Welcome to US-20 in central Wyoming. Time to explore 14-mile Wind River Canyon along this 37-mile Scenic Byway. We will experience canyon walls soaring 2,500 feet above us and canyon width ranging from 200 feet to 2 miles. The beauty and drama of the canyon is only surpassed by the story of the rocks and cliffs which display over 3 billion years of geologic history–yes, B as in bravo. Let’s take a drive through history!
Hold onto your hat!
It seemed like a pleasant, simple task. Drive through Yellowstone, spend some time enjoying the thermal features and great views on the road from Madison to West Thumb, then head to Jackson, Wyoming, to spend a few days in the autumn splendor of Grand Teton National Park. Its about a four-hour trip, but with stops it will be a bit longer. The weather is a bit iffy today. We have some snow falling, rain, even sleet, but the roads are clear. We’ll hope for the best as we begin our journey driving through the Gallatin River Canyon then along the Gallatin River to the West Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Besides, you never know, so many times the journey is the adventure!
Schwabacher Landing is an area along the Snake River that lets us wander through the Snake’s floodplain and along the braided meanderings of the river. This area can change dramatically depending on the time of year primarily due to the amount of precipitation and snow melt. Sagebrush dominates the view along the dirt road that leads us down to the Landing, but once there, the landscape is a wonder of plant and animal life, marshes and wetlands, all indicative of a rich floodplain. Best of all, it is autumn. Today we are walking below the Teton Range not long after sunrise on a sparkling blue-sky day (I have not modified that blue sky, in case you were wondering). The beauty just takes my breath away! Let’s explore.
