The grand spaces, the sparse towns – driving in essential in Wyoming. And the scenery is a pleasure to drive through, whether it’s Yellowstone National Park, or the national forests of Shoshone, Bighorn and Medicine Bow. Come in ski season and drive through snow-peaked mountains, or in the heart of summer for wonderful wildlife.

Brush up on a few local road rules in advance to make car hire in Wyoming a breeze. Seat belts are compulsory, mobile phone use when driving is illegal, and children under nine must be in a child restraint safety seat. Speed limits vary, from 20mph in school zones, 30mph in built-up areas all the way up to 80mph on some interstates.

Wyoming shares borders with Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota, making it the ideal place to form part of a great US road trip itinerary. A big chunk of the huge I-80 runs along the south of Wyoming, from Evanston in the west through Rock Springs and Laramie to Cheyenne in the east. North of here you can take the I-25 up to Buffalo and the Bighorn National Forest, and from there drive east on the I-90 to Gillette, close to the Thunder Basin National Grassland.

The west of Wyoming is served by smaller roads, such as the 26 that goes through the heart of the Wind River Reservation and on into the Grand Teton National Park, or the 14 that connects the town of Cody with Yellowstone Lake. You’ll drive past elk, bison and deer as you cut through this gorgeous part of the world. Park up and take advantage of the hiking opportunities, or relax in the springs at Thermopolis’ Hot Springs State Park. 

For lovers of the great outdoors, log cabins, rivers winding through deep valleys and the freshest air, Wyoming is unsurpassed. The national parks are big enough to vary in terrain, with unique wildlife, while the small towns that dot this quiet state are friendly and all have their own story to tell.

Park Life

Yellowstone National Park (the world’s first) is in Wyoming’s far north-west, with a tiny bit in both Idaho and Montana. To fully explore it, car hire is essential as there is no shuttle or other transport inside it. The years of geological activity here have thrown up some wonders of the world, with the Mammoth area hosting hot springs such as Canary and Palette – truly beautiful to behold.

Explore Artist Point with a park ranger, go camping and spot bison, wolves, elk and grizzly bears, then wait for the thrilling random eruptions of the Vixen Geyser. Even better, check the predicted eruption times of Old Faithful (about 17 times a day), which averages spurts of 40m high and nearly 100 degrees centigrade.

In winter you can ski, skate or snowmobile, boat or fish, stay in lodges and visit the five unique visitor areas. You must see the Morning Glory Pool whose heat and bacteria have given it a memorably vivid hue.

The wild, wild West

Many of Wyoming’s most popular attractions have been carved naturally by time and geology, but in Cody, just to the east of Yellowstone, you can explore the history of the area and its people at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Several museums in one, it’s worth putting aside plenty of time to see everything that it has to offer.

The Buffalo Bill Museum first opened its doors in 1917 and is dedicated to the life of William Cody, the man who founded the town and who looms large in American history. There’s also a Natural History Museum, the Whitney Western Art Museum, the Plains Indian Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum. Eat in saloon style at Cassie’s Steakhouse – here since 1922 – for steaks over an inch thick and, for the brave, Rocky Mountain oysters.

Park up in the prairies

In Wyoming’s far south-east, the towns of Laramie and Cheyenne occupy a strip of the I-80 reasonably close to each other. The highlight of Laramie is the Wyoming Territorial State Prison, which was opened in 1872. It’s now a museum where you can see how incarcerated outlaws lived in the old west and artefacts uncovered during recent restoration work.

Cheyenne grew up rapidly during the pioneer years, sat on an old railway line. It’s a great place to explore more of the west with its cowboy legacy clear to see. Park your car and take a horse ride through the trails before watching gunfighters recreate the past at Gunslinger Square. Get a taste of the local specialty at the Terry Bison Ranch – the Senator’s Steak House has been voted the number one bison burger in the state.

With outdoor pursuit’s aplenty and grand towns that seem to have been plucked straight of a western, Wyoming is a special part of the USA. Car hire in Wyoming is the nearest you can come to saddling up and carving out your own piece of the west.