THINGS TO DO

We are so grateful that you are joining us to celebrate Jess and Corey’s wedding! We hope your time in the Sheridan/Story/Buffalo area will allow for some fun exploring. The Big Horn Mountains and Powder River Basin offer world class hiking and fishing, and the area is steeped in history and cowboy culture. 

Here are some suggestions for local sites and activities:

  • Downtown Sheridan is a historic western town with fun small-town shopping including great angling and outfitter shops.  Don’t miss the legendary King’s Saddlery (famous across the rodeo circuit) and its terrific Saddle Museum located in the back of the store. 

  • Buffalo is a quaint Wyoming community 35 miles due south of Sheridan on Interstate 90 that also serves as a portal to the majestic Big Horns. Buffalo is the inspiration for the fictitious town of Durant, made famous in the western mystery series Longmire. There you’ll find a yummy, quintessential ‘greasy spoon’ breakfast at the Busy Bee Café. And, right next door, don’t miss the amazing décor at the iconic brothel-turned-hotel Occidental Hotel.

  • Perhaps you are up for a short drive into the starkly beautiful badlands of the nearby Powder River Valley? Visit the Ucross Foundation, a scenic ranch just 30 minutes east of Sheridan that for generations has served as a residence and gallery for artists from all over the world. Be sure to check the schedule for the Ucross Gallery and exhibits. 

  • For another unforgettable art experience, visit the Bradford Brinton Museum located in Big Horn just 20 minutes from Sheridan. This gem of a museum is set among bountiful flower gardens and features an amazing collection of Remington, Russell and other famed western painters, as well as an unparalleled curation of Native American art and artifacts. And the Museum Bistro offers a lovely lunch with spectacular views of the Big Horns.

Hiking, Fishing, Golf & Polo

Fishing

  • The Big Horns offer some of the best (and least crowded) dry fly fishing in the world. The kind folks at the Fly Shop of the Bighorns, located in downtown Sheridan, can sell you a fishing license and will be happy to look over maps and point you to some great local spots. Note:  if you prefer to arrange a guided fishing trip, be sure to plan ahead as July is prime time – so, call them sooner than later at 307-672-5866. 

Polo

  • For those seeking a unique spectator sport experience, who’d have thought there would be polo watching in the Big Horns? Visit the schedule of Sunday summer afternoons featuring world-class matches at the Big Horn Polo Club – possibly the most scenic polo fields in the world! 

Hiking

  • If you’re planning a day hike near Sheridan, check out the wonderful opportunities for top-rated local hiking trails. 

  • One favored destination is Tongue River Canyon, a half-hour drive that get you into the gorgeous east-face of the Big Horns as they meet the plains. 

  • To explore up and into the towering majesty of the Big Horns – one of the best-kept outdoor recreation secrets in the West – plan a day hike in the Big Horn National Forest. Be sure to stop at US Forest Service headquarters located just outside of downtown Buffalo and pick up maps and receive advice on full day hiking routes in and around the Cloud Peak Wilderness  Area. Bring rain/weather gear even on nice days, and pack water/lunch as there are no services at the trailhead. 

  • Hiking in the Cloud Peak is spectacular, with trails winding through forests, mountain meadows and high alpine lakes. The spectacular trailheads leading into Cloud Peak Wilderness Area can be accessed heading west out of Buffalo on Route 16 -- the Cloud Peak Skyway. Proceed approximately 15 miles west of Buffalo – a beautiful drive that gets up to elevation pretty quickly – to the Circle Park Trailhead. 

More Fishing…in the Cloud Peak

  • Note also that the Cloud Peak alpine lakes are well-stocked with a variety of trout species, so bring your fishing gear! The Sports Lure in downtown Buffalo is a great outfitter shop where you can buy a fishing license and can also get tips on hiking and angling opportunities in the area. 

Golf

  • Fore! For a hole-in-one fun outing closer to home, check out Sheridan’s Kendrick Golf Course, a par 72, 18-hole layout which offers an enjoyable golf experience at an affordable price. Located a few minutes from downtown Sheridan, KGC is a public golf course which entertains golfers of all skill levels with its links style course and undulating greens.  

    Famed Powder River Basin Historic Sites

  • Western history buffs will be impressed by the rich and storied tales of the Powder River Basin and Big Horn Mountains chronicling the tragic settlement conflicts of the 1880’s. Explore the Johnson County Range Wars (think Lonesome Dove) between the cattlemen and the free-roaming sheep shepherds. Experience the battle sites from Red Cloud’s War – between Native Americans and European settlers following the gold rush as they traveled through Wyoming to Montana along the Bozeman Trail. 

  • If your travel plans include the drive from Billings airport to Sheridan, consider stopping midway on Interstate 90 at the Little Big Horn Battlefield (aka Custer’s Last Stand) where the combined forces of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes prevailed over the 7th Cavalry of the US Army. This story of conflict is a narrative that defines the origins of the modern West to this day.

  • Just down the road, don’t miss the nearby Custer Battlefield Trading Post with Native American crafts and western wares and possibly the best fry bread in the West!

  • A short trip from Sheridan, you can also visit nearby Fort Phil Kearny located just south of Story and a mile from the site of the Fetterman Massacre of 1866 -- also known as the Battle of the Hundred Hands where the US Army was routed by Lakota Sioux led by Chief Red Cloud and Crazy Horse. 

    All told, there’s more to do in the wider Sheridan-Buffalo landscape than there are days to enjoy it all! Start with a planned activity or two, and the rest will come naturally!