Discover the Wild Heart of Yellowstone Country
Beyond Yellowstone's East Gate lies America's best-kept secret: a 50-mile stretch Theodore Roosevelt called "the most scenic drive in America." Here, grizzlies fish in dawn-lit streams and historic lodges whisper tales of Buffalo Bill's adventures.
While millions queue at other park entrances, savvy travelers choose the road less traveled. Family-owned ranches and intimate lodges offer authentic Western experiences impossible to find elsewhere – where elk bugle outside your window and eagles soar over dramatic canyons.
From the East Gate of Yellowstone to the frontier town of Cody, each mile unfolds new wonders: backcountry trails that beckon horseback riders to high mountain peaks, heritage ranches where hospitality remains unchanged since Buffalo Bill's day, and pristine streams that have drawn anglers for generations.
Your real Yellowstone adventure begins here, in the wild heart of Wyoming's Absaroka Country. Make East Yellowstone your basecamp for discovery – where the authentic American West isn't just history, it's home.
East Yellowstone Lodging Map
An untouched corner of the Old West between Yellowstone National Park and Cody, Wyoming
THINGS TO DO IN EAST YELLOWSTONE
Enjoy the Wild West, complete with Western museums & outdoor recreation
Right outside the East entrance to Yellowstone, you'll enter dude ranch country. Wide, lush valleys, rivers, lakes, and the signature rocky peaks and cliffs of Yellowstone Country and Wapiti Valley greet you.
Like adventure? Take a horseback ride through pristine cowboy country, where you'll take in fresh air and big mountain views from your gently swaying saddle. Ride the largest zipline in Wyoming, clipping along at up to 35 mph and ending with a holler-inducing assisted free fall. Get wet and wild with a bucking whitewater rafting trip through the stunning Shoshone Canyon. Or tower above the river at the Buffalo Bill Dam, once the highest dam in the world.
Expect the best Western dining in and around Cody with mouth-watering cuts from locally sourced beef. Explore a cultural scene that includes the Smithsonian-affiliated Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
THE HISTORY OF EAST YELLOWSTONE
Discover the dude ranches in the "Fifty Most Beautiful Miles in America"
Legendary showman Buffalo Bill Cody established the town of Cody in 1896. Within a handful of years, he managed to attract a rail line to the area, get the world's highest dam built just upstream, and pioneer the road to East Yellowstone.
President Teddy Roosevelt called the corridor from Cody to Yellowstone through the stunning Wapiti Valley the "Fifty most beautiful miles in America."
New infrastructure, area attractions, and abundant outdoor opportunities allowed dude ranches and guest ranches to flourish between Cody and Yellowstone. Many of those early ranches remain today as a lasting testament to the Wild West spirit.