Short answer
Good places to paint plein air in Wyoming include Hot Springs State Park, Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range, Buffalo Bill Center of the West / Old Trail Town, Oxbow Bend, Snake River, Sinks Canyon State Park, Historic Downtown Cheyenne (Depot Plaza), Gros Ventre River near Kelly and Snowy Range, Medicine Bow Peak. PleinScout lists 50 spots in Wyoming, each with parking, shade, restrooms and when the light is best. Always check current hours, fees and rules before you go.
These are places painters set up in Wyoming, grouped by subject. Each one notes the things that decide whether a session works: where to park, whether there's shade, a restroom nearby, and when the light is best. The full map, with directions and spots added by local painters, is in the free PleinScout app.
Lakes, rivers and waterfalls
Granite Hot Springs Road, Hoback Canyon
A forested side canyon off the Hoback with rushing Granite Creek, falls, and mountain backdrops. A cool, shaded river subject southeast of Jackson.
Bondurant · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: lots · Restrooms: yes · Free · Moderate
Buffalo Bill Reservoir and Dam
A high desert reservoir west of Cody set among dry, colorful hills below the Absarokas. Big water-and-mountain scenes on the road to Yellowstone's east gate.
Cody · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · State park day-use fee. · Easy
Belle Fourche River Valley, Devils Tower
The willow-and-cottonwood river bottom below Devils Tower, with the monolith rising over red soil banks. A softer foreground for the dramatic Tower.
Devils Tower · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · National Monument entrance fee applies. · Easy
Ayres Natural Bridge
A rare natural rock bridge arching over a creek in a sheltered red-rock canyon near Douglas. An intimate, shaded subject of arch, water, and cliff.
Douglas · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: lots · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge
A ribbon of green cottonwoods and marsh along the Green River cutting through high desert. A tranquil river-and-wetland subject rich in birdlife.
Green River · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Guernsey State Park
A scenic reservoir set among sandstone bluffs and pines, with handsome Depression-era CCC stonework. Water, rock, and rustic architecture in one compact park.
Guernsey · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · State park day-use fee. · Easy
National Elk Refuge
A 25,000-acre refuge where thousands of elk winter on open flats below the mountains. Sweeping wildlife-and-landscape subjects, especially in low winter light.
Jackson · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Gros Ventre River near Kelly
A relaxed river corridor near the tiny hamlet of Kelly, with cottonwoods, sage flats, and big-sky mountain views. A peaceful alternative to the busier Teton turnouts.
Kelly · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Within Grand Teton National Park; entrance fee applies. · Easy
Jenny Lake
A deep glacial lake cradled directly beneath the central Teton peaks. Shoreline pullouts and the boat dock give strong foregrounds for the high country behind.
Moose · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Grand Teton National Park entrance fee; optional shuttle boat fee. · Moderate
Schwabacher Landing
A quiet riverside turnout famous for still-water reflections of the entire Teton Range. A short walk along the channels offers multiple foregrounds.
Moose · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Grand Teton National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
String Lake
A narrow, shallow lake linking Jenny and Leigh Lakes, prized for intimate mountain-and-water compositions. Quieter than Jenny Lake yet just as scenic.
Moose · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Grand Teton National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
Oxbow Bend, Snake River
One of the most painted spots in the Tetons, where the Snake River curves below the bulk of Mount Moran. Best at sunrise when the water is glassy and wildlife is active.
Moran · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: no · Grand Teton National Park entrance fee (7-day pass or annual/interagency pass). · Easy
Fremont Lake
Wyoming's second-largest natural lake, a clear glacial trough below the Wind Rivers near Pinedale. Quiet shoreline access with reflective mountain views.
Pinedale · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Green River Lakes
A remote lake basin where flat-topped Square Top Mountain reflects in the headwaters of the Green River. One of the Wind Rivers' most iconic painting scenes.
Pinedale · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Moderate
Shell Falls
A powerful cascade tumbling through Shell Canyon on the west slope of the Bighorns. Easy roadside access to whitewater-and-rock subjects.
