Field trips are a great way to reboot a bad homeschooling week, get out of the house when everyone has cabin fever, and learn about your local area. Before heading out, check out Jeanne's tips for improving homeschool field trips.
Our listing of Wyoming field trips for homeschoolers is ordered alphabetically by city. If you would like to submit a Wyoming field trip destination, you may do so using the red button above.
Fort Phil Kearny State Historic SiteBanner
The fort offers visitors an interpretive center with exhibits, videos, bookstore, and self-guided tours of the fort and outlying sites. The fort tour leads the visitor through the site to building locations, archaeological remains, and interpretive signs pinpointing the surrounding historic landmarks.
Wagon Box FightBanner
The Wagon Box Fight was an engagement on August 2, 1867, during Red Cloud's War, between 26 soldiers of the U.S. Army and six civilians and several hundred Lakota Sioux Indians in the vicinity of Fort Phil Kearny. Today, visitors can walk in the footsteps of history and see the exact locations where battle maneuvers took place. Interpretive signs tell the story of the battle from the perspectives of both the military and Indian groups. Take an afternoon to explore the Wagon Box Fight and the nearby Fetterman Battlefield and Fort Phil Kearny where trails, tours, and museum exhibits transport visitors back to a time when cultures clashed in The Wagon Box Fight battlefield is a satellite site of Fort Phil Kearny and is located within a five-mile radius of the Fort Phil Kearny visitor center.
Ames MonumentBuford
The monument serves as a memorial to the Ames brothers of Massachusetts. Oakes (1804 - 1873) and Oliver (1807-1877), whose wealth, influence, talent, and work were key factors in the construction of the first coast to coast railroad in North America.
Nicolaysen Art Museum & Discovery CenterCasper
A regional, contemporary art museum and cultural center committed to bringing the visual arts to children and adults of all ages. The facility consists of eight galleries with exhibitions changing approximately every 90 days, and a Children's Discovery Center where children of all ages are welcome to explore their expressive and creative abilities.
Fort CasparCasper
Tour a reconstructed 1865 military post located at a major river crossing on the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California, Pony Express, and transcontinental telegraph trail corridor. Explore central Wyoming's regional history museum, featuring exhibits on prehistoric peoples, Plains Indians, ranching, the energy industry, and the City of Casper as well as the western emigrant trails and frontier army.
Governors' Mansion State Historic SiteCheyenne
This Colonial Revival Executive Mansion served as home to Wyoming's Governors and their families for 71 years, (1905 to 1976). The history embodied in this mansion brings to life the people who served the State of Wyoming and the Nation from this location. Perhaps the greatest distinction of the home is that in 1925 it was the first in the United States to be occupied by a woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross.
Curt Gowdy State ParkCheyenne West
Curt Gowdy State Park is located in the foothills of the Laramie Mountains and is made of of three reservoirs. Granite reservoir offers excellent rainbow trout and kokanee salmon fishing as well as space for water sports. Crystal reservoir has shoreline fishing for brown trout, rainbow trout and kokanee salmon. North Crow Reservoir is an unimproved fishing area and is day use only. There are a limited number of reservation only campsites. Within the park is Hynds Lodge, which is listed on the National Register, and an amphitheater available for concerts, theater productions and many other cultural activities.
Buffalo Bill State ParkCody
The Visitor Center offers interpretive exhibits, touch-screen computers, audio/visual presentation and a staff to help visitors. The park has majestic views of the Absaroka Mountains. Camping is available.
Devils Tower National MonumentDevils Tower
America's First National Monument - Devils Tower rises 1267 feet above the Belle Fourche River. Once hidden, erosion has revealed Devils Tower. This 1347-acre park is covered with pine forests, woodlands, and grasslands where deer, prairie dogs, and other wildlife can be seen.
Fort Fetterman Historic SiteDouglas
Fort Fetterman has restored officer's quarters and an ordnance warehouse for visitors to tour. These two buildings house interpretive exhibits and artifacts of the Fort's history, Fetterman City, and its Indian predecessors.
