Southwest Wyoming: Flaming Gorge, Fossil Butte, and the Red Desert

Why Visit Southwest Wyoming

This is Wyoming at its most open and least crowded. The southwest quadrant covers an enormous stretch of country from Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in the south, across the high desert of the Red Desert and the Great Divide Basin in the center, to Pinedale and the foot of the Wind River Range in the north, with Star Valley's farming country and the Wyoming Range closing the western edge. Visitors who make the drive rarely share a trailhead or a boat ramp with more than a handful of people.

The draws are specific and hard to replicate elsewhere. Flaming Gorge Reservoir holds lake trout that can push 30 pounds, a number that pulls serious anglers from across the Mountain West. Fossil Butte National Monument near Kemmerer preserves one of the most detailed Eocene fossil records on earth, with fish, turtles, crocodilians, and insects sealed in limestone roughly 50 million years ago. The Great Divide Basin hosts pronghorn migrations that can reach 300,000 animals twice a year through the Adobe Town corridor south of Rock Springs. And the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale is one of the better small museums in Wyoming, covering the fur trade era with artifacts that include Jim Bridger's authentic rifle. For the Wyoming Travel Guide covering all six regions of the state, see the main planning page.

Top Places in the Region

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is the region's headliner. John Wesley Powell's 1869 survey party named it for the red sandstone walls glowing above the river as his boats passed through in June of that year. The reservoir now stretches 91 miles across the Wyoming and Utah line. The main Wyoming access comes through Green River and Rock Springs, about 13 miles north of Flaming Gorge Dam via US-191. Below the dam on the Utah side, the Green River tailwater runs cold and clear year-round, producing cutthroat and brown trout in the 18-to-22-inch range that make it one of the most productive stretches of blue-ribbon water in the Colorado River system. Read the full rundown at Flaming Gorge.

Fossil Butte National Monument sits 12 miles west of Kemmerer off US-30. Admission is free, and the visitor center is open May through September. The limestone beds of the Green River Formation here yield fish, plants, turtles, and crocodilians in remarkable detail from the Eocene epoch. The surrounding high-desert plateau still looks bare enough to make the 50-million-year-old lake beneath it feel impossible, which is part of what makes the site worthwhile.

Pinedale, at 7,175 feet elevation at the foot of the Wyoming Range, is the practical base for the southwestern Wind River Range and the upper Green River valley. The Museum of the Mountain Man at 700 East Hennick Street is a genuine draw, not a tourist placeholder. Jim Bridger's authentic rifle is on display. The annual Green River Rendezvous, held the second weekend of July each year, commemorates the fur trade gatherings of the 1820s and 1830s along the upper Green River and draws living-history participants from across the West. In Green River city, about 100 miles south of Pinedale on US-191, Expedition Island marks the spot where Powell's 1869 river survey launched, a well-signed park right on the Green River that takes 20 minutes to walk and costs nothing.

Top Things to Do

Fishing is the primary pull at Flaming Gorge. Guided lake trout trips on the reservoir run an estimated $250 to $400 per person for a full day, depending on season and boat size. The reservoir also holds walleye, smallmouth bass, and kokanee salmon. Boating, wakeboarding, and paddling open up from Memorial Day through Labor Day on the upper reservoir. The marina at Buckboard Crossing on the Wyoming side of the reservoir is 25 miles south of Green River off US-530.

Wildlife watching in the Red Desert and Great Divide Basin is worth planning around. The pronghorn migration through this corridor is one of the longest overland mammal migrations in the Lower 48, funneling through specific routes mapped over thousands of years. For the wild horse herds at Adobe Town, you need a high-clearance vehicle and a BLM map from the Rock Springs field office; a graded gravel track leads south of Rock Springs off I-80, and early mornings in May and June give the best odds of finding the Adobe Town herd. Closer to Pinedale, the upper Green River valley has good float-fishing for brown trout and mountain whitefish from June through October.

If a dude ranch stay fits your itinerary, the Best Dude Ranches in Wyoming guide covers properties with access through the southwest. Star Valley, running north from Afton along US-89, is working-ranch country with grazing lands and elk habitat between the Wyoming Range and the Salt River Range. It is considerably quieter than the Jackson Hole dude ranch corridor and prices tend to reflect that.

Where to Stay

Pinedale is the best overnight base for fishing the upper Green River and reaching Wind River Range trailheads above town. The Log Cabin Motel on East Magnolia Street runs roughly $110 to $150 per night (estimate) and is a genuine cabin-style property, popular with anglers and Wind River trekkers who want a clean room within walking distance of town. Gannett Peak Lodge on North Sublette Avenue, also in Pinedale, occupies a renovated historic building with hanging flower baskets out front, clean rooms, and owners who maintain a binder of local dining and activity recommendations for guests. Both properties fill up fast in July and August, especially during Green River Rendezvous weekend. Book Pinedale accommodations two to three months ahead for summer.

For travelers moving through on I-80, Evanston in the far southwest corner has reliable options. The Best Western Dunmar Inn on Harrison Drive in Evanston has an indoor pool and mid-range rooms that work well for an overnight stop between Salt Lake City and the rest of Wyoming. Star Valley visitors arriving from the south on US-89 can check in at Kodiak Mountain Resort near Afton, a cabin-style property with a well-maintained hot tub, landscaped grounds, and a included breakfast option. Both come in well below Jackson Hole pricing. For the full regional breakdown, Where to Stay in Wyoming covers lodging options across all six regions of the state.

Getting There and Around

Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport (RKS) is the regional hub for southwest Wyoming, with commercial service via Denver (DEN). From RKS, the drive south to Flaming Gorge Dam takes about 40 minutes on US-191. North to Pinedale is roughly 100 miles, about 1.5 hours. Many visitors fly into Salt Lake City (SLC) and drive north instead: the trip from SLC to Flaming Gorge runs about 2.5 hours via I-15 north and US-191.

I-80 crosses the region east-west, connecting Evanston on the Wyoming-Utah line with Rock Springs in the center and Rawlins to the east. US-191 is the main north-south route from Flaming Gorge through Rock Springs and up through Pinedale to Hoback Junction and Jackson. The full drive from the Wyoming-Utah line near Flaming Gorge to Jackson is about 230 miles, roughly 3.5 hours in good summer conditions. A rental car is non-negotiable; there is no transit, and towns are 60 to 120 miles apart. If you are combining southwest Wyoming with Jackson Hole and the Tetons, US-191 north through Hoback is the direct route, passing through the dramatic Hoback Canyon along the way.

Best Time to Visit

May through September covers the broadest usable window. Flaming Gorge boating and fishing open up from late May, with the reservoir warming enough for swimming by early July. Fossil Butte's visitor center is open May through September; the monument itself is accessible year-round, but winter brings cold temperatures and snow at 6,500 feet. Pinedale and the Wind River Range trailheads are most reliable from late June through mid-September, when the high passes above 10,000 feet clear of snow.

Two shoulder seasons worth building around: October brings the southbound pronghorn migration through the Red Desert, along with good mule deer and elk in the Wyoming Range and Star Valley, and crowds that are a fraction of summer. Ice fishing season on Flaming Gorge runs December through February, drawing regulars from Colorado and Nevada who target trophy lake trout in the 15-to-25-pound range through the ice. Before driving I-80 in winter, check the Wyoming Department of Transportation road condition line. The Evanston and Rock Springs stretches can close or narrow to one lane in heavy storms, and the high route over the Continental Divide south of Pinedale can be hazardous in January and February.