Experience Americas Most Treasured Roads
Touring the Byway
58 Miles | 5 Days / 4 Nights | Gateway City: Laramie, Wyoming
We recommend starting your journey in Laramie, a spirited town with deep Western roots. Discover the city’s extraordinary architecture on the Historic Downtown Laramie Walking Tour, stop and smell the roses at the Williams Conservatory. Travel through art and human history at the Art Museum and Museum of Anthropology, both located on the beautiful University of Wyoming campus. Spend your first evening in a colorfully hand-crafted Victorian-style Inn.
On Day Two, learn about a quaint mountain town full of local characters at Centennial’s Nici Self Historical Museum and make sure your gas tank is full before driving a bonus Byway – the Snowy Pass Scenic Byway! Twist and turn your way through Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, visit crystal clear alpine lakes like Brooklyn Lake, Mirror Lake, and Lake Marie, reach an elevation of over 10,000 feet at Snowy Range Pass, the apex of the Byway, and enjoy panoramic views of three different mountain ranges at the Libby Flats Observation Area. Afterwards, enjoy a secluded getaway at Spirit West River Lodge.
View the Detailed Itinerary below to see the full route, which is complete with dining, shopping, and lodging recommendations!
Highlighted Attractions
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Covering nearly 2.9 million acres from north central Colorado to central and northeastern Wyoming, the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest delivers beautiful vistas of mountain ranges, grasslands, and crystal clear streams. Miles of dirt and paved roads meander through dense forest areas where exposed rock faces reveal millions of years of history and open spaces reveal the vastness of the land that characterizes the American West.
Grand Encampment Museum
The Grand Encampment Museum hosts over a dozen historical buildings filled with artifacts illustrating the timber, mining, and agricultural history of the Encampment valley at the turn of the 20th century. Highlights include a two-story outhouse and cable cars used for copper ore.
Battle Pass
Battle Pass, located on the Continental Divide, affords excellent views of the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Laramie Plains Museum
The beautiful three story Queen Anne Victorian built by Edward and Jane Ivinson in 1892 which led to the historic architecture of Laramie of today. The residence hosts an extensive collection of artifacts and archives illustrating the history of Laramie, Albany County, the American West, Victoriana, Ranching and westward migration.
Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site
Established in 1868 to protect the newly built Union Pacific Railroad from attacks, this frontier Army post served as a hub for both the military and Wyoming’s lumber and livestock industries. Though many of the foundations are still visible, very few structures are intact.
To experience all that A Classic Western Adventure has to offer, download the complete itinerary!
The detailed itinerary includes:
- A complete trip experience organized in geographic order, to print down and go.
- A full description of the Byway tour.
- Each trip experience begins in a gateway city with commercial flight availability (and often ending in another) to enhance the Byway experience.
- Attractions and activities along the full length of the Byway selected to truly tell the story of the places you visit.
- Detailed description of each attraction and activity, including the address, telephone number, hours of operation, admission fees and suggested time to allow for a visit.
- Accommodations (related to the theme of the Byway or unique to the destination wherever possible) positioned in the correct locations and including breakfast wherever possible.
- Dining suggestions positioned in the correct locations for lunch and dinner.
- All attractions, accommodations and dining locations arranged into Days that allow time for relaxation, savoring meals and enjoying the experience.
- A road trip to create memories and intrigue your mind.