Wyoming Pioneer Memorial MuseumDouglas
The Pioneer Memorial Museum is located on the Wyoming State Fairgrounds in Douglas, Wyoming. The museum collects, preserves, interprets and displays historical and cultural materials related to the westward expansion, to Wyoming pioneers in particular and the west in general.
National Bighorn Sheep CenterDubois
Dedicated to educating the public about the biology and habitat needs of the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep and to encouraging the active stewardship of wildlife and wildlands.
Bear River State ParkEvanston
Bear River State Park and Visitor Center is a year-round park that offers picnicking, hiking, wildlife viewing, group activities, bicycling, skiing, rollerblading, remote control cars and many other activities. The park is home to a small head of captive bison and elk kept for public viewing. Three miles of foot trails are within park limits. They include 1.2 miles of paved trail and an arched footbridge that crosses the Bear River. The foot trails in the park also double as cross-country ski trails in the winter. This park is for day-use only: no overnight camping is allowed.
Independence Rock State Historic SiteEvansville
Independence Rock stands 6,028 feet (1,808.3m) above sea level. Pioneers carved their names into the rock which led to Father Peter J. DeSmet to name this place "The Register of the Desert" in 1840.
Edness K. Wilkins State ParkEvansville
This is a day-use park for families and nature lovers. The park offers; picnic tables, grills, group shelters, playgrounds and a launching ramp for canoes or rafts. Activities in the park include: fishing, swimming, and bird watching.
Fort Bridger State Historic SiteFort Bridger
Established by Jim Bridger and Louis Vasquez in 1843 as an emigrant supply stop along the Oregon Trail. It was obtained by the Mormons in the early 1850s, and then became a military outpost in 1858. In 1933, the property was dedicated as a Wyoming Historical Landmark and Museum. There are several restored historical buildings from the military time period, a reconstructed of the trading post operated by Jim Bridger, and an interpretive archaeological site containing the base of the cobble rock wall built by the Mormons during their occupation of the fort. All of these locations are signed in Braille. In addition, a museum containing artifacts from the various different historical time periods is housed in the 1888 stone barracks building. There are gift shops in both museum and the reconstructed trading post. There is no camping available at Fort Bridger.
Fort Laramie National Historic SiteFort Laramie
Crossroads of a Nation Moving West - This "grand old post," established as a private fur trading fort in 1834, witnessed the entire sweeping saga of America's western expansion and Indian resistance to encroachment on their territories. Indians, trappers, traders, missionaries, emigrants, gold seekers, soldiers, cowboys and homesteaders would leave their mark on a place that would become famous in the American West.
Piedmont Charcoal Kilns State Historic SiteFt. Bridger
Piedmont Charcoal Kilns State Historic Site sits on the edge of the ghost town of Piedmont, Wyoming. Fort Bridger State Historic Site oversees, maintains and interprets the Piedmont Kilns. The Union Pacific Railroad ran through Piedmont and carried most of the charcoal produced by the kilns to Utah. Built by Moses Byrne in 1869 to supply charcoal for the iron smelting industry in Utah, these conical limestone kilns measure 30 feet across and 30 feet high. Only three of the original 40 kilns remain.
Rockpile MuseumGillette
The Campbell County Rockpile Museum focuses on general, regional, and local history with an emphasis on the culture and people of Campbell County, Wyoming. Our mission is to serve the residents of Campbell County as a center for local history, while collecting, preserving, and interpreting this history through exhibits which are both accessible and understandable to visitors.
Glendo State ParkGlendo
Glendo State Park offers visitors water-skiing, fishing and other water- based activities. Day-use and overnight facilities feature improved campsites, comfort stations, tables and grills. A commercial concession at the reservoir provides visitors with complete marina services, motel units and fishing equipment.
Granger Stage StationGranger
This adobe-covered stone structure was one of dozens of Overland Trail stage stations built in the 1850s. The original station, Ham's Fork, was a dugout affair built around 1850. It was replaced by the stone structure in 1856 and renamed South Bend Station. Horace Greeley and Mark Twain were just two of the thousands of passengers who passed through. Later, the Pony Express used the station as a stopover in 1861-1862. When Union Pacific Railroad construction arrived in 1868, the old stage station was overrun with workers who renamed the site Granger.
