Tucked away near Douglas, Wyoming, Ayres Natural Bridge is a hidden wonder that feels like something out of a storybook. One of the few natural bridges in the United States with a stream flowing beneath it, this stunning geological formation arches gracefully over LaPrele Creek, creating a tranquil scene that’s perfect for nature lovers. Even better, the entire experience is free, making it an ideal destination for a memorable day trip or weekend adventure.
Beautiful blue skies above the rock butte at a Wyoming landmark
To reach Ayres Natural Bridge, you’ll travel just a short drive from Douglas. The route takes you through rolling hills and scenic Wyoming landscapes, leading to a peaceful park nestled among towering red rock cliffs. The bridge itself is about 50 feet high and spans 100 feet across, with the clear waters of LaPrele Creek flowing gently underneath, creating an oasis-like setting. For generations, this natural wonder has been a favorite spot for locals and travelers alike, offering a unique glimpse into Wyoming’s diverse and stunning natural beauty.
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Once you arrive, you’ll find plenty of things to do beyond admiring the bridge. The park includes shaded picnic areas, perfect for a relaxing lunch with friends or family, and well-maintained walking paths where you can explore the area around the bridge. You’ll also find grassy areas to relax, plus fishing spots along the creek if you’re interested in casting a line. Wildlife sightings are common here too, and you may see birds, deer, or even an occasional fox in the quiet corners of the park.
Ayres Natural Bridge Park , Wyoming
One of the best times to visit Ayres Natural Bridge is in late spring through early fall when the weather is mild and the landscape around the bridge is lush and green. The park is generally open from April through October, though it’s always a good idea to check for seasonal updates before planning your trip. Since the park is free, it’s a popular spot in the summer, especially on weekends, so arriving early is recommended if you’re looking to enjoy the scenery in peace.
Like any natural area, Ayres Natural Bridge is best enjoyed when we all do our part to keep it pristine. Follow Leave No Trace principles by packing out your trash, staying on marked paths, and respecting the local wildlife. The bridge and surrounding park have been preserved for generations, and with careful stewardship, they’ll continue to be a beautiful destination for years to come.
Ayres Natural Bridge Park , Wyoming
Whether you’re snapping photos, relaxing by the creek, or simply enjoying the unique experience of standing beneath a natural rock arch, Ayres Natural Bridge is a Wyoming treasure. This one-of-a-kind spot is a must-visit for anyone exploring the state’s hidden gems and offers a peaceful escape into nature that feels worlds away from the everyday.
With so much alpine foliage to explore in fall, Wyoming's Red Hills might not be the first place you think of when planning a late-season outing. But after all that gorgeous color starts to fade, this lesser-known region offers a brilliant palette of red rock and rolling desert vistas that pop beautifully against the clear blue skies and soft golds of autumn long after the last leaf has fallen. The Red Hills are tucked away in the Jackson Hole Valley, right up against the Gros Ventre Range near the small town of Kelly, marked by spectacular, iron-rich formations and sandstone mesas that just beg for exploration. They're gorgeous in every season! But there's no denying that these rust-colored hills and buttes take on a different kind of magic in fall that makes them a perfect last-minute destination for hiking, off-roading, and exploring Wyoming’s wild, wide-open spaces on a gorgeous autumn road trip.
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Even at an elevation of around 6,000 feet and just a short drive from Jackson, unlike the alpine settings Wyoming is known for, the Red Hills landscape is a mix of rolling, red-rock bluffs and sagebrush flats. The area's unique red hue comes from its rich iron content, which over millennia has oxidized to create photogenic, rust-colored formations that contrast beautifully with the forested mountains in the distance.
Even from a distance, the Red Hills introduce you to Wyoming’s high desert ecology, which includes unique flora and fauna suited to the harsher, dryer landscape. Rabbitbrush and a scattering of gold-leafed trees dominate the hillsides, while the last vestiges of wildflowers, like Indian paintbrush, add bright red accents that match the rusty rocks.
Like many of Wyoming's grandiose rock formations, the Red Hills’ geology is as intriguing as the scenery. The hills' saturated layers are part of the massive Gros Ventre Formation, which dates all the way back to the Paleozoic era. They're part of an exposed sandstone deposit leftover from when most of the region was underwater roughly 50 million years ago.
Close up of the Red Hills and yellow aspen and evergreen trees in Kelly, Teton National Forest, Wyoming.
While every season here is beautiful, autumn is extra special as the desert foliage polka dots the hills with warm pops of color. But what makes this spot even better is that you don't have to worry if you miss peak fall colors — the hills themselves have all the fiery seasonal colors you could hope for, especially for those who dare to venture beyond the main road.
Even better? You don't have to head off-trail to enjoy the autumn scenery. Gros Ventre Road is engineered in such a way that immediately after coming around a small bend in the road, a dramatic view of the hills overwhelms you with a sense of natural beauty and wonder. A pullout is conveniently located at that exact location so that you can fully appreciate the view. You'll see golden treetops dotting the nooks and crannies of the hills in some of the most picture-perfect desert scenes you could hope for. Along the way, the gorgeous drive leads you past quiet lakes and expansive ranches, all boasting vibrant autumn hues.
Dirt road in Bridger-Teton National forest leads to red hills of western Wyoming.
Though much of the Red Hills remains unmarked, for those who love a little route-finding adventure, the area offers a unique, trail-less approach to hiking. One popular spot to start your hike is the access point off Gros Ventre Road, where gravel tracks lead into the hills. From here, it’s easy to wander through small canyons, open sagebrush flats, and up the rolling terrain to get a better view of the valley below.
