Hell's Half Acre is a large

scarp Scarp may refer to: Landforms and geology * Cliff, a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure * Escarpment, a steep slope or long rock that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevatio ...

located about west of

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne ...

US 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

/ 26. Encompassing , this geologic oddity is composed of deep ravines, caves, rock formations and hard-packed eroded earth. Hell's Half Acre was used as the location for the fictional planet of Klendathu in the movie ''

Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...

''. The location was known as "The Devil's Kitchen", "The Pits of Hades", and "The Baby Grand Canyon" until a cowhand appeared and thought he was at Hell's Half Acre, an area southwest of Casper full of alkali and bogs. Native American tribes used the ravines to drive bison to their death during their hunts. , the roadside restaurant and motel/campground sitting atop the ravine were closed. The motel and the abandoned restaurant have since been torn down. The area is fenced off and there is no public access to the cliff edge nor the valley itself, but there is an interpretive sign west of the former restaurant. As of July, 2021, the fencing was still in place, but two gates in the fence were open, allowing vehicular access to a large gravel lot (with potholes) and a closer view of the topography. File:Hell's Half Acre (Wyoming) (sign).jpg, The sign on the restaurant formerly located at Hell's Half Acre. File:HellsHalfAcre4.jpg, A vertical formation just off the overlook. File:HHA cave-close.jpg, A cave formation in Hell's Half Acre. File:HHA sign.jpg, Interpretive sign marking Hell's Half Acre. File:Postmark from hells half acre.jpg File:Hell's Half Acre WY.jpg, Wind River Formation exposed at Hell's Half Acre

References

{{reflist Landforms of Natrona County, Wyoming Roadside attractions in Wyoming Tourist attractions in Natrona County, Wyoming Buffalo jumps Escarpments of the United States Badlands of the United States