Hawk Springs State ParkGuernsey
The park offers bird lovers and fisherman a great experience. The reservoir boasts a blue heron rookery, including birds such as the blue-winged and green-winged teal, gadwall, pintail, wood duck, and great horned owl. Game fish include walleye, largemouth bass and channel catfish. Winter ice fishing is also good at the park. There are 24 camping units, comfort stations, and accommodations for trailers. A boat ramp and parking area are available.
Register CliffGuernsey
The sandstone rocks near Guernsey tell the story of the wagon trains of emigrants headed west in the mid-1800s. While trail ruts carved by thousands of wagons dot the western landscape, most pale in comparison to those found at the Oregon Trail Ruts site in Wyoming. Here, the trail ruts are not to be missed since they are carved into the stone, with some gouges more than four feet deep. These deep ruts result from years of wagon wear and from intentional cutting by emigrants attempting to ease the steep passage up from the level river bottom to the High Plains. A short drive from the trail ruts back through Guernsey takes visitors to Register Cliff, which rises one hundred feet above the North Platte River valley. Following a day's journey from Fort Laramie, emigrants spent the night at Register Cliff and inscribed their names into the rock face. The earliest signatures date to the late 1820s when trappers and fur traders passed through the area, but most of the names visible today were carved during the 1840s and 1850s when the Oregon Trail was at its height. Today, visitors can walk along the cliff base to view the signatures up close.
Guernsey State ParkGuernsey
This park provides the finest examples of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work in the Rocky Mountain area. Built by the CCC, the Guernsey Museum, the Castle and Brimmer Point are available to explore. The museum is perched on a high cliff, overlooking the water. The building itself is made of hand hewn timbers and hand forged iron. The roof is framed with the timbers and covered with split cedar shakes, and the floors were formed by pieces of smooth flagstone. The Castle, with its giant fireplace and winding steps, leads to an observation area for a spectacular view of the park.
Oregon Trail RutsGuernsey
The Oregon Trail was one of the primary routes used by emigrants heading westward across the American continent in the 1840s. Although many remnants of the trail can be seen in Wyoming, the Oregon Trail tracks here are notable because they were cut into solid rock. A short trail leads uphill to four-foot deep gouges cut by the wheels of thousands of wagons. This site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
Medicine Lodge Archaeological SiteHyattville
More than 10,000 years of rich, cultural history thrives at Medicine Lodge amongst the endless outdoor recreation opportunities. Wildlife viewing and opportunities for adventure are amongst the best in the state. The Medicine Lodge site has long been known for its Indian petroglyphs and pictographs.
National Museum of Wildlife ArtJackson Hole
A museum dedicated to presenting art about wildlife. Located on a bluff called East Gros Ventre Butte and amid real wildlife habitat, the 51,000 square foot sandstone structure overlooks the National Elk Refuge. Permanent exhibits include the Bison, John Clymer, and Carl Rungius galleries.
Fossil Butte National MonumentKemmerer
Some of the world's best preserved fossils are found in the flat-topped ridges of southwestern Wyoming's cold sagebrush desert. Fossilized fish, insects, plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals are exceptional for their abundance, variety, and detail of preservation. Most remarkable is the story they tell of ancient life in a sub-tropical landscape.
Names Hill State Historic SiteLaBarge
This site, on the cliffs rising above the Green River, is one of three locations along the Oregon Trail where emigrants registered their presence. Here they camped and carved their names into the soft limestone. The earlist dates back to 1822 (making it the oldest pioneer inscription in Wyoming), but the most famous is that of mountain man Jim Bridger, who, despite reportedly being unable to read or write, left his mark here in 1844.
Sinks Canyon State ParkLander
Sinks Canyon State Park features a geologic phenomenon in which the Popo Agie River vanishes into a large cavern (the Sinks) but reappears in a trout filled pool, the Rise, about half a mile down the canyon. The park contains a visitor's center, hiking trails and offers camping, picnicking, rock climbing and fishing.
