Park: Wild Horses, Museums and Rodeo

Park brings together attractions that appeal to different interests when planning a vacation: Park County is home to forest and wild horse areas, while museums and rodeos offer insights into history and regional culture. If you are looking for a vacation rental, you can first consider which experiences you want to shape your stay. Nature, historical exhibits and summer events each offer a different focus.

Landscape and Wild Horses

The McCullough Peaks Wild Horse Herd Management Area is located in Park County, east of Cody. It also includes the McCullough Peaks Wilderness Study Area. Most of Shoshone National Forest is also within Park County's boundaries. Park County offers a designated wild horse area and a large national forest, representing different nature-focused attractions.

Road connections are also a practical part of getting your bearings. U.S. Highway 14-16-20, U.S. Highway 14 Alternate and Wyoming 120 connect Park County via paved routes. The Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway follows U.S. Highway 14-16-20 through Shoshone National Forest toward the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park. From Cody, the route to the east entrance runs along the Shoshone River through the Absaroka Mountains to Sylvan Pass and then to the northeastern shore of Yellowstone Lake. As seasonal access can change due to weather and road conditions, check conditions before you drive.

History in Museums and Exhibits

The Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Park County is a National Historic Landmark and was one of ten World War II relocation camps. The Heart Mountain Interpretive Center explains how Japanese Americans were interned there during the war. Photographs, artifacts, oral histories and interactive exhibits explore the subject from different perspectives. Visitors interested in learning about World War II history will find a clearly defined focus here.

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West brings together five museums under one roof. Its scope ranges from natural history and Buffalo Bill to Western art and Plains Indian culture, as well as the history of firearms. Old Trail Town in Cody offers a different focus: the open-air museum displays authentic pioneer buildings from the 1890s. In Powell, the Homesteader Museum introduces visitors to domestic life in the early 20th century through photographs and artifacts. Its interactive exhibits include the original, furnished Bever Homestead and a Burlington Northern caboose.

Smaller, more specific exhibition topics can also shape your choice of visit. The Meeteetse Museum explores local history through subjects including the Made in Meeteetse black-footed ferret project, the Meeteetse Mercantile, a National Forest cabin and the Grand Slam of North American Sheep. The museum entrance is ADA accessible, and all restrooms are wheelchair accessible. The Historic Cody Mural and Museum displays a mural completed by Edward Grigware in 1951 and renovated in 2015. It is 36 feet in diameter, located on the vaulted ceiling of a Mormon chapel, and depicts the early years of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Rodeo and Seasonal Excursions

Visitors interested in rodeo may choose different events depending on when they travel. The Cody Nite Rodeo takes place in Cody every evening during the summer months of June through August; events include bull riding, barrel racing and team roping. The Cody Stampede Rodeo has been held every summer since its official founding in 1919. Check the dates for your travel year before planning your trip.

Another option is the guided tour to the Legend Rock State Petroglyph Site, offered by the Meeteetse Museum, about 37 miles south of Meeteetse. The public can view nearly 300 individual petroglyphs there, some dating back as far as 10,000 years. Comparing the site with the museums reveals two different ways of exploring history: exhibits present topics through objects and oral histories, while the tour takes visitors to the petroglyphs. A commercial transportation service from Cody to Yellowstone National Park is available during the summer season; check its availability before your trip.

Buffalo Bill State Park has two developed campgrounds: North Shore Bay, with 37 sites, and North Fork, with 99 sites.

Explore More Places

Also discover Cody and Powell.

Discover more destinations: Washakie, Fremont County, Crook County, Johnson County, Big Horn, Albany.

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