The perfect Cowboy State town offers a one-of-a-kind experience for adventurous spirits. From guided snowmobiling excursions to solo backcountry touring, the Bighorn Mountains are flush with opportunities for outdoor recreation.
Sheridan typifies everything Wyoming does best, blending wild landscapes with small-town charm. Serving as the epicenter of festivals and events in Northern Wyoming, the bustling town hosts a wealth of cultural, historical, and recreational opportunities and makes for an easy trip from Colorado’s Front Range that feels miles away. With dozens of restaurants and local businesses to choose from and access to over a million acres up in the public lands the Bighorn Mountains right out of town, the place gives visitors plenty of options for relaxation and exploration—even in the winter. Whether you’re looking to roam the twinkling-light-strung streets in town or schussing through the star-studded night skies of the local wilderness, Sheridan serves as the perfect basecamp.
COVID-19: Want to know the best part about pandemic safety in Sheridan? It’s easy! Visitor and resident safety is paramount to this community and the town continues to be committed to keeping things open. Plus Wyoming’s limitless opportunity for social distancing in sprawling open spaces, give visitors and residents alike ample opportunity to find a safe way to experience the area.
Family Friendly: This Wyoming town prides itself on being the perfect playground for the young (and the young-at-heart). A family-friendly destination, Sheridan offers a wide range of opportunities for all ages to get out and experience winter recreation. Make your first stop Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area, the area’s leading family adventure destination, which provides accessible and affordable outdoor opportunities for all ages. With snowshoeing programs, backcountry skiing, and guided snowmobiling tours, families will find the best way to experience the magic of winter in the Bighorns here.
Lessons: From skiing to winter fly fishing, Sheridan’s local guides know a thing or two about leading anyone—from total beginners to advanced winter recreationalists—to new heights. Whether you’re looking to to tick off a fun, new adventure or hone your existing knowledge and skills, Sheridan’s outfitters can make it happen.
Lodging: In winter, Sheridan boasts over 1,800 hotel rooms to choose from, but its mountain lodges provide an extraordinary experience. These winter hubs give visitors unparalleled mountain views and intriguing histories. (We suggest you check out the century-old Spear-o-Wigwam Mountain Resort, where Earnest Hemingway finished A Farewell to Arms.) If you’re looking for a true winter experience, be sure to explore one of Sheridan’s four lodges this winter.
Après: Sheridan continued to bustle this year, welcoming five new restaurants among other businesses. The town offers a wide-range of food and drink options, and visitors can experience everything from the unique culinary delights of restaurants like Birch and Uptown Shabby Shacks to the much sought after craft brew and distilled spirits of the town’s three breweries and distillery. Whether you spend the day in the mountains or roaming the town, the après opportunities here are as diverse as the recreation.
Retailers: Sheridan is a small town shopping paradise that’s home to over 40 retailers. Tourists can shop like the locals along the town’s main street, which offers up an old Western vibe with a fresh feel. While you won’t find tourist-town-style gift shops, you will find everything from locally crafted pottery to authentic cowboy goods at the famed King’s Saddlery.
Big Adventure: Sheridan is the trailhead to amazing adventure and unending exploration. Recreation knows no bounds in the Bighorn Mountains. Some visitors become ice climbers for a day or chase trout in the cold mountain streams, but the biggest adventures come by way of backcountry travel. Skiing and snowmobiling the Bighorns is an experience of a lifetime. You can explore the area’s 1,500 miles of snowmobiling trails all winter long and backcountry skiing offers fresh line after fresh line.
Photos courtesy of Sheridan, Wyoming
