The Interpretive Center provides an educational wildlife experience that
highlights the local Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herd, the largest wintering
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herd in North America. There is a small fee for
admission to the Interpretive Center. The interpretive center has wheelchair-
accessible parking, restrooms, and interpretive exhibits. Motor-vehicle travel
is limited to a few roads through the bighorn sheep range.

The Interpretive Center provides an educational wildlife experience that highlights the local Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herd, the largest wintering Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herd in North America.  There is a small fee for admission to the Interpretive Center. The interpretive center has wheelchair-accessible parking, restrooms, and interpretive exhibits.   
 
Motor-vehicle travel is limited to a few roads through the bighorn sheep range.

Bird's eye view of the park

National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center and Whiskey Mount

Bird's eye view of the campground

Popo Agie

Popo Agie Yurts

Sawmill

Sinks Canyon State Park

The scenic Sinks Canyon is located near Lander, Wyoming, in the southern Wind
River Mountains. It provides a host of outdoor recreation opportunities
including three developed campgrounds, a picnic area, several hiking trails,
and a snowmobile/ATV trail leading up into the Shoshone National Forest.  
  
The canyon abounds with wildlife--mule deer, bighorn sheep, and wintering
moose and elk. Raptors nest in the canyon cliffs. The Middle Fork of the Popo
Agie provides great habitat for rainbow trout.  
  
Recreation opportunities include sightseeing, hiking, rock climbing, fishing,
picnicking, and hunting. Perhaps the most notable attraction is the Sinks
itself, from which the canyon takes its name. At the Sinks, the Popo Agie
River literally sinks underground and reappears several hundred yards below at
the appropriately-named Rise. One of the canyon's most popular attractions, a
large pool of huge trout, is found at the Rise. You can watch and feed the
fish, but fishing is not allowed there.  
  
Rock climbers come from around the world to hone their skills on the canyon's
sheer walls of Bighorn dolomite. The walls' southern exposure means they're
warmed by direct sunlight, providing year-round climbing opportunities. Three
hiking trails lead to the base of the cliffs.  
  
Much of the canyon is comprised of public lands, managed by the USDA Forest
Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and by the State of Wyoming at Sinks
Canyon State Park. Additional information is available at the Sinks Canyon
Visitor Center which is open from May through September.

The scenic Sinks Canyon is located near Lander, Wyoming, in the southern Wind River Mountains. It provides a host of outdoor recreation opportunities including three developed campgrounds, a picnic area, several hiking trails, and a snowmobile/ATV trail leading up into the Shoshone National Forest. 
 
The canyon abounds with wildlife--mule deer, bighorn sheep, and wintering moose and elk. Raptors nest in the canyon cliffs. The Middle Fork of the Popo Agie provides great habitat for rainbow trout. 
 
Recreation opportunities include sightseeing, hiking, rock climbing, fishing, picnicking, and hunting. Perhaps the most notable attraction is the Sinks itself, from which the canyon takes its name. At the Sinks, the Popo Agie River literally sinks underground and reappears several hundred yards below at the appropriately-named Rise. One of the canyon's most popular attractions, a large pool of huge trout, is found at the Rise. You can watch and feed the fish, but fishing is not allowed there. 
 
Rock climbers come from around the world to hone their skills on the canyon's sheer walls of Bighorn dolomite. The walls' southern exposure means they're warmed by direct sunlight, providing year-round climbing opportunities. Three hiking trails lead to the base of the cliffs. 
 
Much of the canyon is comprised of public lands, managed by the USDA Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and by the State of Wyoming at Sinks Canyon State Park. Additional information is available at the Sinks Canyon Visitor Center which is open from May through September.

Sinks Canyon

The Baldwin Creek Climbing Area has about 50 established rock climbs ranging
in difficulty from 5.11 to 5.14. The average difficulty of these climbs
exceeds those of two of the other popular rock climbing areas near Lander-
Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris. The rocks of interest to climbers make up the
middle member of the Bighorn dolomite, a geologic formation of Ordovician age.
The main body of the formation was deposited in a warm shallow sea between 470
and 450 million years ago. Dolomite is similar to limestone (calcium
carbonate) but is much richer in magnesium. Factors influencing sedimentation
were probably constant for a long time because the cliffs are very uniform in
composition, texture and color. They have few cracks or other flaws, and as a
result, they provide uniformly difficult rock climbing opportunities.

