Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming

The Shoshone National Forest is located in Wyoming, one of the first of its kind in the United States. In fact, it is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Eco-System, stretching over two million acres through wild and rugged countryside. It offers visitors one of the most untouched wilderness forests in the state, though it bustles with activity, especially during the warmer months.

Whether summer or winter, the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, is a scenic, rugged and remote part of the state, where aspen and evergreen forests rise up from the sagebrush grasslands to the high meadows of the alpine areas and harsh granite and glacier-covered mountain peaks. The forest stretches from the Montana-Wyoming border to Yellowstone National Park (northwest) and the Continental Divide (southwest). Covering millions of acres, it is a hotspot of recreation for many visitors.

The Shoshone has varied scenery, including the deep Clarks Ford Canyon, Gannet Peak, wetlands and tarns. Its most prized rivers include the Wind, Shoshone North and South and the Yellowstone rivers. It is touched by parts of the state's greatest mountain ranges, the Absaroka, the Beartooth and the Wind River. Elevations rise quickly to as high as thirteen thousand feet.

Though the forest was designated in 1892, the forest has been barely touched by visitors, once the hunting grounds of native peoples, and it remains fairly road free, save for the nearby highway. There are two centers for visitors, where backcountry and other permits are purchased. Activities include camping, horse riding, mountain biking, rafting, hiking and fishing.