Woofing Through Wyoming’s Wind River Country
- Luie Boone
- 20 hours ago
- 10 min read
This travel spot is featured in our sixth blog series, Mutts Mingle.
Luie Boone is not permitted to eat Milky Way candy bars. His hoomans eat them as they please, but Luie Boone? He gets a big NO. Chocolate is not for dogs, his hoomans say. Deadly. Poisonous. Luie Boone doesn't think that's very fair. But, also, he's not looking to end his life, so fine: He agrees with his hoomans that Milky Way candy bars are completely off the table.
The Milky Way galaxy is not off limits, though. And in Wyoming's Wind River County, Luie Boone can get a spectacular view of it. It's said that on clear nights, you can see it with your naked eye. Luie Boone's not sure he wants his hoomans to get naked, but if it means they can see the Milky Way, than he supposes he can make an exception.
With the surrounding landscape of mountains and open valleys, the sky is a sight to behold. Stars get reflected on the still water, which creates an astonishing view. Luie Boone told his hoomans that they need to bring a blanket and a picnic basket (to hold his snacks), so they can lay back and become stargazers! They better not forget to snap a photo or two of him posing in front of the Milky Way. There's nothing better than your dog and a good view.
Exploring Wyoming’s Wind River Country with your dog is an adventure that combines wide-open landscapes, fresh mountain air, and small-town charm. This region is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts and their four-legged companions, offering everything from canyon trails and alpine meadows to scenic drives and quiet forest paths. Dogs can romp on leashed trails, discover hidden streams, and enjoy the freedom of vast open spaces while their humans take in breathtaking experiences. Along the way, travelers can find pet-friendly restaurants, cafes, and lodging that welcome dogs, making it easy to share every part of the journey. Whether it’s a short getaway or a multi-day road trip, Wind River Country provides a mix of adventure, relaxation, and memorable experiences for both you and your canine companion.
Begin your adventure in Lander, where Sinks Canyon State Park provides shaded trails along waterfalls and rocky cliffs. This is an ideal spot for leashed walks.
You also should check out the Silas Lake Trail, which offers forested paths with alpine scenery. This trail is paw-some for a longer hike with your pup. For dining, Lander Bar & Grill serves up refreshing microbrews, burgers, sandwiches, and pizza. Their spacious, shaded patio is dog friendly. While The Middle Fork, a casual eatery, serves up a variety of delicious fare and Fido is welcome to join you at one of their pet-friendly outdoor tables while you enjoy your meal!
A short drive east from Lander brings you to Riverton, where the Riverton Riverwalk is perfect for a peaceful stroll. Dacey’s Place Dog Park is an off-leash recreation spot for Fido to play in Riverton. The spacious area is fully-fenced and includes a couple of benches and a waste clean up station. The dog park can be accessed from the Riverwalk behind Fremont County Fairgrounds. For dining, The Depot, with its historic train depot charm, welcomes dogs on the patio for lunch.
Heading west to Dubois, the dramatic Wind River Mountains provide endless exploration opportunities. Trails like Lake Louise feature waterfalls, alpine meadows, and sweeping valley views. Luie Boone cannot wait to go Lake Louise, and you can probably guess why. He reckons they accidentally mispelled the name, and that it's actually supposed to be Lake Luie. His hoomans said that, for the day, they'll let him call it that.
For a slower-paced day, scenic drives over Togwotee Pass offer multiple pull-offs for stretching legs and paws or taking photos. At Cowboy Cafe, you can bring Fido with you while you enjoy a homestyle meal outside. Luie Boone will bark about this place later! Dog-friendly lodging can be found at Longhorn Ranch Lodge & RV Resort, which even offers an on-site dog park.
In Shoshoni, the pace slows and the landscape opens up, making it a great stop for a quiet break with your dog. Located near the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway, this area offers scenic pull-offs where you can stretch your legs, take in canyon views, and enjoy short walks along the river. The town’s relaxed atmosphere and light traffic make it especially comfortable for traveling with pets, and local eateries often welcome dogs in outdoor spaces.
Nearby Hudson offers another peaceful stop. It's ideal for dogs who enjoy calm surroundings and open space. Known to be small and welcoming, Hudson provides access to quiet roads and nearby natural areas for easy walks. It’s a great place to unwind, with a slower pace that lets both you and your dog relax between bigger adventures in the region.
