (drive-up summit access via a side road).
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: 162 miles, the longest of Wyoming’s designated byways.
Top elevation: 9,544 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: State Scenic Byway. The Centennial connects Dubois (Wind River country) over Togwotee Pass into the Jackson Hole valley, then south down US-191 through Pinedale and the Wind River Range west slope. Togwotee Pass provides the iconic first view of the Tetons that visitors driving from the east see, the moment the entire range appears across the valley. The drive is functional as well as scenic; it is the standard route between Cody and Jackson for visitors crossing the state.
Stop for: Togwotee Pass overlook (first-Teton-view). Brooks Lake (short side road, classic mountain lake setting). The Pinedale Mountain Man Museum. Daniel Junction and 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: 5,000 feet (this is a low-elevation drive).
Season: Open year-round.
Why it’s worth the drive: State Scenic Byway. The Wind River cuts a 2,500-foot-deep canyon through the southern Bighorn Basin, exposing geological strata that span 500 million years (the canyon walls are a layer-cake of Precambrian basement up through Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks). The canyon is also the only place in Wyoming where the river changes its name; entering as the Wind River and exiting at the Wedding of the Waters as the Bighorn River. Three highway tunnels carved through the cliffs make for an interesting drive even apart from the geology.
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: 57 miles across the Sierra Madre range from Encampment to the Colorado border.
Top elevation: 9,955 feet at Battle Pass.
Season: Open Memorial Day through mid-October.
Why it’s worth the drive: State Scenic Byway and the least-known of the designated routes. The Sierra Madre is the southernmost extension of Wyoming’s mountain country, and Battle Pass crosses the range at near-10,000 feet through the Aspen Alley grove (a mile-long stretch of road bordered tightly by mature aspens, which turn brilliant gold in late September). The route also accesses the Encampment River Wilderness and the small ranching communities of Encampment and Riverside.
Stop for: Aspen Alley (best in late September for the color). Battle Pass viewpoint. The Grand Encampment Museum in Encampment (ghost-town-era Wyoming mining history).
How to plan a Wyoming byway road trip
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 + 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 stretches with no services for 60-120 miles. 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 — 60-120 miles between services means 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
- 9 Wyoming hot springs you can actually soak in
- 10 classic Wyoming dive bars still worth the stop
Further reading
- The National Scenic Byways Program, Federal Highway Administration designation history.
- Beartooth Highway: A History of America’s Most Beautiful Drive, Beartooth Foundation.
- Wyoming State Parks and Wyoming Travel and Tourism, scenic byway maps and current conditions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous scenic drive in Wyoming?
The Beartooth Highway (US-212) between Cody, Wyoming and Red Lodge, Montana. Charles Kuralt, the longtime CBS News On the Road correspondent, called it 'the most beautiful drive in America' in his 1986 book A Life on the Road. The highway climbs to 10,947 feet at the Beartooth Pass and is one of only a handful of paved roads in the country that actually crosses an alpine plateau above tree line. Open Memorial Day through mid-October most years; closed by snow the rest of the time.
When are Wyoming's high-elevation scenic byways open?
Most high-elevation byways (Beartooth, Snowy Range, Cloud Peak Skyway, Medicine Wheel Passage, Bighorn) are open Memorial Day weekend through mid- to late October. Exact opening and closing dates depend on the snow year and the Wyoming Department of Transportation's plowing capacity. The Beartooth typically opens latest (sometimes not until early June) and closes earliest (mid-October). Lower-elevation byways (Chief Joseph, Centennial, Wind River Canyon) are open year-round but check road conditions in winter.
Can you drive the Beartooth Highway in one day from Yellowstone?
Yes, and it's the standard route in or out of the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone for visitors based in Cody. The full Beartooth from Red Lodge, Montana to the Yellowstone Northeast Entrance is 65 miles and takes 2.5-3 hours of driving with stops at the Beartooth Pass, Top of the World viewpoint, and Pilot Peak overlook. Pair it with the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway from Cody for a full-day loop with no backtracking.