Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Mountains are Earth’s undecaying monuments,” and that’s an eloquent, accurate description of the marvelous and mind-boggling peaks that fill the Wyoming wilderness.
There are over 100 named mountain ranges and sub-ranges in the Cowboy State, but if you’re not a Wyomingite, you’re probably only familiar with a few of them. Because everyone should experience the staggering beauty of our splendid mountains, we’ve put together a few pictures to give you a taste. It’s tough to properly capture the magnificence of our mountain ranges in a photo, but the shots are so breathtaking, you’ll probably want to see these Wyoming mountain ranges in person.
- The Grand Tetons, Teton County
Ken Lane/Flickr Naturally, Wyoming’s most famous mountains had to make the list so, in the name of takin’ care of business, we put this range first. The third most photographed mountains in the world, these regal peaks have been leaving people speechless for centuries.
- Castle Gardens, Fremont County
Alliance for Historic Wyoming/Flickr Not to be confused with the petroglyph site near Ten Sleep, this stunning mountain range is further south and in an entirely different county.
- Ferris Mountains, Carbon County
Tdp301/Wikipedia This mountain range’s beauty is in its simplicity. Though it’s a smaller range, the highest peak is still an impressive 10,037 feet.
- Gallatin Range, Park County
Chris M Morris/Flickr Named for the man who served longest as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Albert Gallatin, this magnificent range extends 75 miles and includes 10 peaks over 10,000 feet.
- Gros Ventre Range, Teton County
Mike Jones/AllTrails Many of the peaks along this stretch of the Central Rocky Mountains tower over 11,000 feet, with the tallest - Double Top - hitting 11,720.
- Honeycomb Buttes, Sweetwater County
Wayne Karberg - Pro/Flickr The multicolored buttes in the badlands of Sweetwater County are the attraction that earns this smaller range a spot on our list.
- Leucite Hills, Sweetwater County
James St. John/Flickr The Leucite Hills just north of Rock Springs could be considered diamonds in the rough. They’re a grouping of rare lamproitic volcanic flows - the rock that is the source stone for diamonds.
- Sierra Madre, Carbon County
Runner1928 at English Wikipedia/Wikipedia The granite that makes up the Sierra Madre Mountains is what gives this range its exquisite color. The high points of the Sierra Madre in Wyoming are considered part of the Continental Divide.
- Snowy Range, Carbon and Albany Counties
Rick Cummings/Flickr A sub-range of the Medicine Bow Mountains, this stretch is so large it extends into two counties.
- Washburn Range, Park County
katie wheeler/Flickr One of the two mountain ranges that have the distinction of being entirely inside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park (the Red Mountains is the other one), this one was named for the leader of the expedition that discovered it.
- Wind River Range, Sublette County
Troy Smith/Flickr Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but the Wind River Range certainly makes a case for it. It’s the largest mountain range in the state and considered by many to be Heaven on Earth.
- Beartooth Mountains, Park County
Neal Wellons/Flickr Rugged and craggy as a bear’s teeth, this is another mountain range so massive, it spills over into another state. Montana and Wyoming share this section of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.
- Bighorn Mountains, Johnson County
Brendan Bombaci/Flickr This awe-inspiring range is a spur off the Rocky Mountains. Though its peaks are more rounded and not as spiky as some of the other mountain ranges in Wyoming, many of them rise more than 12,000 feet, and two of them tower to over 13,000 feet.
- Red Hills, Teton County
Ken Lane/Flickr The Red Hills near Kelly, Wyoming are spectacular mottled mountains made up of iron oxide-rich sandstone left behind from a time eons ago when a shallow sea covered the area.
- Absaroka Range, Park County
Troy Smith/Flickr Boasting more than 45 peaks - all of them over 12,000 feet - the Absarokas are one of the better-known ranges on our list. Their dramatic, raw beauty is unforgettable, and the reason they’ve been attracting explorers, campers, hikers, and sight-seers for over 2 centuries.
Of course, these are just a few of the magnificent mountains in Wyoming. What other ranges would you add to the list?
Ken Lane/Flickr
Naturally, Wyoming’s most famous mountains had to make the list so, in the name of takin’ care of business, we put this range first. The third most photographed mountains in the world, these regal peaks have been leaving people speechless for centuries.
Alliance for Historic Wyoming/Flickr
Not to be confused with the petroglyph site near Ten Sleep, this stunning mountain range is further south and in an entirely different county.
Tdp301/Wikipedia
This mountain range’s beauty is in its simplicity. Though it’s a smaller range, the highest peak is still an impressive 10,037 feet.
Chris M Morris/Flickr
Named for the man who served longest as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Albert Gallatin, this magnificent range extends 75 miles and includes 10 peaks over 10,000 feet.
Mike Jones/AllTrails
Many of the peaks along this stretch of the Central Rocky Mountains tower over 11,000 feet, with the tallest - Double Top - hitting 11,720.
Wayne Karberg - Pro/Flickr
The multicolored buttes in the badlands of Sweetwater County are the attraction that earns this smaller range a spot on our list.
James St. John/Flickr
The Leucite Hills just north of Rock Springs could be considered diamonds in the rough. They’re a grouping of rare lamproitic volcanic flows - the rock that is the source stone for diamonds.
Runner1928 at English Wikipedia/Wikipedia
The granite that makes up the Sierra Madre Mountains is what gives this range its exquisite color. The high points of the Sierra Madre in Wyoming are considered part of the Continental Divide.
Rick Cummings/Flickr
A sub-range of the Medicine Bow Mountains, this stretch is so large it extends into two counties.
katie wheeler/Flickr
One of the two mountain ranges that have the distinction of being entirely inside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park (the Red Mountains is the other one), this one was named for the leader of the expedition that discovered it.
Troy Smith/Flickr
Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but the Wind River Range certainly makes a case for it. It’s the largest mountain range in the state and considered by many to be Heaven on Earth.
Neal Wellons/Flickr
Rugged and craggy as a bear’s teeth, this is another mountain range so massive, it spills over into another state. Montana and Wyoming share this section of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.
Brendan Bombaci/Flickr
This awe-inspiring range is a spur off the Rocky Mountains. Though its peaks are more rounded and not as spiky as some of the other mountain ranges in Wyoming, many of them rise more than 12,000 feet, and two of them tower to over 13,000 feet.
The Red Hills near Kelly, Wyoming are spectacular mottled mountains made up of iron oxide-rich sandstone left behind from a time eons ago when a shallow sea covered the area.
Boasting more than 45 peaks - all of them over 12,000 feet - the Absarokas are one of the better-known ranges on our list. Their dramatic, raw beauty is unforgettable, and the reason they’ve been attracting explorers, campers, hikers, and sight-seers for over 2 centuries.
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