Boardwalks inspire nostalgia, bringing to mind leisurely time spent at carnivals, open-air malls, and hole-in-the-wall eateries at the water’s edge. While boardwalks are plentiful on the coast near the ocean, you don’t really expect to find them in a land-locked place like Wyoming. They’re quite useful, however, for creating a safe path to allow a close-up view of some of the states thermal features. Just take a look at these seven stunning boardwalks you won’t find at a traditional beach.
- Yellowstone National Park
remster_9/Flickr With the number of thermal features in Yellowstone, it should come as no surprise that the national park is where many of our scenic boardwalks are located. Some, like this one that appears to be on the moon, leave you with the surreal feeling you’re visiting another planet.
- West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
Paul Thompson/Flickr Other boardwalks in the national park, like this one winding through West Thumb Geyser Basin, take you past colorful paint pots and glittering hot springs.
- Hot Springs State Park, Thermopolis
Jasperdo/Flickr The picturesque boardwalk in Hot Springs State Park serves the same basic purpose as those in Yellowstone: to allow you to get as close as is safely possible to the thermal features. This one takes you through a gorgeous landscape dotted with, naturally, hot springs, and guides you past the breathtaking travertine terraces as well.
- Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park
Mark Goebel/Flickr Not all of the boardwalks in Yellowstone travel through mostly dry land. The one at Yellowstone Lake offers a spectacular view of the lake and veers impressively close to the Fishing Cone feature at the lakes very edge.
- Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park
Dave Bezaire/Flickr Technically, Mammoth Hot Springs is inside Yellowstone’s borders, but following the boardwalk here is like walking through an entirely different world.
- Black Pool, Yellowstone National Park
No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed/Wikipedia The same boardwalk that meanders by Yellowstone Lake also takes you past the ethereal Black Pool thermal feature in Yellowstone…
katie wheeler/Flickr …giving you a smashing view from all sides.
- Colter Bay, Grand Teton National Park
Charles Wilgren/Flickr The delightful boardwalk at Colter Bay leads out to the dock and offers majestic views of the grand mountains all around.
What stunning boardwalks have you visited in Wyoming?
remster_9/Flickr
With the number of thermal features in Yellowstone, it should come as no surprise that the national park is where many of our scenic boardwalks are located. Some, like this one that appears to be on the moon, leave you with the surreal feeling you’re visiting another planet.
Paul Thompson/Flickr
Other boardwalks in the national park, like this one winding through West Thumb Geyser Basin, take you past colorful paint pots and glittering hot springs.
Jasperdo/Flickr
The picturesque boardwalk in Hot Springs State Park serves the same basic purpose as those in Yellowstone: to allow you to get as close as is safely possible to the thermal features. This one takes you through a gorgeous landscape dotted with, naturally, hot springs, and guides you past the breathtaking travertine terraces as well.
Mark Goebel/Flickr
Not all of the boardwalks in Yellowstone travel through mostly dry land. The one at Yellowstone Lake offers a spectacular view of the lake and veers impressively close to the Fishing Cone feature at the lakes very edge.
Dave Bezaire/Flickr
Technically, Mammoth Hot Springs is inside Yellowstone’s borders, but following the boardwalk here is like walking through an entirely different world.
No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed/Wikipedia
The same boardwalk that meanders by Yellowstone Lake also takes you past the ethereal Black Pool thermal feature in Yellowstone…
katie wheeler/Flickr
…giving you a smashing view from all sides.
Charles Wilgren/Flickr
The delightful boardwalk at Colter Bay leads out to the dock and offers majestic views of the grand mountains all around.
Not having access to the ocean hasn’t stopped the Cowboy State from enjoying other things typically found Oceanside. For example, even though Wyoming is land-locked, it’s hiding one of the best seafood restaurants in the country.
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