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Winter Getaway In Casper, Wyoming
February 20, 2018

I was recently contacted and invited on a winter getaway to Casper, Wyoming by Visit Wyoming. They looked at my landscape photography and thought Casper would be a perfect place for me to explore and share with my audience. They put together an amazing itinerary highlighting a bunch of amazing activities to do in the winter time in this charming mountain town.

Day 1:

After a slight delay we landed in Casper and I met the other 3 photographers and our guides for the weekend. We checked in and dropped off our luggage at the Ramkota Hotel and began our winter adventure. Our first stop on the itinerary was the “the vault” tour at Nicolaysen Art Museum. The artwork on display was nothing short of inspiring and they even had a Pablo Picasso! Our next stop was to the only brewery in Casper, Frontier Brewery. We got to taste all of their delicious beers and  see how they actually brew their beers in house. My personal favorite was the Golden Ale. We capped off the night with a delicious dinner at Firerock. The Filet Oscar and Lobster Mac and Cheese really hit the spot!

Day 2:

We started day 2 off right with a hearty breakfast at the iconic Johnny J’s Diner. We then proceeded to pack everyone into the car and headed up Casper Mountain were we would spend the majority of the day. The first spot we explored on Casper Mountain was Garden Creek Falls. The hike to the falls was short and sweet and the waterfall was completely frozen but was still stunning. We hiked up an extremely steep and icy trail for a better vantage point of the waterfall. The snow at this point was really coming down and it felt like we were in an actual snow globe. We all got a ton of beautiful photos and headed out to the Casper Mountain Biathlon Club. The Biathlon Club was really cool as we got a little lesson on how to shoot the biathlon rifle which I was very proficient with (I went 5 for 5)! After shooting we did a little snowshoeing in the same area and found some fresh mountain lion tracks in the snow. It was a little alarming but we were in a pretty large group so that made everyone feel a little better. We packed up the snowshoes and headed up the mountain to Hogadon Basin Ski Area. We ate a fantastic lunch at the restaurant located at the summit of Casper Mountain. We didn’t get to ski but we got a ride to the bottom of the mountain and took the ski lifts back up to the top. This concluded our time on Casper Mountain.

We headed back to town to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center and learned all about the rich history of Casper, WY. The center had a ton of really fun interactive displays and even a wagon you could get into that made it feel like you were crossing the North Platte River. After the tour we went on a “sip-eat-and-walk" tour around downtown Casper. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever eaten that much delicious food in my life!

Day 3:

After some much needed rest we headed out to Independence Rock just west of Casper. The snow limited visibility but I could imagine a time when there were wagons as far as the eye could see full of travelers camped out on their way to West Coast. For me the next adventure was the one I was most excited for. Next up was a guided drift boat fly fishing trip down the North Platte River. As some of you may know I’ve been fly fishing for as long as I’ve lived in Colorado. We arrived at The Reef Fly Shop were we met our guides and had a quick lesson on casting and how to land fish. We drifted down the river for several hours and I was lucky enough to catch a rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and a sucker fish. We found a spot we thought would be good and waited to photograph the sunset. To cap off a beautiful day on the river we had a wonderful dinner at the Wyoming Ale Works.

Day 4:

On the last day of the trip we woke up to catch a beautiful sunrise overlooking the town of Casper. We then had breakfast at one of Casper’s most popular breakfast spots, Eggingtons. We then took a really fun cocktail making class at Backwards Distillery. We took the tour and learned all about the processes of distilling alcohol. Before we headed out to the airport we had our last meal at HQ BBQ. Their mac & cheese was probably the best I’ve ever had.

After having a week to reflect on my trip to Casper, WY it really left me with a feeling of surprise. I went into this trip not knowing anything about Casper but assuming it was just a small pass through town on your way to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone but it was so much more than that. The landscapes were inspiring, the town was hip and the people were warm and inviting. I will forever be connected to this little town in the heart of Wyoming.