Campbell: History, Culture and Experiences

Campbell County covers 4,761 square miles. Ranching is the predominant land use; the semiarid climate brings an average of 15.75 inches of precipitation per year. These figures offer a first impression of the county’s size and character, where landscapes, culture and major venues provide a wide variety of reasons to visit.

Landscape and Regional Orientation

The county’s lowest point is on the Little Powder River in the northern part, at 3,400 feet above sea level. At the western boundary, North Pumpkin Butte reaches an elevation of 6,060 feet. Campbell County lies between the Black Hills in South Dakota and the Bighorn Mountains. The wider region offers opportunities for skiing, snowmobiling, hiking and fishing a short drive away. This makes it easy to complement a stay focused on events and culture with activities in the surrounding landscape.

Events and CAM-PLEX

CAM-PLEX covers more than 1,000 acres and brings together a range of event facilities: a performing arts theater, a convention and exhibition hall, multipurpose pavilions, a racetrack and rodeo grounds. It also has RV sites and a 21-acre park with a picnic area. The venue is available year-round for conferences, theater and dance, trade shows, livestock shows and rodeos. World-class concerts and touring Broadway theater productions are also part of its offerings. Its events range from culture and conventions to livestock and motorsports.

History and Art

The Campbell County Rockpile Museum is dedicated to local and regional history, focusing on the culture and people of Campbell County, Wyoming. The museum opened to the public on July 21, 1974. The grounds include two rural schoolhouses, a caboose, a freight car, a windmill and horse-drawn farm equipment. The historic buildings and objects provide a tangible connection to the region’s rural history.

The AVA Community Art Center offers opportunities both to make art and to see changing exhibitions. Instructors lead workshops in a wide range of artistic media. Two gallery spaces feature rotating monthly exhibitions. Whether you would like to try making art yourself or explore different exhibitions, the center offers two distinct ways to engage.

Sports and Seasonal Experiences

The Campbell County Recreation Center has several sports facilities: a 42-foot climbing wall whose design incorporates features of Devils Tower National Monument, a six-lane, 200-meter indoor track and five indoor tennis courts. The combination of a climbing wall, track and tennis courts illustrates the range of sports facilities available there.

The Festival of Lights, organized annually by Campbell County Parks and Recreation, runs from mid-November through the first week of January; the exact dates vary from year to year. Visitors can drive through Cam-Plex Park to see the displays. The festival features more than 50 light installations, over 100 individual elements and more than 1,000,000 lights. The numbers may change from one edition to the next, as may the event layout. Check the dates for your travel period.

Two-hour tours of Durham Bison Ranch are offered from June through August. The family-owned bison ranch covers 55,000 acres and is located 39 miles south of Gillette. Visitors must arrange their own transportation to the ranch; check the seasonal tour dates before setting out. In the fall, Campbell County’s wildlife draws hunters from around the world. The seasonal timing differs considerably: ranch tours are a summer offering, Campbell County’s wildlife draws hunters from around the world in the fall, and the Festival of Lights runs from late fall into January.

Discover more destinations: Gillette, Park, Crook County, Platte County, Weston County, Albany, Sweetwater County, Carbon.

For the main travel overview: Wyoming.