Dubois, Wyoming
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A small town in big country, Dubois, Wyoming, is about an hour's drive from Jackson (to the west) and Riverton (to the east). This little gem of a town is bordered by geography unarguably second to none.
Nearby trailheads and geographic features have cast their spell over visitors and locals alike. No traveler could mistake the reason, either: location.
Set in the upper Wind River valley, the town is framed by Butch Cassidy's haunting Dubois Badlands to the east, the stark, stunning Absaroka Range to the north, and the majestic Wind River Range to the south.
A stroll down the main street, most of it still appointed with boardwalks, yields a taste of Wyoming's Old West flavor. Log buildings, saloons, quaint shops, and even tipis welcome the travel-weary visitor.
The nearby Wind River Range, revered by Native Americans for years before the white man's arrival, is replete with history and wildlife second to none. Shoshones and Sheepeater Indians traveled and hunted throughout this range, which borders the 2.2-million-acre Wind River Reservation, today home to Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes. A summer outdoor enthusiast could easily spend an entire season in the Winds, taking in the glow of the past and the appeal of the present.
Backpackers and hikers to the Winds can choose from nearly 800 miles of trails lacing the range's vast, stunning even sublime beauty. Over 150 glaciers work the Winds, calling out to hikers and climbers alike. Naturally, the Winds are studded with lakes and creeks, themselves teeming with rainbow, cutthroat, golden, brook, German brown, and Mackinaw trout. So anglers should come well supplied and ready to reel. What's more, the same wildlife that Yellowstone visitors can spy also makes its way among the Winds.
One of the world's most magnificent big game animals, the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, is showcased in the Dubois area, both indoors and outdoors. The Whiskey Mountain Wildlife Habitat Area, just minutes from town, is home to North America's largest wintering herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. And the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center, in downtown Dubois, provides an awe-inspiring venue for the country's most impressive display of these majestic creatures.
Dubois is not some sleepy little Wyoming town scrambling for tourist bait. Dubois is that little diamond doorway into the historic past and today's great outdoors.
Mike Calabrese
Want to know more? Call: 307-455-2556.
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