Thermopolis adds a unique stop to your journey, known for its geothermal features and scenic surroundings. While the famous hot springs themselves are not dog-friendly, the surrounding areas, including walking paths near the river and open spaces around town, are great for exploring with your pup. Hot Springs State Park offers beautiful views, suspension bridges, and grassy areas for leashed walks. Several local restaurants provide dog-friendly patios, and pet-friendly motels make it easy to stay overnight while enjoying this one-of-a-kind destination.
Travelers in Wind River Country also have the opportunity to experience areas that are part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, home to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. These communities have lived on and cared for the land for generations, and visitors can gain insight into their rich cultural heritage while enjoying the natural beauty of the region. Being aware of and respectful toward tribal lands as this will enhance your experience, turning a dog-friendly adventure into a journey through living history. Luie Boone cannot wait to learn more about these tribes. He wonders if they had dogs (or wolves as pets!).
Exploring Wind River Country with your dog requires preparation: bring plenty of water, leash your dog in wildlife areas, and plan outdoor activities during cooler parts of the day. This region offers natural beauty, dog-friendly adventures, and cultural richness. Sharing these experiences with your four-legged companion while honoring the heritage of the Shoshone and Northern Arapaho peoples makes the trip truly memorable!
Paws Rest Here
Luie Boone paw-selected this perfect vacation rental for your stay in Wyoming’s Wind River Country. Check it out below!
Rental Name: Hot Springs Hideout
This rental has 3 bedrooms with 7 beds and 2 baths.
Photos by VRBO.com
It features the following amenities:
Cabin is located right on the Big Horn River
Enjoy the river from the spacious back deck
Deck with grill
Propane fire table
Hot tub
Outdoor furniture
Covered carport available
Boat, kayak/canoe and water sports gear available for rental
What does Luie Boone think of this rental? He woofed:
My hoomans keep talking about this rental in Wyoming's Wind River Country called the Hot Springs Hideout. I'm wondering if I need to pack my cowboy hat and get ready for a cowboy cookout at our new hideout. The Big Horn River is right outside. You can see it from the deck! I can already imagine all of the smells and sounds. Ducks! I'll be able to see them quacking and waddling and swimming by. And if we wake up early enough, my hoomans said we might spot an otter! Roger, my otter plushie, would be thrilled. I'll bring him along, and we'll do a stakeout all night long to see if we can spot an otter on the Big Horn River. Quakers, my big duck plushie, is also tagging along. He wants to judge the ducks waddling skills. Me, Roger, and Quakers will have to get together at the end of the day and share what we learned. We will chat about the rental's kitchen, the deck with the grill, and all the spaces that I relaxed in, like next to the rental's hot tub.
Paws Venture Here
Luie Boone sniffed out and dug up these local gems for you to check out while vacationing in Wyoming’s Wind River Country!
Sinks Canyon State Park
The Sinks Canyon State Park is named for its disappearing river! A disappearing river? Luie Boone thinks it'd be cool if it reappeared, but he would not like to be in it, just in case it disappears again! He'd be a disappearing dog then.
The Middle Fork of the Popo Agie river plunges underground into a great limestone cavern called the Sinks. It bubbles up into a calm pool, about a quarter mile downstream at the Rise. At the Rise, you can feed giant brown trout swimming in the pool below. Luie Boone plans to sneak into the water and see if he can get fed something tasty too.
The park, which has earned Trip Advisor Certificates of Excellence for several years in a row, is also a great place for hiking with your pup, trail running, climbing and picnicking or camping.
Whiskey Mountain
Found at the northeast corner of the Wind River Range, Whiskey Mountain is one of Wyoming’s hidden wonders. This peak’s eye-catching name came from a cache of alcohol found on its slopes during the times that the Rendezvous occurred in the area. Luie Boone's hooman dad, Randy, will love this mountain!
Whiskey Mountain is now famous for the largest concentration of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in the United States. This side of the Wind Rivers is drier than the Bridger Wilderness side, with a more desert-like approach from the base. This is one reason why the bighorn sheep winter here, as the grasses are more readily available on the wind-swept ridges with less snow.
Please note that the terrain is rough and mountainous with scattered limber pine and Douglas fir. Be prepared and watch out for the wind as you traverse up the mountain. Views from the summit are said to be beauitful, so be sure to bring your camera and snap some pictures!
Popo Agie Falls
The Popo Agie Falls has a beautiful trail and a fun hiking experience. The first mile of the trail parallels the middle fork of the Popo Agie River. There's some uphill action, but it's reasonable. You'll gain just 650 feet of elevation over the 1.5 miles of the trail. It'll be worth it when you see the gorgeous waterfall.
