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About Wyoming

Wyoming is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high elevation prairie region known as the High Plains. The capital and the most populous city of Wyoming is Cheyenne. Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana, on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado, on the southwest by Utah, and on the west by Idaho. It is the tenth largest state in the United States in total area. The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. The state is a great plateau broken by a number of mountain ranges. More than 48% of the land in Wyoming is owned by the U.S. Government, leading Wyoming to rank sixth in the US in total acres and fifth in percentage of a state's land owned by the Federal government. The center of population of Wyoming is located in Natrona County. The largest airport in Wyoming is Jackson Hole Airport.Three interstate highways and thirteen U.S. highways pass through Wyoming. In addition, the state is served by the Wyoming state highway system.

Wyoming Tourism and Recreation

There are two national parks in Wyoming—Yellowstone and Grand Teton—and nine national forests. Devils Tower and Fossil Butte are national monuments, and Fort Laramie is a national historic site. Yellowstone National Park, covering 2,219,791 acres, mostly in the northwestern corner of the state, is the oldest (1872) and largest national park in the US. The park features some 3,000 geysers and hot springs, including the celebrated Old Faithful. Just to the south of Yellowstone is Grand Teton National Park, 309,993 acres.

Adjacent to Grand Teton is the National Elk Refuge, the feeding range of the continent's largest known herd of elk. Devils Tower, a rock formation in the northeast, looming 5,117 feet high, is the country's oldest national monument.

Wyoming Climate

In winter, Wyoming is often beneath the jet stream, or north of it, which accounts for its frequent strong winds, blasts of arctic air and precipitation, all the necessary ingredients for great snow conditions at Wyoming's northwestern ski areas. In summer, the jet stream retreats northward to somewhere over Canada, leaving the state's weather mild and pleasant at a time when the majority of Wyoming's visitors choose to arrive.

Wyoming is located deep in the interior of the North American continent, far from any moderating influence of oceans. Wyoming, therefore, has some long winters, but also some pleasant summers. When traveling across the state, summer or winter, it's common to experience several climatic zones, due to the state's size and diverse topography.

A typical Wyoming summer day will start out bright and sunny. Clouds will appear on the western horizon about noon and thunderheads will develop in mid-afternoon. Scattered, isolated thundershowers will dot the landscape in late afternoon and early evening. Some can be severe with wind and hail, especially on the eastern plains, but the chances of getting wet in any given location are slim. Wyoming is mostly a fairly dry, low humidity place in any season.

Wyoming Transportaion

The largest airport in Wyoming is Jackson Hole Airport.Three interstate highways and thirteen U.S. highways pass through Wyoming. In addition, the state is served by the Wyoming state highway system.

Interstate 25 enters the state south of Cheyenne and runs north, intersecting Interstate 80 in Cheyenne. It passes through Casper and ends at Interstate 90 near Buffalo. Interstate 80 crosses the Utah border west of Evanston and runs east through the southern half of the state, passing through Cheyenne before entering Nebraska near Pine Bluffs. Interstate 90 comes into Wyoming near Parkman and cuts through the northern part of the state. It serves Gillette and enters South Dakota east of Sundance. In addition, Interstate 180 services Cheyenne, and not only is it the only three-digit interstate highway in the state, it is the only non-freeway in the country that is signed as an interstate.