Shell · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Hot Springs State Park
A free state park built around the world's largest mineral hot spring, with colorful terraces beside the Bighorn River. Steam, travertine, and a historic swinging bridge.
Thermopolis · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Lower Falls from Lookout Point
A North Rim overlook giving a frontal view of the towering Lower Falls. The waterfall plus canyon color makes for a powerful vertical composition.
Yellowstone National Park · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Yellowstone National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
Yellowstone Lake at Lake Butte Overlook
An elevated pullout overlooking the largest high-altitude lake in North America. Big atmospheric water-and-mountain vistas, especially at sunset.
Yellowstone National Park · Best light: sunset · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: no · Yellowstone National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
Mountains, canyons and overlooks
Cloud Peak from the Bighorn Mountains
The high crest of the Bighorns along the Cloud Peak Skyway, with alpine meadows and views toward the range's highest summit. Cool, expansive mountain subjects.
Buffalo · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Moderate
Snowy Range, Medicine Bow Peak
The dramatic white quartzite wall of Medicine Bow Peak rising above a string of alpine lakes in the Snowy Range. High, accessible mountain scenery west of Laramie.
Centennial · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Moderate
Beartooth Highway, Beartooth Pass
One of America's highest paved roads, climbing through alpine tundra and tarns near Beartooth Pass. Otherworldly high-country light and form, open only in summer.
Cody · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Free · Moderate
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, Sunlight Basin
A spectacular mountain byway northwest of Cody crossing Dead Indian Pass above Sunlight Basin. Grand overlooks of canyon, basin, and the Absaroka Range.
Cody · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Free · Moderate
Devils Tower National Monument
America's first national monument, a striking columnar tower jutting nearly 870 feet above the surrounding forest. A bold, sculptural subject in raking light.
Devils Tower · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · National Monument entrance fee or interagency pass. · Easy
Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Red Canyon Overlook
A high overlook above the red sandstone canyon and turquoise water of Flaming Gorge. Bold color contrasts of red rock and deep blue reservoir.
Dutch John · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Recreation area day-use/parking pass may apply. · Easy
Fossil Butte National Monument
Pale, finely layered buttes preserving one of the world's richest fossil deposits, set in open sage desert. Subtle, banded landform subjects under big skies.
Kemmerer · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range
A legendary granite amphitheater of soaring spires above Lonesome Lake, deep in the Wind River backcountry. A serious backpack reward for committed plein air painters.
Lander · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: no · Free · Challenging
Sinks Canyon State Park
A dramatic canyon outside Lander where the Popo Agie River disappears underground and reappears downstream. Rugged rock, river, and aspen subjects close to the road.
Lander · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Vedauwoo Recreation Area
A playground of weathered granite domes and boulders between Laramie and Cheyenne. Strong sculptural rock forms that glow at sunrise and sunset.
Laramie · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Day-use parking fee at developed area. · Easy
Bighorn Canyon, Devil Canyon Overlook
A dizzying overlook where pale limestone cliffs plunge to the flooded Bighorn Canyon. Bold vertical rock-and-water compositions near the Montana line.
Lovell · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Snake River Overlook
The roadside overlook immortalized by Ansel Adams, looking down on a bend of the Snake River below the Tetons. A grand panoramic subject best in evening light.
Moran · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: no · Grand Teton National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
Togwotee Pass Overlook
A high mountain overlook on the highway east of Grand Teton, framing the distant Teton skyline above forested country. A grand, uncrowded panorama.
Moran · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Hell's Half Acre
A surprising badlands depression west of Casper, full of eroded spires and colorful clay. A compact, dramatic study of erosion best in low side light.
Powder River · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: no · Free · Moderate
Boar's Tusk, Red Desert
A lone volcanic neck jutting from the flat Red Desert, a stark silhouette against the sky. A minimalist desert subject for big-sky compositions.
Rock Springs · Best light: golden hour · Parking: none · Shade: none · Restrooms: no · Free · Moderate
Killpecker Sand Dunes
One of the largest living dune fields in North America, in the remote Red Desert near Rock Springs. Sweeping sand forms and the dark Boar's Tusk spire.
