Wind River Canyon is a scenic

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

canyon on the Wind River. It is located between the towns of Shoshoni and Thermopolis and is a popular stop for visitors to

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...

. It is accessible by U.S. Highway 20 and Wyoming Highway 789. It was designated as a Wyoming Scenic Byway in 2005.

Description

U.S. 20/Wyo 789 travel through the canyon, at times level with the canyon floor. The scenic route offers views of the canyon and landmark natural structures like the Chimney Rock. The canyon is at times as much as feet deep. The change in elevation between the

Bighorn Basin The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles (160 km) wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Pryor Mountains on the north, the Bigho ...

and the

Wind River Basin The Wind River Basin or Shoshone Basin is a semi-arid intermontane foreland basin in central Wyoming, United States. It is bounded by Laramide uplifts on all sides. On the west is the Wind River Range and on the North are the Absaroka Range and t ...

is about . The southern mouth of the canyon is near the

Boysen Dam The Boysen Dam is a rockfill dam on the Wind River in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The dam lies at the head of Wind River Canyon through the Owl Creek Mountains in western Wyoming and creates Boysen Reservoir. It is owned by the U.S. Bureau of R ...

in Boysen State Park several miles north of, and about half a mile east of, the state park's borders with the

Wind River Indian Reservation The Wind River Indian Reservation, in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, is shared by two Native American tribes, the Eastern Shoshone ( shh, Gweechoon Deka, ''meaning: "buffalo eaters"'') and the Northern Arapaho ( arp, ...

. The canyon includes a number of homes along the highway and a

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC is the parent company of the BNSF Railway (formerly the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway). The company is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, which is controlled by investor Warre ...

railroad line. The north end of the canyon is at the Wedding of the Waters, where the Wind becomes the

Bighorn River The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately long, in the states of Wyoming and Montana in the western United States. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for the bighorn sheep he saw along its ba ...

. The Scenic Byway continues for several miles through Thermopolis and ends at T Hill on the north end of that town in

Hot Springs State Park Hot Springs State Park is a public recreation area in Thermopolis, Wyoming, known for its hot springs, which flow at a constant temperature of . The state park offers free bathing at the State Bath House, where temperatures are moderated to a th ...

. The Wind and Big Horn flow north out of Boysen Reservoir, through the canyon, into Thermopolis, and onward to points north.

Geology

The canyon cuts through a comprehensive set of Wyoming rock strata exposures. Many of these are noted on roadside signs. The canyon was cut in the established course of the Wind River, which predates the uplift of the Owl Creek Mountains. The

water gap A water gap is a gap that flowing water has carved through a mountain range or mountain ridge and that still carries water today. Such gaps that no longer carry water currents are called wind gaps. Water gaps and wind gaps often offer a prac ...

was created as the topography of the mountains was raised over the past two million years from previously flat terrain. From south to north, the canyon crosses an area of complex faulting, then narrows as it descends into Precambrian rocks at three road tunnels. Beyond the tunnels, the strata dip, with high cliffs of sedimentary Madison Limestone, Bighorn Dolomite and

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

. The northern end of the canyon cuts through red sandstone of the

Chugwater Formation The Chugwater Formation is a mapped bedrock unit consisting primarily of red sandstone, in the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado in the United States. It is recognized as a geologic formation in Colorado and Montana, but as a Group (set of ...

References

External links

Geology of Wyoming, Wind River Canyon Part One

Canyons and gorges of Wyoming Landforms of Fremont County, Wyoming Landforms of Hot Springs County, Wyoming Tourist attractions in Fremont County, Wyoming Tourist attractions in Hot Springs County, Wyoming {{Wyoming-geo-stub