The area is steeped in recent history as well, from the Native American tribes who traversed the sagebrush terrain to the homesteaders who established Jackson Hole’s earliest settlements. Just a few miles away, the small town of Kelly offers a sobering reminder of the area’s natural power. In 1925, the Gros Ventre Slide — a massive landslide from the nearby mountains — dammed the Gros Ventre River, creating Lower Slide Lake. The slide buried much of the valley, and when the dam broke in 1927, a devastating flood swept through the area, impacting Kelly and altering the landscape forever.
Today, visitors can see the scars of the slide in the form of massive boulders and debris scattered around the valley and near Slide Lake. The hills near Lower Slide Lake feature a fantastic mix of red rock and hardy sagebrush, creating some of the most photogenic spots in the area. You can also explore Crystal Creek and some of the trails that weave through this part of the Gros Ventre Wilderness, where the elevation and views change subtly as you move deeper into the hills and into the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Landscape image of the colorful Red Hills and brush in Kelly, Wyoming.
Other trails in the Red Hills include the aptly named Red Hills Trail and the family-friendly Shadow Mountain Trail, along with more challenging treks like Grizzly and Blue Miner Lakes.
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Beyond hiking and off-roading, there are plenty of other activities to make the most of your fall adventure in the Red Hills. Photography enthusiasts will find endless opportunities to capture the stunning landscapes, from sunrise over the hills to the play of light and shadow on the rock formations. Birdwatchers can spot a variety of species, including golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and the occasional migratory waterfowl. Look out for the mule deer, pronghorn, and small critters like sagebrush lizards and rabbits that make this desert habitat their home.
Now, at this point, if you feel like you've explored similar red buttes elsewhere in Wyoming, you're absolutely right! While from a different formation, the Red Hills near Dubois are comprised of similarly aged and hued features, and the area around Rock Springs offers even more vibrant natural wonders like Boars Tusk, Flaming Gorge, and one of our state's many Chimney Rock formations (seriously, how are there so many?).
But the Red Hills on the outskirts of the Tetons have that perfect blend of alpine and low-country scenery that is simply breathtaking, with no shortage of Wind River mountain peaks dotting the horizon.
When it comes to fall foliage hotspots in Wyoming, the Red Hills in western Wyoming don't often make the list, but they should! There’s something invigorating about being surrounded by these natural colors and contours, a quiet side of the Tetons with few, if any other, visitors around. It's an unexpectedly magical experience that feels miles away from Jackson’s crowds and the iconic views of the Tetons. Here, the landscape has its own quiet beauty, with stark colors and unique formations that stand out under the fall light. If you’re looking for a quiet place to experience Wyoming’s wild late-season autumn beauty away from the crowds, the Red Hills offers a rugged, real taste of the state’s high desert that’s all your own!
It goes without saying that the Cowboy State is teeming with natural wonders. Every corner of the state is beautifully sculpted, chiseled, and perfected over the ages until it's a natural masterpiece. The wonders that rise above the landscape - our iconic mountain ranges, rock formations, and towering falls - often get all the glory, but there are so many other great natural wonders in WY worth a visit. For example, Wyoming's Grand Canyon is absolutely spectacular... but have you ever checked out southern Wyoming's very own version of Bighorn Canyon? Bypass the social media crowds and experience this lookalike natural wonder for yourself at Flaming Gorge:
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There are more than a few bucket list-worthy destinations this side of the Rockies, but Wyoming and Montana's shared Bighorn Canyon has always been a crowd-pleaser.
Bighorn Canyon was formed by the damming of the Bighorn River after the construction of the Yellowtail Dam. Eons before that, the landscape lifted and shifted to form the Bighorn Mountains, and the subsequent erosion carved the Bighorn Canyon that can be seen today.
The iconic Devil Canyon Overlook is perhaps the most famous spot in the region, drawing thousands of visitors, photographers, and road trippers alike. Social media is flooded with fantastic shots of this singular spot.
You'll find this famous overlook ever so slightly across the border in Montana, although the recreation area itself is shared by both Montana and Wyoming.
But did you know southern Wyoming has a wow-worthy "Bighorn Canyon" of its own? The overlooks are just as phenomenal, and this is truly one of the most underrated natural wonders in the state.
Welcome to Flaming Gorge! Sprawling over 207,000 acres, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is a world of hidden gems that sits on the opposite side of the state from its iconic MT-WY counterpart.
From the beautiful Flaming Gorge Reservoir that stretches across both Wyoming and Utah to the region's stunning red cliffs to the arid expanses of the Ashley National Forest, there's a lot to love here. Every corner offers something new to see and experience.
Geologically, the canyon was formed by similar processes as that of its lookalike counterpart up north. Ancient mountains and thousands of years of erosion and powerful waters have carved a truly spectacular sight right here in Wyoming.
Just a few miles north of Utah, the Green River collides with the man-made Flaming Gorge Dam to form a series of meandering channels that have all the curvaceous appeal of Bighorn Canyon (but without the selfie crowds).
The vibrant canyon walls plunge hundreds of feet to the water below and light up throughout the day with their namesake fiery hue.
But you can also experience the panoramic beauty of this overlooked recreation area by taking the Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway. That's where you'll find some of the most epic views in the park. Every angle is spectacular.
We would never go so far as to say that our canyons or overlooks are better than another state's... but we certainly aren't complaining about the views here, that's for sure!
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Whether you're on the Utah side or the Wyoming side, you'll find plenty of great camping and hiking opportunities in the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Of course, we're partial to the Wyoming side!