Rock Springs · Best light: golden hour · Parking: none · Shade: none · Restrooms: no · Free · Moderate
Wind River Canyon
A dramatic river canyon south of Thermopolis where layered rock walls rise hundreds of feet above the water. Pullouts give steep canyon-and-river compositions.
Thermopolis · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: no · Free · Moderate
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (Artist Point)
The classic overlook of the Lower Falls and the colorful walls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Named for the painters drawn to its dramatic composition.
Yellowstone National Park · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Yellowstone National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook
An elevated boardwalk overlook revealing the full rainbow rings of the largest hot spring in the U.S. A bold color subject unlike anything else in the region.
Yellowstone National Park · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Yellowstone National Park entrance fee required. · Moderate
Lamar Valley
A broad, wildlife-rich valley often called America's Serengeti, with bison, wolves, and sweeping grassland light. Best painted at the golden hours.
Yellowstone National Park · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: no · Yellowstone National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
Tiered travertine formations built by mineral-laden hot water near the park's north entrance. A study in white, cream, and rust with constant steam.
Yellowstone National Park · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Yellowstone National Park entrance fee required. · Moderate
Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin
The world's most famous geyser amid a basin of steaming pools and the grand log Old Faithful Inn. Endless atmospheric subjects of steam, light, and crowds.
Yellowstone National Park · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Yellowstone National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
Towns, historic sites and gardens
Independence Rock State Historic Site
A famous Oregon Trail landmark, a rounded granite dome rising from the open plains where emigrants carved their names. A lonely, historic prairie subject.
Alcova · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Historic Downtown Cheyenne (Depot Plaza)
The grand 1880s Union Pacific depot anchoring Cheyenne's historic plaza, with its stone arches and clock tower. Strong railroad-era architecture for urban painting.
Cheyenne · Best light: afternoon · Parking: street · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Wyoming State Capitol
Cheyenne's restored capitol with its gleaming gold-leaf dome above sandstone walls and gardens. A stately architectural subject in evening light.
Cheyenne · Best light: golden hour · Parking: street · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Buffalo Bill Center of the West / Old Trail Town
A collection of authentic frontier buildings and artifacts assembled in Cody, the town founded by Buffalo Bill. Rich western architecture and props for historic subjects.
Cody · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Old Trail Town charges admission; the Center of the West is a separate paid museum. · Easy
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
A major Oregon Trail and frontier-army post with restored officers' quarters and ruins along the Laramie River. Layered historic architecture on the open plains.
Fort Laramie · Best light: golden hour · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Register Cliff State Historic Site
A pale sandstone cliff carved with the names of Oregon Trail travelers near Guernsey. A quiet historic subject above the cottonwood-lined North Platte.
Guernsey · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Town Square, Jackson
The heart of Jackson, ringed by elk-antler arches and western facades. A lively urban subject with figures, signs, and architecture for street sketching.
Jackson · Best light: afternoon · Parking: street · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Free · Easy
Mormon Row Historic District (T.A. Moulton Barn)
A preserved row of Mormon homesteads where the iconic T.A. Moulton barn stands against the Tetons. Among the most photographed and painted barns in America.
Moose · Best light: morning · Parking: lot · Shade: none · Restrooms: yes · Grand Teton National Park entrance fee required. · Easy
Sheridan Main Street Historic District
A handsome historic main street of brick blocks and vintage marquees at the foot of the Bighorns. Classic small-town Western urban subjects.
Sheridan · Best light: afternoon · Parking: street · Shade: some · Free · Easy
South Pass City State Historic Site
A preserved frontier gold-rush town tucked in the southern Wind River foothills. Authentic weathered buildings and mining relics for historic Western subjects.
South Pass City · Best light: afternoon · Parking: lot · Shade: some · Restrooms: yes · Small admission fee in season. · Easy
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Find more spots in Wyoming
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Hours, fees and rules change. Always check with the park or venue before you go.