A visit to Cody Yellowstone is one you’ll remember forever, and 2025 is shaping up to be an incredible year to make your way to Wyoming’s Wild and rugged Northwest. Even better, it’s an experience you can tailor to any preference—solo travel, group trips, outdoors, or indoors. If Cody Yellowstone is on your mind for your next adventure, here are five reasons you should visit this year.
Is visiting Yellowstone National Park on your bucket list? If it isn’t, go ahead and add it right now… then prepare to cross it off!
When President Ulysses S. Grant designated the northwestern corner of Wyoming as the country’s first national park in 1872, he knew he was creating something that generations of Americans would treasure for years to come. Over 150 years and 62 more national parks later, and we would say he was right!
With a downtown located only 50 miles from the park’s east entrance, Cody makes visiting Yellowstone easy. If you don’t know where to begin, try one of the many tour companies owned and operated by experienced local wilderness guides who know the region like the back of their hand. Or, you can embark on your own solo adventure. Here, you’ll find plenty of local businesses stocked with anything you could possibly need for an independent outdoor odyssey — from tents and camping gear to the best Western apparel around.
Did you know that 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of wolves being reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park?
Before 1995, the gray wolf population in Yellowstone was severely endangered. Between 1995 and 1997, wildlife experts relocated dozens of wolves from the northwestern United States and Canada. Thanks to these conservation efforts, the wolf population is now thriving, creating a more balanced ecosystem within the park.
Here in Cody Yellowstone, you’ll find humans coexist with the wildlife. Take a drive down Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to see what we mean — just be sure to mind the elk herds! Moose, bison, and even black bears are a fairly common sight along our scenic byways. If you want to see more wildlife in 2025, Cody Yellowstone is the place to go.
Cody Yellowstone is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts. Here, you can plan full days of activities and never set foot indoors.
Spring, summer, and fall in Cody are a hiker’s dream—the region is known for some of the best rock climbing, fishing, and camping around. When winter rolls around, you’d be forgiven for thinking the area finally quiets down, but you couldn’t be further from the truth! Winter in Cody Yellowstone means days filled with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice-climbing, snowmobiling, and more. For all our subzero anglers out there, keep an eye on the 17th Annual Meeteetsee Ice Fishing Derby, happening in early February.
We think a visit to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West should be on everybody’s 2025 bucket list. Again, if it’s not already on your list, go ahead and add it now.
The Center of the West comprises five separate museums — the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, the Draper Natural History Museum, and the Whitney Western Art Museum. You could easily spend a week at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, fully immersed in all corners of Cody Yellowstone culture.
Outside the Center of the West, you can explore the Old Trail Town and Museum of the Old West to get a sense of what life in a 19th-century Western town would have been like. Learn the sobering history of Japanese internment camps at the Heart Mountain WWII Interpretive Center. Then, complete your visit with a stay at the Irma, Cody’s oldest (and most haunted) hotel. The Cherrywood bar in the restaurant was a gift from Queen Victoria herself!
The town of Cody was founded by and named after famous Western showman William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. But did you know that American abstract painter Jackson Pollock was also born here? Or that Ernest Hemingway and Amelia Earhart spent time here. Walking downtown — quite literally in the footsteps of some of the great figureheads of American history — you’ll see that Cody is a place that proudly wears its legacy on its sleeve. For that, we believe everyone should visit at least once (or twice!).
We’re not called the Rodeo Capital of the World for nothing. In Cody, you’ll see some of the best cowboys and cowgirls around — true masters of their sports. Enjoy the Cody Nite Rodeo every evening from June 1 to August 31. On the Fourth of July weekend, celebrate American independence at the Cody Stampede Rodeo, a town staple since 1919.
Once all that rodeoin’ works up an appetite, mosy on down the Sippin’ Trail and visit some of Cody’s most iconic restaurants. We’ve got food and drinks to suit every taste here! After all, with so many ways to work up an appetite, it’s only fair that we offer plenty of options to satisfy it!
Whether this is your first rodeo or not, come to Cody Yellowstone in 2025 and join us in celebrating the vibrant, beating heart of Western culture.
Ready to begin planning your 2025 Cody adventure? You can request a free vacation guide with all sorts of information on how to make the most of your time in Cody, Yellowstone.
We hope to see you here soon!
November 19, 2024
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