Places to Visit: Dubois Wyoming

Jackson Hole Wyoming
> Getting Here
> Dubois Wyoming

Dubois Wyoming

Your Western Vacation Awaits You in Dubois...

Dubois is one of America's emerging year-round outdoor recreation areas and prime vacation spots. Visitors will delight in its history, scenery, and various outdoor opportunities. Dubois is often called the Gateway to Yellowstone as it is located a short drive from the Park's South entrance.

The town of Dubois is located along one of the old trapper routes to the Jackson Hole country, which today's traveler can follow by modern highways 26 and 287. It is in the heart of some of the state's best hunting and fishing country, serving a vast hinterland, little changed since frontier times.

Commercial airlines fly into Riverton, Casper and Jackson and provide connections with major airlines in Salt Lake, Denver and Billings. Dubois area motels offer shuttle services from the Riverton and Jackson airports where there are car rentals available also. Dubois has a new CAA approved, blacktop airport for private planes up to the DC-3 class. Powder River Bus lines connects Shoshone to Casper and Billings.

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.

Camping:
On the Wind River district of the Shoshone National Forest are campgrounds with both tent and trailer facilities. There are units provided for picnics and outdoor cooking, with fireplace grates and tables available in some of the more accessible grounds. Three large campgrounds are found along US Highways 26/287, these are Brook's Lake, Falls and Pinnacles campground. Several camping areas that are only accessible by dirt road, but which provide the camper with a feeling of seclusion that is not possible along the busy highway. Such are Horse Creek, East Fork, Double Cabin and Warm Springs campgrounds.

Hunting:
For those who enjoy hunting, this region offers numerous big game opportunities for all big game animals found in the state with the exception of the Mountain Goat. Antelope, white tail and mule deer, elk, moose, bear and bighorn sheep all have their habitat in the surrounding mountains. The Dubois area also has outfitters and hunting guides which non-residents are required to have to hunt in wilderness areas, some of them are listed HERE.

Hiking:
Some of us, though tender elsewhere, are tough of foot and long on breath. If this is the case, there is no more suitable place than the mountains surrounding the Dubois area to don pack and good stout boots for a hike along the many trails. The Dubois area also has outfitters who can provide drop trips for climbers as well as horseback camping trips, some of them are listed HERE.

Fishing:
Numerous streams and lakes in the Upper Wind River Valley boast excellent fishing opportunities. Non-resident fishing licenses may be obtained at various locations around Dubois and public access to the river is provided by several locations along the highway. The Dubois area also has fishing guides to show where to catch the big ones and make sure you have a great time, some of them are listed HERE.

Winter Activities:
Winter activities include snowmobiling with over 250 miles of groomed trails on the Continental Divide trail, and access to hundreds of miles of established trails. Cross-country skiing, dog sled adventures, and snowshoeing are other offerings which allow you to in the breathtaking scenery and wildlife during winter months.

In the Spotlight