Wyoming Territorial PrisonLaramie
Listed on the National Register, visitors can spend the day touring the beautifully restored Wyoming Territorial Prison. Built in 1872, the prison held some of the most notorious outlaws in the region, including Butch Cassidy. Visitors to the 190- acre facility can also enjoy the newly restored Warden's House and Horse Barn Exhibit Hall featuring rotating displays and a family friendly scavenger hunt.
Keyhole State ParkMoorcroft
Keyhole is a mecca for both resident and migrating birds of all species. Visitors also have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of other wildlife, including mule deer, pronghorn antelope and wild turkeys.
John D. Rockefeller Memorial ParkwayMoose
Located at the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Rockefeller Parkway connects Grand Teton and Yellowstone National park. The late conservationist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. made significant contributions to several national park including Grand Teton, Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, and Virgin Islands.
Grand Teton National ParkMoose
Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park preserves a spectacular landscape rich with majestic mountains, pristine lakes and extraordinary wildlife. The abrupt vertical rise of the jagged Teton Range contrasts with the horizontal sage-covered valley and glacial lakes at their base, creating world-renowned scenery that attracts nearly four million visitors per year.
Mormon Pioneer National Historic TrailMulti-state
70,000 Mormons, led by Brigham Young, traveled from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City, Utah between 1846 to 1869 in order to escape religious persecution.
Yellowstone National ParkMulti-state
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The website offers historical information about the park for those who cannot visit in person.
California National Historic TrailMulti-state
More than 250,000 gold-seekers & farmers crossed into to the gold fields & rich farmlands of California during the 1840's and 1850's. 1,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen to remind us of early American travelers and settlers.
Oregon National Historic TrailMulti-state
The Oregon Trail was for fur traders, gold seekers, missionaries, and others, the pathway to the Pacific. Wagon ruts and landscape scars can still be seen from that time.
Nez Perce National Historic TrailMulti-state
The Nez Perce (Nimiipuu or Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail stretches from Wallowa Lake, Oregon, to the Bear Paw Battlefield near Chinook, Montana. It was added to the National Trails System by Congress as a National Historic Trail in 1986. The 1877 flight of the Nez Perce from their homelands while pursued by U.S. Army Generals Howard, Sturgis, and Miles, is one of the most fascinating and sorrowful events in Western U.S. history. Chief Joseph, Chief Looking Glass, Chief White Bird, Chief Ollokot, Chief Lean Elk, and others led nearly 750 Nez Perce men, women, and children and twice that many horses over 1,170 miles through the mountains, on a trip that lasted from June to October of 1877.
Connor Battlefield Historic SiteRanchester
In the summer of 1865, General Patrick E. Connor led a column of troops from Fort Laramie into the Powder River Country of northern Wyoming. The Powder River Expedition's mission was to wage war on Plains Indian tribes to force them into submission and keep the peace. The battlefield is the site of the battle between Black Bear's Arapaho Indians and Connor's troops.
Point of Rocks Stage StationRock Springs
In 1862, the Overland Stage line built Point of Rocks Stage Station (also known as "Rock Point" or the "Almond Stage Station"). Today, this structure built from native sandstone is one of the only stage stations remaining intact on the Overland Trail. While the stables are now in ruins, the station building has been restored and stands as a testament to the enduring nature of Point of Rocks. Over the years, the station has withstood at least one attack and attempted burning by Plains Indian groups and the reported robbery and murder of stagecoach passengers by Jack Slade, the notorious outlaw and once stage line superintendent. With the coming of the transcontinental railroad in 1868, Point of Rocks remained an important station for a stage line running between the railroad and the Sweetwater gold mines to the north. Stop by this once lively station on your way through southwest Wyoming and imagine life on the Overland Stage line during the 1860s.
White Mountain Petroglyphs SiteRock Springs
"Hundreds of carved figures dot the sandstone cliffs at the White Mountain Petroglyphs site in Wyoming’s Red Desert north of Rock Springs. Etched into the sandstone bedrock of the Ecocene Bridger formation some 1,000 to 200 years ago, several figures appear to portray bison and elk hunts while others depict geometric forms or tiny footprints. Handprints are scooped into the rock as well, providing visitors with a compelling connection to those who used the site long ago."
