Wyoming - August 11-14

A state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. The 10th largest state by area, it is the least densely populated state in the contiguous United States. Its population was 576,851 in the 2020 United States census. 

We drove Highway 20/26 for what seemed to be weeks. After a long day we gave in and landed at a KOA (YUCK to them all) in Douglas, WY. Other than the very nice people who worked at this facility it was an expensive, ugly, and non-eventful overnight. 

We got out of the KOA eagerly and early and head further west —- suddenly (and thankfully) rocky Teton types of formations began appearing! 

Looks like Arizona, right? Nope this was taken just west of Dubois, Wyoming.

We were hoping to be able to stop and make camp somewhere around Dubois, WY but it was a very commercialized town and after our KOA experience, we decided to keep driving and it paid off for sure.

During our travels we’ve done our best to camp at National and State campgrounds (also a couple of fantastic Harvest Host sites). I usually spend time the night before we head out looking for potential spots. Well, we found the GEM of ALL GEMS of campsites.

The Falls State Park - Actually a Shoshone National Forest park. AMAZING Wilderness at its best. Tetons, falls, gorges, bear (well, we were warned but did not see them), and very cute Uinta Ground Squirrel Very common and plentiful in the area, these animals are colloquially known as “Chiselers,” and are an important food source for many species in the area. These critters grow to about 7 to 10 ounces. They are commonly found in sagebrush meadows, and can live as high as 11,000 feet.

Needless to say, we loved this place. I might someday want to go back here to be a camp host for a couple of months. Solitude and nature at its best!