Shell Valley, Wyoming – A hidden gem at the base of the Bighorn Mountains
Wyoming is a state that is famous for its breathtaking scenery. Everybody knows about the geysers of Yellowstone, the vertical beauty of the Tetons, or the wilderness of the Wind River Mountains. However, our favorite place to visit in the Cowboy State lies on the northwestern edge of the Bighorn Mountains.
The Shell Valley, a sparsely populated, remote valley tucked up against the mountains, has been called home by 3 generations of Bullingers, and is full of natural wonder and awe-inspiring landscapes. We spent a Mid-May weekend up at my Grandmother's house, 4-wheeling and hiking through some of the most beautiful country that Wyoming has to offer.
View of Beaver Creek Ranch, which used to be a sheep operation owned at one point by 2 generations of Bullingers. The 'Lazy B,' a rock formation nicknamed by our family for its appearance of a 'B' laying on its back, watches over the ranch and provides a beautiful backdrop along Beaver Creek Road.
Continuing along Beaver Creek Road, approaching National Forest Land
Any time we go up to Shell, we always like to take a drive along Beaver Creek Road, a small 2-lane highway that weaves through farmland and follows Beaver Creek up to the Bighorn Mountains. The Bullinger family once owned a large sheep ranch along Beaver Creek, and it has become family tradition to "drive up to the ranch" any time that family come up to visit our Grandmother. With country music on the radio, binoculars out, and windows down, the drive up Beaver Creek Road is always a family favorite. The older family members reminisce about life on the ranch while the younger family members (us) recall family fishing trips and take in the beauty of Beaver Creek and the adjacent mountains.
Another of our favorite places in the Shell Valley is Trapper Canyon, a massive canyon along the west slope of the Bighorns. This Canyon is primarily accessible by 4-wheeler, and the trail up to its vantage points is a fun ride that weaves through red rock cliffs and hay fields before driving straight up the slope of the mountains. Along the drive, you wouldn't even know that you are paralleling a massive, 1200-foot deep canyon until you reach the first vantage point. From this point, you can drive down a very steep trail to the canyon rim. On this particular trip, we drove down to the rim of Trapper Canyon, and decided to follow an old elk trail down to the bottom and check out Trapper Creek as it rushed with runoff snowmelt. The trail is treacherous, steep, and at times, dizzying and very close to cliff faces, but needless to say, the views are worth every second!
Katie and I glassing for Elk along the west rim of Trapper Canyon. 750 feet below us, Trapper Creek provides an excellent opportunity to spot Elk, Deer, or catch large native Cutthroat Trout, if you are crazy enough to hike your way down.
Katie looking back at where we started. Long way to go still!
Our first stopping point along our hike down to the bottom of Trapper Canyon.
Hiking back out of Trapper Canyon. Kyle in the shadows.
Bottom of Trapper Canyon Trail along hay field and red rock country.
The diversity of the land in the Shell Valley, combined with the absence of crowds (and cell phone service) help make this area such a spectacular place. From the pristine, rolling hills of Beaver Creek Road to the massive, sheer cliffs of Trapper Canyon, the Shell valley does not lack for scenic opportunities. Our final destination is geographically nestled between Beaver Creek and Trapper Canyon, and is just as scenic, and just as different. Along the portion of the Bighorns that runs East to West, a series of folded, cliff-like buttresses shoot straight up from the prairie, absent of any foothills or rolling transition into the mountains. Another beautiful 4-wheeler ride takes you along the base of this unique section of the Bighorns, and provides some the most dramatic landscapes around.
Face of the Bighorn Mountains as they run West to East along the Shell Valley before jogging South. In the middle of this span, you see the giant 'W' that consists of 2 canyons that bring runoff down to the Shell Valley each year.
Approaching the vertical buttresses of the Bighorn Mountains.
4-Wheeler riding at the base of the 'W.'
Kyle's grandmother, Roberta Bullinger. A very special woman in our lives.
