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.

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.

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

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.

Yellowstone News Grizzly Bear at Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park

Featuring sixteen photos by Daryl L. Hunter the publisher of the Greater Yellowstone Resource Guide Wyoming's Seven Greatest Natural Wonders Wyoming's BEST photos of Wyoming's BEST places by Wyoming's BEST photographers. These three short phrases sum up this book about Wyoming's most scenic and natural places. It all started with a newspaper column Bill Sniffin wrote in 2007 called Wyoming's 7 Greatest Natural Wonders, which include Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Thermopolis Hot Springs, Devils Tower National Monument, the vast Red Desert, historic South Pass and the high impact North Platte River system. This book features an introduction by Governor Matt Mead and a chapter by U.S. Senator Mike Enzi. Buy Book Here

Two of Grizzly 399s new cubs Grizzly 399 produces triplets again? Grizzly 399 produces triplets again, or so it seems. Absent is the red ear tag bling that positively identified her in the past. Nonetheless a 400-pound road tolerant grizzly sow has shown up in Grizzly 399’s territory with three new adorable cubs. With my caveat stated, we will assume this is 399. This prolific sow produced her first cub around 2001 and her first triplets in 2006, the second set of triplets in 2011 and now a third bunch of fur balls for spring of 2013. ............rest of story Spring has sprung in Yellowstone Spring has sprung it Yellowstone and now its time to go for a drive. Most of the gates are open and all soon will be. The weather is shaping up, and Yellowstone’s peak predator viewing is in full swing.Around the first of April Grizzlies without cubs started coming out of their dens followed shortly by sows with older cubs. We are still waiting for the bears with new cubs to emerge from their dens with new little balls of fur, but the wait won’t be long. The Canon Pack wolves are moving back into the Hayden Valley after wintering elsewhere with less snow. The Lamar and Blacktail packs have been seen throughout the winter and continue to put on a nice show for the lucky who find them......................... Rest of story The T. A. Moulton Barn the most photographed barn in the world is in need of restoration work.   The T.A. Moulton Barn Foto foder for millions of us photographers it is time for us to give back. Due to age and weathering, it is deteriorating rapidly.  The T. A. Moulton Barn Celebrating 100 years “An Icon of Jackson Hole” In 2013 the iconic T. A. Moulton barn celebrates it 100th birthday. Started out of necessity to shelter his horses against the harsh winters of Western Wyoming and Jackson Hole, Thomas Alma Moulton didn’t know he was building a future landmark to a nation and Mecca for photographers to come to. For more information on the Moulton Barn Centennial Party on July 20th is coming along very well. I will be posting details of events here and on the website soon. We are excited about the possibility of Wyoming Gov Mead possibly attending. He is not confirmed yet, but the event is on his calendar. Lets all dig into our pockets and save this Icon of Jackson Hole, Grand Teton Park and the American West so it doesn’t rot into the ground like the “Shane Cabin” did. ………………Visit the Moulton Barn website ~ learn - donate Yellowstone's Wild Gray Wolves A stranger was roaming around. Black-haired, big, and handsome, he'd wandered into town a few days earlier and was looking for some action. Right now he was hanging out near some young females – twins, by the looks of them – and hoping to get to know them a little better. But unfortunately for him, it wasn't to be. Just as he was getting comfortable, their mom and dad showed up. Two gray wolves, a few hundred yards south, their thick winter fur silhouetted against the snow. They took off toward the interloper at a dead sprint, two blurs racing along the frozen creekbed. The new wolf, sizing up the scene, tucked his tail between his legs and ran away. rest of story Haden Valley's alpha male of the Canyon wolf pack wolf 712m John Kerr, 74, Goes From TV Executive To Yellowstone Park Ranger Eight years ago, John Kerr had no idea what to do next when he retired from his job as a public television executive in Boston at age 65. For four decades, he had worked at WGBH, most recently appealing for funds on the air, turning him into a highly recognizable mendicant...................After flummoxing around for about a month, he put his belongings in storage, loaded up his camper truck and drove west to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where his family owned a small condominium. During his travels, he stopped by the Yellowstone National Foundation, which raises funds for Yellowstone National Park, and happened to hear that it was hiring people to educate visitors about wolves........................He immediately applied for a position -- and landed it...................... rest of story Animosity is poisoning Yellowstone When I envisioned life in Yellowstone, I saw wild animals struggling to survive in the cold, snowy winter landscape. I knew that watching nature under harsh conditions would not always be pretty but I prepared myself to meet the realities of nature head on. Wolves, of course, played the top role in my mind but I had only seen them in the wild a couple of times and so the learning slate was clean and I couldn’t wait to learn. Never did it occur to me that there would be a small group of humans who spent their winter in Lamar Valley watching wolves and claiming ownership of them. Negative encounters with people was the last thing on my mind................ rest of story

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.