You may also see mule deer, bighorn sheep, and yellow-bellied marmots sunning on the boulders. Luie Boone would love to join them for a good suntan, but his hoomans say wildlife is dangerous, so Luie Boone will keep a respectful distance. Instead, he'll just look forward to arriving at the cascading waterfalls (one with a sixty-foot vertical drop) and swimming hole that he'll surely be wading around in.
To Luie Boone's dismay, the Rainbow Terraces is not a collection of rainbow colored terraces. Still, Luie Boone says they're very cool. The Rainbow Terraces can be found in Hot Springs State Park, which is the oldest state park in Wyoming. It was founded in 1897!
There, the Rainbow Terraces are actually springs that discharge more than 3 million gallons of 135-degree Fahrenheit water every single day! This water is laden with minerals, making them the largest such mineral hot springs in the world. And why they're called the Rainbow Springs is because the springs form numerous colorful terraces! There are also numerous colorful pools, which are easily explored via a dog-friendly beautiful boardwalk trail that allow for a close-up view of the terraces and water.
Sweetwater River
The Sweetwater River is located along the base of the Wind River range. It's known as a wild, recretional, and scenic river. And, again to Luie Boone's dismay, the Sweetwater River is not full of sweet treats. Luie Boone will just have to bring his own. He'll make his hoomans carry it. He'll also make his hoomans carry bear spray, because this is bear country.
Its trail takes you and your canine pal on a short trip along the side of the beautiful and scenic river. Most of this trail is along a dirt road, and it brings you onto a bridge over the river.
Brooks Lake
Brooks Lake lies in the Wind River Mountains of northwest Wyoming very near the Continental Divide. It's an incredible alpine lake, with world-class fishing, hiking trails, camping sites, and stunning views. One trail winds along the lake. Luie Boone promises to walk on the trail and not in the water... maybe... maybe not. What he does promise it to watch out for bears, because a grizzly bear was spotted here!
Most importantly, he promises to rename the lake to Brooke's Lake after one of his hoomans sister.
Jade Lakes
The Jade Lakes has a six-mile, lollipop loop hike that is easily accessible from Dubois. The loop hike to the Jade Lakes starts at the southwest end of Brooks Lake, which is nestled beneath Pinnacle Buttes to the east and the volcanic cliffs rising along the Continental Divide to the west. The hike initially follows the Yellowstone Trail as it travels through meadows. At the one-mile point, the trail reaches a junction at a small clearing. Look carefully and you will see an old sign nailed to a tree pointing right to Jade Lakes! Luie Boone always looks carefully (he's on the lookout for good smells and bears), so he'll make sure that. hishoomans don't miss the old sign.
As you follow the sign, the path now travels along the lake’s eastern shore, passing some nice viewpoints along the way. Sadly, pine bark beetles have killed over half the trees surrounding the lake. Despite the dead trees, this is still a very scenic spot to enjoy with your pup with multi-hued volcanic cliffs soaring above the tree-lined lake.
Cowboy Cafe
For a good place to eat with your dog in Dubois, the Cowboy Cafe is a terrific choice. Cowboy Cafe is a no-frills Western-style restaurant that’s satisfied local appetites for breakfast, lunch, and dinner since 1993.
You can expand your meat repertoire with the Wild Game Platter, featuring spicy elk sausage, smoked bison, grilled onions and vegetables. Other popular menu options include biscuits & gravy, the Cowboy Omelette, OYB Buffalo Burger, housemade BBQ ribs, and chicken fried steak!
There's very friendly staff, but be careful, they just might give your pup too much bacon! Luie Boone says that's not a problem at all. He'll put on his best cowboy hat and use his best puppy-dog eyes to get as much bacon as possible!
Luie Boone's Pet Peeve about
Wyoming's River Country
There's just so much to love about this vacation destination, but there's one thing that's got Luie Boone's leash in a twist. He woofed:
Ugh, don’t even get me started on Wind River. The biggest problem? No fence. No fence anywhere. Just big. Endless, terrifying, horizon-stretching big. You know how I like to patrol the yard, give a few good barks at the mailman, and call it a day? Out there, I’m supposed to guard Wyoming. I can’t relax for one second because every mountain, meadow, and distant elk is technically “outside my territory.” My poor little brain is screaming, “Which tree do I mark?! ALL OF THEM?!” I spin in circles until I’m dizzy, trying to keep an eye on the whole universe at once, and by day two, I’m just a trembling, exhausted furball because there’s too much outside. The hoomans think it’s “freedom.” I call it psychological warfare with no property lines.
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