Washakie: Badlands, Wetlands and Cultural History

At the Gooseberry Badlands Scenic Overlook, the view stretches across a colorful desert landscape, beneath a wide blue sky and over artfully eroded rock formations. Washakie’s special nature and cultural experiences also include a wetland with a loop trail, hiking trails of varying lengths, and the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center.

Badlands, Wetland and Fossils

The Gooseberry Badlands Scenic Overlook is a destination for expansive landscape views. The associated Gooseberry Badlands Scenic Overlook Trail is a non-motorized hiking trail about 1.5 miles long. If you choose trails by distance, you can compare this with the shorter loops at Duck Swamp.

The Duck Swamp Interpretive Area is an 81-acre oxbow and wetland. It was formed from an abandoned meander of the Bighorn River. A one-mile interpretive and educational loop trail crosses the wetland, offering the chance to observe and learn about wildlife. Day-use facilities include drinking water, restrooms, parking for cars and buses, grills, and covered picnic tables.

The area’s geological history is also part of its landscape: a mudflow of volcanic ash petrified the plants around Big Cedar Ridge in their original location. The Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite in the nearby region is Wyoming’s largest site with dinosaur tracks. It is also one of the few sites in the world with tracks from the Middle Jurassic, formed 160 to 180 million years ago.

Hiking Trails with Different Characters

Trail distances can help you choose a route to fit your planned time and activity level: the Duck Swamp loop is one mile long, while the Gooseberry Badlands Scenic Overlook Trail is about 1.5 miles long. The Salt Lick Trail is also 1.5 miles long, but is described as challenging. It offers views of the landscape and its impressive flora and fauna.

The Salt Lick Trail is about six miles east of Ten Sleep, just north of U.S. Highway 16. There is a restroom and an information kiosk at the trailhead. Its location is also useful for planning: it helps you orient yourself without equating trail distance with hiking time.

In the Ten Sleep area, Washakie County Road 580A follows the route of the 1936 Black and Yellow Trail. Southwest of the timber truss bridge, the Black and Yellow Trail can be driven for several miles before terrain conditions make it impassable. Check road and access conditions again before making the drive.

Museum and Regional History

Through its exhibits, the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center presents local human history, from early mammoth hunters to the first settlers. In the Ancient Basin gallery, you can see casts of plant and dinosaur fossils. The Last West gallery includes a walk-in pioneer dugout and an original sheep wagon; each exhibit highlights a different aspect of the region’s history.

Archaeological finds at the Colby Mammoth Site include the remains of several mammoths, dated to about 11,000 years before the present, as well as three Clovis projectile points. The site is on private land. Confirm access before planning a visit.

In Worland, Washakie County, West Side School has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since November 17, 2021. This provides a specific connection to the town’s more recent history, alongside the early settlement history presented at the museum.

Events and Getting Around

The Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival takes place every year at the Washakie County Fairgrounds northwest of Worland. It is usually scheduled for the third Friday and Saturday in August; dates may vary from year to year. If the festival is part of your travel plans, check the dates for the year in question.

Worland Municipal Airport (WRL) is about three miles south of Worland. The Salt Lick Trail’s location east of Ten Sleep is another regional reference point for getting around the area. Nature trails, the museum and events can thus be considered as different elements of a trip to Washakie.

Explore More Destinations

Explore more destinations: Worland, Hot Springs County, Natrona, Teton, Sheridan, Johnson County, Laramie, Sweetwater County

For the main travel overview: Wyoming.