The Baldwin Creek Climbing Area has about 50 established rock climbs ranging in difficulty from 5.11 to 5.14. The average difficulty of these climbs exceeds those of two of the other popular rock climbing areas near Lander-Sinks Canyon and Wild Iris.
The rocks of interest to climbers make up the middle member of the Bighorn dolomite, a geologic formation of Ordovician age. The main body of the formation was deposited in a warm shallow sea between 470 and 450 million years ago. Dolomite is similar to limestone (calcium carbonate) but is much richer in magnesium. Factors influencing sedimentation were probably constant for a long time because the cliffs are very uniform in composition, texture and color. They have few cracks or other flaws, and as a result, they provide uniformly difficult rock climbing opportunities.

Baldwin Creek Climbing Area

The Shoshone River Pathway is a segment in a network of trails in and around
Cody, Wyoming. The Shoshone River Pathway (Stock Nature Trail) provides access
to 55 acres of Bureau of Reclamation withdrawn lands managed under a
Memorandum of Understanding by the city of Cody. Approximately 3/4 miles of
gravel surfaced trail winds through upland and riparian vegetation communities
along the scenic Shoshone River. On-site facilities include a restroom,
resting benches and interpretive signage. An abundance of wildlife, including
resident and migratory birds and large and small mammals can be viewed in the
area. The trail also provides access to blue ribbon trout fishing.

The Shoshone River Pathway is a segment in a network of trails in and around Cody, Wyoming.  The Shoshone River Pathway (Stock Nature Trail) provides access to 55 acres of Bureau of Reclamation withdrawn lands managed under a Memorandum of Understanding by the city of Cody.  Approximately 3/4 miles of gravel surfaced trail winds through upland and riparian vegetation communities along the scenic Shoshone River.  On-site facilities include a restroom, resting benches and interpretive signage.  An abundance of wildlife, including resident and migratory birds and large and small mammals can be viewed in the area.  The trail also provides access to blue ribbon trout fishing.

Shoshone River Pathway

Stop at the Red Canyon Overlook 24 miles south of Lander on Highway 28 to
enjoy one of the most scenic vistas in Wyoming. The canyon was formed some 60
million years ago during the uplift of the Wind River range to the west. As
the sedimentary rocks tilted, the more easily erodible rocks were removed by
the action of water, creating the canyon as it is seen today.  
  
The long, grass-covered slopes on the west side of the canyon are part of the
Permian Phosphoria formation, a marine deposit composed of limestone,
sandstone, dolomite, siltstone, bedded chert and phosphorite. The less-
resistant rocks above the chert were eroded.  
  
The bottom of the canyon and the lower 300 feet of the east side are eroded
into the Triassic Chugwater formation. This consists of brick red sandstone,
shale, and siltstone, and being less resistant to erosion, was removed from
the underlying Phosphoria chert. The bright red color of the Chugwater is due
to a great amount of oxidized iron between and on the grains of the rock. It
is this coloration that gives Red Canyon its name.  
  
Red Canyon Rim, which forms the east side of the valley, is comprised of
salmon-colored Jurassic Nugget sandstone. This sandstone was deposited during
regression of ancient seas. It represents tidal flat and beach sedimentation
and was cross-stratified during deposition on ancient back-beach sand dunes.

Stop at the Red Canyon Overlook 24 miles south of Lander on Highway 28 to enjoy one of the most scenic vistas in Wyoming. The canyon was formed some 60 million years ago during the uplift of the Wind River range to the west. As the sedimentary rocks tilted, the more easily erodible rocks were removed by the action of water, creating the canyon as it is seen today. 
The long, grass-covered slopes on the west side of the canyon are part of the Permian Phosphoria formation, a marine deposit composed of limestone, sandstone, dolomite, siltstone, bedded chert and phosphorite. The less-resistant rocks above the chert were eroded. 
The bottom of the canyon and the lower 300 feet of the east side are eroded into the Triassic Chugwater formation. This consists of brick red sandstone, shale, and siltstone, and being less resistant to erosion, was removed from the underlying Phosphoria chert. The bright red color of the Chugwater is due to a great amount of oxidized iron between and on the grains of the rock. It is this coloration that gives Red Canyon its name. 
 
Red Canyon Rim, which forms the east side of the valley, is comprised of salmon-colored Jurassic Nugget sandstone. This sandstone was deposited during regression of ancient seas. It represents tidal flat and beach sedimentation and was cross-stratified during deposition on ancient back-beach sand dunes.

National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center and Whiskey Mount

Directions

Reviews

Nearby Parks

Sinks Canyon State Park

Sinks Canyon

Baldwin Creek Climbing Area

Shoshone River Pathway

Red Canyon Overlook