Wyoming
Grand Tetons, Wyoming
Wyoming’s Scenic Byways
In Wyoming, more than 1,640 miles of roads were designated as scenic highways, byways, or loop tours by 1995, at which time the governor tasked the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) with overseeing the Wyoming Scenic Byways Program. To help coordinate the several federal and state agencies interested in scenic byways, the WYDOT established the Wyoming Scenic Byways Advisory Committee in 1998.
Key Points
- Wyoming is home to two national scenic byways and 19 state scenic byways.
- Researchers studying Wyoming’s Beartooth Highway found that nonresident visitors contributed over $53 million in economic activity in 2012-2013.
- Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway travels through the town of Cody, a gateway community to Yellowstone National Park, which had an estimated 3.8 million visitors in 2020.
- The Wyoming travel industry supports 32,570 jobs and generates $203 million in revenue, saving Wyoming households each year.
Wyoming Byways
Map Key:
- All-American Roads
- National Scenic Byways
All-American Roads
State Scenic Byways
Byways Provide Access to Public Lands
Wyoming byways provide access to the state’s most spectacular public lands, including two national parks, 13 state parks, two national recreational areas, five national forests, and four national wildlife refuges.
About the National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program, established by Congress in 1991, recognizes historic, scenic, and culturally important roads, all of which promote economic development and tourism in communities around the U.S. There are more than 1,200 byways in all 50 states.
All scenic byways exhibit one or more of six core intrinsic qualities — scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological, or natural. For a road to be named a national scenic byway, it must first be designated a state, tribal, or federal agency scenic byway. Once achieving that, a road may apply for national scenic byway designation, but its intrinsic quality must be of regional significance. All-American Roads are the very best of the national scenic byways, demonstrating at least two intrinsic qualities of national significance.