Wyoming Bike Tour
LEVEL
Advanced
The tour was truly epic. The scenery and experience was awesome. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants a true Western experience.
This was my first ever commercial bicycle tour and it exceeded all my expectations! It was worth every cent! Can't wait to sign up and start dreaming about the next one!
Buckle your toe clips, cowboys and cowgirls. Here comes the Wild, Wild West! Ride through lands where coal mines, gold rushes and gun battles defined the landscape and legendary turf wars were won and lost. From Cody, Wyoming, bicycle west into Bighorn National Forest, northeast through Shoshone and Custer National Forests, then back again to Cody. Bike the first protected national forest in the United States. Keep your eyes peeled for the country’s largest population of bighorn sheep. Explore the lands of the Shoshone, the Arapaho, the Sioux, Chief Joseph’s Nez Perce – and the early settlers pushing west.
If you have time to extend your stay in Cody, we highly recommend a visit to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center: The highly acclaimed “Smithsonian of the West” offers learning opportunities about Buffalo Bill, the Plains Indians and Yellowstone – an unparalleled collection of Western Art and one of the largest collections of firearms in the world. And “to boot”, you can go to a rodeo in Cody every night from June 1-Aug 31!
Itinerary
Day 01
Meet in Cody, Wyoming. Take a warm-up ride from Burlington to Ten Sleep.
Meals
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Carter Inn
Ability Level
Advanced
Distance
69 miles
Elevation
+2,332 ft / -2,341 ft
Meet in Cody, Wyoming, named for “Buffalo Bill” William Frederick Cody. Begin your Wild West adventure after a shuttle to the tiny town of Burlington, Wyoming. Follow the winding Bighorn and Nowood Rivers toward Ten Sleep, in the western foothills of the Bighorn Mountains.
Day 02
Bicycle from Ten Sleep to Buffalo through the southern portion of Bighorn National Forest.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Hampton Inn and Suites, Buffalo
Ability Level
Advanced
Distance
65 miles
Elevation
+6861 ft / -6724 ft
Ride across the southern portion of Bighorn National Forest today. Over a million acres of lush grasslands, alpine meadows, crystal-clear lakes, glacier-hewn valleys, rolling hills and sheer mountain walls make for spectacular cycling. The Bighorn Mountains, the sister range to the Rockies, lie to the north. Finish in Buffalo, Wyoming, tucked into the Bighorn foothills. Explore Main Street’s dozen-plus historic buildings, including the Occidental Hotel where Owen Wister’s Virginian finally “got his man” – and the impressive Jim Gatchell Museum, with over 15,000 artifacts from the American Old West.
Day 03
Buffalo to Ranchester.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Ranchester Western Motel
Ability Level
Intermediate
Distance
63 miles
Elevation
+1,778 ft / -2,581 ft
Bicycle north today with the massive Bighorns on your left. Ride past Lake de Smet – which the Sioux believed to have magical healing powers – and through Sheridan to finish in tiny Ranchester, site of a battle between the Powder River Expedition and Chief Black Bear’s Arapaho camp.
Day 04
Ride from the northern section of Bighorn National Forest and the Bighorn Mountains.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Western Motel, Lovell
Ability Level
Advanced
Distance
84 miles
Elevation
+8526 ft / -8446 ft
Point your steeds west, cowboys and cowgirls. Ride across the northern portion of Bighorn National Forest to the town of Lovell, ‘Wyoming’s Rose City.’ Enjoy the climbing today as you bike through the Bighorn Mountains.
Day 05
Ride north to Montana.
Meals
– Breakfast
Lodging
Pollard Hotel, Red Lodge
Ability Level
Advanced
Distance
79 miles
Elevation
+3824 ft / -2106 ft
Bicycle north and west today. Follow the squiggly curves of Silver Tip Creek through Byron north into Montana. Fields of corn, sugar beets and alfalfa are interspersed with tiny towns in the valley tucked between Yellowstone National Park and the Bighorn Range. Stay in Red Lodge, Montana, a raucous 1890s coal town that calls itself the ‘Gateway to Yellowstone.’ Lunch and dinner are on your own today, with plenty of time to explore.
Day 06
Ride into Shoshone National Forest along the Beartooth Scenic Highway.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Alpine Motel or Hunter Peak Ranch
Ability Level
Advanced
Distance
56 miles
Elevation
+6,070 ft / -5,083 ft
Ride west, deep into the 2.4 million acres of Shoshone National Forest. The Beartooth Scenic Highway tops out at 10,947′ and dips down to run beside the Clarks Fork, Wyoming’s only Wild and Scenic river. Shoshone National Forest has retained virtually all the original animal and plant species that were there when explorers like John Colter and Jim Bridger first visited the region. It’s home to grizzly and black bear, cougar, moose, tens of thousands of elk as and the largest herd of bighorn sheep in the U.S. The streams in the forest are considered to have some of the best game species fishing opportunities in the country, including Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Enjoy dinner surrounded by the peaks of the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness at the legendary Beartooth Cafe.
Day 07
Return to Cody on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Ability Level
Advanced
Distance
61 miles
Elevation
+4,806 ft / -6,320 ft
After a made-from-scratch breakfast at the Bearclaw Bakery, it’s back on the bicycle. Ride the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway back to Cody today. Following a climb to the overlook at Dead Indian Hill, it’s time to head down: 4,800 ft of climbing is followed by 6,300 ft of terrifically fun downhill. Finish off the week with a celebratory toast! If you’re staying on for an extra night, take time to check out the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and relive some of the highlights of your adventure.
