Nearby

Frontier forts, a historic Main Street and the Bighorn Mountains, all within a short drive of the lake.

I-90 Exit 44, then about 3 miles. Exit 44 is about 7 interstate miles north of the lake exit.

Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site

Billed as the largest stockaded fort in the West. The state site covers about 1,000 acres across three places within five miles: the fort, the Fetterman Battlefield (a National Historic Landmark) and the Wagon Box Fight site. Site fees apply only at the fort. Hours shift by season, so call before you go. [Source, 2, 3]

528 Wagon Box Rd, Banner, WY 82832 · (307) 684-7629

Bighorn Mountains just west of Buffalo — Photo: Satsuuma, Public domain

About 4 miles north of the fort.

Fetterman Fight site

On December 21, 1866, Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors killed all 81 soldiers and civilians with Capt. William Fetterman. It was a major victory in Red Cloud’s War. [Source]

Near Story, part of the Fort Phil Kearny site.

Wagon Box Fight site

On August 2, 1867, about 32 defenders behind wagon boxes held off a large attack. It was the last major fight of Red Cloud’s War. [Source, 2]

8 miles south of the lake.

Buffalo

The Johnson County seat. The Occidental Hotel opened in 1880 and its saloon dates to 1908; the guest list is said to include Butch Cassidy, Calamity Jane and Theodore Roosevelt. The Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum, founded in 1957, sits in the 1909 Carnegie Library building and holds about 40,000 items. [Source, 2]

Through town in Buffalo.

Clear Creek trail

An intermediate singletrack runs up Clear Creek from Buffalo, about 6 miles out and back with roughly 1,244 feet of climbing. [Source]

Up against the Bighorns, north of the fort.

Story

A small community of about 900 people at 5,233 feet, about 5 miles north of Fort Phil Kearny. Cabins and quiet. [Source]

Powder River Pass on US-16 in the Bighorns — Photo: Vidor, Public domain

West of Buffalo on US 16, the Cloud Peak Skyway.

Bighorn Mountains and Cloud Peak

The Cloud Peak Wilderness covers 191,914 acres, and Cloud Peak itself tops out at 13,167 feet. In winter the forest has nearly 400 miles of snowmobile trails, open December 1 to April 15 with a Wyoming user-fee decal. [Source, 2, 3]

Hills along I-90 near Buffalo — Photo: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), CC BY-SA 4.0

East of Buffalo.

Ucross

Raymond Plank founded the Ucross Foundation artist residency in 1981 on a 20,000-acre ranch. The art gallery in the Big Red Barn is free and open year-round. [Source]

The Lake Letter

The lake, four times a year

Ice-on and ice-off notes, what Game and Fish is saying about the fishery, events worth the drive and new places to stay. One email a season.