SheridanWyoming

Sheridan is a painting brought to life. As one of the Mountain West's greatest small towns, Sheridan features an allure that is wholly unique, a place where a one-day visit quickly becomes a two-week sojourn. Sheridan is home to 10 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including some in its charming downtown, thriving with local shops, stunning galleries and delightful restaurants. For wilderness enthusiasts, Sheridan is in the middle of infinite outdoor adventure. The Tongue River Canyon is a favorite for travelers and is just 20 minutes from Sheridan. While exploring this breathtaking area, visitors can expect to catch a glimpse of iconic American wildlife, including black bears, moose, deer, elk and dozens of species of birds. Visit when residents celebrate its rich western history with the Eaton’s Horse Drive, a can’t-miss annual event where hundreds of horses are run through the heart of Sheridan.

Casting a Line for the Best Experience

A terse little tanka written by cowboy poet Anthony Naples conveys what it’s like flitting over mossy rocks on the Tongue River, fly rod in hand and trout on your mind:

Rhododendron grows

Hanging low over the stream

Miles to the best fish

I wade cold water, and stones

Find their way into my boots

That's the small-mountain streamthe way Naples sees it, and the way you’ll feel Wyoming in your bones – whether you find a stretch of the Tongue to call your own on a postcard-perfect morning, cruising peaceful Sibley Lake on the lookout for Cutthroat trout, or making the trek up along the rocky spine of iconic Steamboat Point, towering some 213 meters above the wilderness below.

Incredible Vistas Surrounding the City

Sheridan is blessed with plenty of big, bold vantage points. You can take in the Cloud Peak Wilderness on a leisurely hike to the high pass over Geneva Lake for sterling mountain panoramas, or race out of the high country at breakneck speed during the annual Bighorn Wild and Scenic Trail Run, one of the country's premier alpine races.

People take the outdoors seriously in Sheridan and love to share it with guests. Meet a friendly face at the Forest Services Office, where you can pick up maps, get some hiking tips and take advantage of the amenities before setting out to explore more than 160 kilometers of trails in both the Bighorn National Forest and Cloud Peak Wilderness; the route to mountain-fringed Stull Lake is just one noteworthy charmer.

Absorbing the Old West Culture

Zip out onto the Soldier Creek Trail on one of Sheridan Bicycle Co.'s mountain or trail bikes for a 13-kilometer ride that will leave you primed for a pint at the Blacktooth Brewing Company, northernWyoming’s leading purveyor of craft ales. This often sets the stage for an early afternoon at the Java Moon coffeehouse, where, on lucky days, you can sip a latte and wax lyrical with cowboy poets, watercolor legends like artist Randy Stout, and acclaimed authors like Craig Johnson of Walt Longmire novels fame.

Sheridan is quintessentially Western, a raucous cowboy haunt and the intrepid traveler’s perfect hideaway. Peek beneath the façade of 200 years of frontier history and revel in an American Old West that is bold, brash and modern. Given a chance, the city will work itself into your bones like the cool waters of a small mountain stream.