Tom Bradshaw captures the beauty of the valley of the South Fork of the Shoshone River. You can see Tom's work at his online Gallery

The past is always present in Cody Wyoming. This part of Wyoming represents the last of the true West. Cody is what America was; a place cowboy culture survives the retro heartbeat of the west. The high plains to mountains vista is spectacular, the land is wild, the people are genuinely friendly and the opportunities for outdoor adventure, recreation, education, and entertainment are as large and varied as the Wyoming skies.

Cody has a well-developed hospitality industry with varied lodging opportunities, fine dining, world-class museums and western activities. It is the only Yellowstone gateway community with two entrances to Yellowstone National Park, and Cody is the hub for several loop tour drives that access five different Scenic Byways.

If you’re searching for the real American West, look no further than Cody, Wyoming. Founded in 1896 by that most authentic representative of the Old West, Col. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, this community of old and new reflects the vision of its founder.

Wyoming Ranch on the South Fork of the Shoshone River below the Absaroka Mountains

Buffalo Bill lived up to the romantic idea of the brave, daring frontiersman. Through his personal exploits and his Wild West Show he became the world’s most famous American. It is Buffalo Bill Cody's name that represents the essence of the Old West, and has provided a draw to this small western town where real cowboys still herd cattle.

A testament to the legacy of Buffalo Bill Cody are the museums that sprouted in Cody with Buffalo Bill as the inspiration. These museums include The Buffalo Bill Museum examines both the personal and public lives of W.F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and seeks to interpret his story in the context of the history and myth of the American West. The Whitney Gallery of Western Art presents an outstanding collection of masterworks of the American West. Original paintings, sculptures, and prints trace artistic interpretations of the West from the early 19th century to today. The Plains Indian Museum features one of the country's largest and finest collections of Plains Indian art and artifacts. Expore the cultural histories, artistry and living traditions of Plains Indian peoples, including the Arapaho, Crow, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Blackfeet, Sioux, Gros Ventre, Shoshone and Pawnee. The Cody Firearms Museum contains the world's most comprehensive assemblage of American arms, as well as European arms dating to the 16th century. The Draper Museum of Natural History integrates the humanities with natural sciences to interpret the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and adjacent intermountain basins. The Harold McCracken Research Library advances the understanding, appreciation, and study of the American West.

The Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway goes from Cody to Yellowstone Park, the Wapati Valley is a very scenic section of it.

Cody isand 52 miles east of the Yellowstone National Park's East Entrance, the world’s first national park, and it is about 20 miles east of the Shoshone National Forest, wich is our country’s first national forest. Nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Cody blends spectacularly and unspoiled scenery with outstanding attractions, extensive outdoor recreation, a variety of lodging facilities and restaurants, unique shopping and a bustling business community.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of the eastern escarpment of the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains, Cody is surrounded by some of the country’s most scenic country. It is ideal for the outdoor enthusiast—camping, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, golfing, rock and ice climbing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing.

Panoramic views and a plethora of wildlife create some of the most extraordinary scenic drives on earth. The Wapiti Valley, on the Cody road to Yellowstone, the South Fork of the Shoshone and the Sunlight Basin are all home to elk, grizzly and black bears, bighorn sheep, mule deer, moose, bald eagles and a host of other wildlife and birds.

Fly-fishing on the Clarks Fork, South Fork of the Shoshone and the North Fork is a popular activity in Cody Country.

Cody, Wyoming, is home to thousands of lonely trout. The key word for fly-fishing in Cody is solitude. Usually, when we fish around Cody you are pretty much alone. You will not have to fight the crowds as you will in Jackson Hole, Bozeman, West Yellowstone, or many other famous fly-fishing destinations. The lack of fishing pressure does a few things. First, our water doesn't have cynical over educated fish as you might find on the Madison or a popular spring creek, second, there are many high quality fish. It was once said, "famous rivers are there for a reason, to keep people away from the really good ones." In Cody, the fishermen have found this statement to be true. -------------------> More about fishing Cody's rivers and lakes.

Elk hunting is popular outside Cody Wyoming and offers some of the highest bull to cow ratios. It is one of the few places in the country where you can hunt elk with a rifle right in the midst of the rut during the peak of the bugling season. Year after year, trophy bulls meet or exceed the expectations of the most seasoned hunter! Cody has many lakes, and rivers and moose find these to their liking. While many prefer river bottoms, moose may also be found at 9,000 feet or higher near a mountain lake. If you are looking for a trophy buck now is the time and Cody is the place. A trophy mule buck will weigh more than 200 pounds and can get as large as 300 pounds. Behold the sight of 300 to 500 antelopes per day during hunting season, with many bucks over 15 inches! Hunting antelope is exciting and challenging. A typical trophy buck will grow horns of at least 14 inches and makes one of the most beautiful mounts of Wyoming's big game trophies. For hunting quality big horn sheep, Wyoming offers the best. Sheep hunting can be one of the most physically demanding hunts of all the North American species. Hunters, therefore, get the most out of their big horn hunting by being in their best physical condition. --------------------> More about hunting Cody Wyoming

Wildlife abounds in Cody Country, This Bighorn was found in the North Fork Valley not far from the Yellowstone enterance.

Cody’s whitewater enthusiasts enjoy the Shoshone River the main eastern drainage of Yellowstone National Park. It reads like a flowing history book with almost as many scenic vistas as the colorful people and cultures who explored it. This river was used as a trade route during the fur-trading era for the mountain men and Native Americans who entered the "Yellow Rock" country in pursuit of its abundance of wildlife. This pursuit of adventure continues today.

More than history and the feel of the Old West are present in modern day Cody, Wyoming. Because it’s a tourist destination, Cody has a number of fine restaurants, superb shopping, western design furniture manufacturers and other western artisans, an array of art galleries and a business friendly climate.

Cody's Irma Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, in recognition of its contribution to the cultural foundations of America. Certain exterior walls are made of river rock and locally quarried sandstone from Beck Lake just south of town. The fireplace is an assemblage of rock, ores, minerals, and fossils from the Big Horn Basin. The Irma Hotel is a living museum of the Old West. Buffalo Bill Cody the city’s founder and namesake built and named the hotel for his daughter Irma. You step back into the old West at the Irma Hotel where you'll capture the romance of an era when Cowboys came in from the surrounding ranches and tied their horses to the rail of the hotel. The original part of the hotel was built for Buffalo Bill in 1902. The northwest addition was constructed in 1929, and the southwest addition was added in 1976-1977.

North Fork of the Shoshone River outside of Cody Wyoming.	South Fork of the Shoshone River outside of Cody Wyoming.
The juxtaposition between the reds and the greens in Cody Country in spring and early summer is a stunning treat for the eyes.	Metaphorical gateway to Yellowstone

Cody Wyoming is one of the best places anywhere for ice climbing

The historic bar that the Queen of England gave to Buffalo Bill in 1902. Buffalo Bill later built the Irma Hotel so he would have a place to put thim magnificiant piece of woodwork. The Irma Hotel is a wonderful place to stay while visiting hostoric Cody Wyoming.