Trails End State Historic SiteSheridan
The Trail End was the home of the John B. Kendrick family. It was built in 1913. John B. Kendrick was a cowboy, rancher and real estate tycoon who later served as Wyoming's Governor and U.S. Senator. The Flemish Revival design and technologically-advanced interior are unique to the Rocky Mountain west. Visitors can enjoy a fully-restored history house museum, groomed grounds, and regular productions at the Carriage House Theater.
Boysen State ParkShoshoni
The first white men through the Wind River Canyon were the Ashley Fur Party in 1825. The original dam was built by Asmus Boysen in 1908, for whom the park and reservoir are named. Part of the original dam can still be seen adjacent to the tunnels in the Lower Wind River Campground. Mr. Boysen also built a 710kw power plant at the site. Operations ceased when in 1923 a major flood filled the plant with silt. The CB&O Railroad went through the canyon in 1911 and the state highway went through in 1925. The existing dam was completed in 1951. Boysen became a state park in 1956 and is the largest state park in Wyoming.
Fort Fred Steele State Historic SiteSinclair
Fort Fred Steele was established on June 20, 1868 and occupied until August 7, 1886 by soldiers who were sent by the U.S. Government to guard against attack from Indians. The frontier Army post, which served as a hub for both the military and Wyoming’s lumber and livestock industries, is located just off I-80 at Exit 228.
Seminoe State ParkSinclair
The Seminoe Mountains surrounding Seminoe State Park were once the site for gold prospecting during the late 1800s. The name “Seminoe” is commonly assumed to come from the Seminole tribe, but is an Americanized spelling of the French name Cimineau. Basil Cimineau Lajeunesse was a French trapper in the area in the 1800s. Seminoe State Park is located at the base of the Seminoe Mountains. The park offers the full range of water-based activities and is known for both trout and walleye fishing. Day-use and overnight facilities are available.
South Pass City State Historic SiteSouth Pass
South Pass City has a variety of interesting and educational activities for visitors throughout the summer. When the presence of volunteer staff permits, not only can you walk through each of the 17 restored and exhibited original structures, you can enjoy an ice-cold sarsaparilla and a game of billiards on a restored 1860s period table, as well as hear the ring of a hammer on steel when the blacksmith shapes hot iron. Each day, one can shop in the historic Smith-Sherlock General Store or pan for gold in the clear waters of Willow Creek. In the Interpretive Center, you can also learn about other gold-producing methods that have been used around South Pass City throughout its history. The park contains a museum, visitors center and gift shop. Activities include fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, and Volksmarching.
Legend Rock Petroglyph SiteThermopolis
Legend Rock State Petroglyph Site is a 400 meters long (1,312 feet) near vertical cliff with more than 92 prehistoric petroglyph panels and over 300 petroglyph figures. While the site is not extensively promoted, Legend Rock is already a world-renowned petroglyph site. Legend Rock has been a sacred site for Native Americans of this region for thousands of years.
Hot Springs State ParkThermopolis
Over colorful terraces along the Big Horn River at Thermopolis flows water from mineral hot springs. More than 1.8 million gallons flow over the terrace every 24 hours at a constant temperature of 128 degrees Fahrenheit. The park has a free bath house where the water is maintained at 104 degrees for therapeutic bathing. It is home to a bison herd and is the site of the Swinging Bridge, a suspension foot bridge across the Bighorn River. Hot Springs has 6.2 miles of universally accessible trails and hiking trails and is a full-service park with comfort stations, a volksmarch trail, fishing, and a boat ramp.
Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural CenterThermopolis
Stand at a bar where Butch Cassidy and other Outlaws used to belly up to, take your picture next to a mount of a wolf that was once a member of a Yellowstone pack, or immerse yourself in the stories and memorabilia of the Arapahoe, Shoshone and other pioneers to the region. Touch an original stagecoach that once took tourists on rides through Yellowstone National Park or stroll through a remade model of early Thermopolis and peer through the windows of an old country store, jail cell, photography shop, seamstress shop, and more!
