Wyoming

The eastern portion of Wyoming, like Colorado, consists of flat plains and some rolling hills. Further west, the Rocky Mountains run through the state and are divided up into several named ranges. Gannett Peak, at 13,804 feet above sea level and the highest point in Wyoming, is in the Wind River Range in the northwestern part of the state. This area also contains the spectacular Grand Teton Mountains.

By far, the main attraction in Wyoming for visitors is Yellowstone National Park, which was established in 1872 as the America's first national park. Covering more than 2.2 million acres of the northwest corner of Wyoming (with small sections in neighboring Idaho and Montana), Yellowstone offers magnificent scenery, abundant wildlife and, most of all, geothermal activity. With more than 10,000 geysers, hot springs and other thermal sites, Yellowstone seems such an other-worldly landscape that it was once known as "Colter's Hell," after John Colter, the first white man to explore the region in 1807 after leaving the Lewis & Clark's expedition.

I have visited Yellowstone only once, during the middle of winter when the scenery was beautiful but automobile access was limited to just the northern part of the park from Gardner, MT to Cook City, WY. I hope to return in other seasons when I can see more of this magnificent World Heritage site.

In the meantime, the photos above offer a small glimpse of Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Teton Mountains and the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.