How late is too late in the year for driving..? (Cheyenne: RV park, rental car)
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I want to see Cheyenne, Laramie and Casper this round. The plan is to fly Southwest from El Paso to Denver, then get a rental car and drive up to Cheyenne from there.
I'm coming alone (as far as I know now), and didn't want to hit the summer tourist season, but I also don't want to hit unfamiliar roads and bad weather.
I was thinking late August to late September or early October.
Is this a good time? I would think that these areas would be far south enough that I wouldn't have to worry about weather, except in higher-elevation Laramie.
After reading all of the threads about WY weather, I'm not going to assume anything, LOL!!
Well, they may be far south but they are high in altitude so yeah - for the most part you'd be safe into early Oct. The worst blizzard I drove thru was in mid-Oct in 1976 from Rawlins clear to Cheyenne. The white-out was SO bad we actually missed Laramie (couldn't see lights) to turn off & just stop or take the hwy down to Ft. Collins. But generally if there are snows in Sept or early Oct if you are not caught in them on the road you can spend a night somewhere & it will likely clear up & melt in the next day - or at least be cleared. Is a good time to come up to not run into all the other tourists but be careful if you come up in Sept/Oct as is hunting season for trophy animals (sheep, moose) & bow-hunting for elk/deer etc. so be careful if you do any hiking - wear orange.
Well, they may be far south but they are high in altitude so yeah - for the most part you'd be safe into early Oct. The worst blizzard I drove thru was in mid-Oct in 1976 from Rawlins clear to Cheyenne. The white-out was SO bad we actually missed Laramie (couldn't see lights) to turn off & just stop or take the hwy down to Ft. Collins. But generally if there are snows in Sept or early Oct if you are not caught in them on the road you can spend a night somewhere & it will likely clear up & melt in the next day - or at least be cleared. Is a good time to come up to not run into all the other tourists but be careful if you come up in Sept/Oct as is hunting season for trophy animals (sheep, moose) & bow-hunting for elk/deer etc. so be careful if you do any hiking - wear orange.
Thanks for the warning and information! I plan to be in town only for the first trip, and it looks like right after Labor Day would probably be the best time to visit. I've been in whiteout weather in CO...and it's NOT fun!
This is Wyoming. You cannot predict what the weather is going to do, later today.
Last fall, everybody was praying for a White Christmas and wasn't sure if they were going to get it. There just wasn't any snow. Most ski resorts opened 2 months late, if they opened at all.
The lodges up on top didn't do their normal business on Thanksgiving because there just wasn't any snow.
In 1973-74 I walked from Medicine Bow to Casper through the Shirley basin. White out conditions and in order to stay on the road, one of us would walk ahead of the truck about 15 feet. When they got cold, we'd switch. Almost 14 hours to get from MB to Casper. Does that happen every day? NO! Can it happen? YES.
I would think that driving around where you want to go, should be no problem through the first of October. After that, I'd just keep an eye on the news.
Also, hunters were mentioned. They're not a big crowd, however, they rent up all the motel rooms. haha A lot of motels shut down during the winter so make sure you plan on that if you travel after Oct 15th or so.
I want to see Cheyenne, Laramie and Casper this round. The plan is to fly Southwest from El Paso to Denver, then get a rental car and drive up to Cheyenne from there.
I'm coming alone (as far as I know now), and didn't want to hit the summer tourist season, but I also don't want to hit unfamiliar roads and bad weather.
I was thinking late August to late September or early October.
Is this a good time? I would think that these areas would be far south enough that I wouldn't have to worry about weather, except in higher-elevation Laramie.
After reading all of the threads about WY weather, I'm not going to assume anything, LOL!!
Yes, any kind of weather is possible. Snow in the mountains? Maybe. I've been in some hellacious winter weather in Wyoming in October. Or it can be beautiful weather--dry and in the 60's or 70's in the day and the 30's at night.
That said, don't expect the landscape--especially at the lower elevations--to be very appealing at that time of year. Unlike much of Colorado and New Mexico, Wyoming's wet part of the warm season is in May and June. July and August tend to be pretty dry. Most of the grasslands "brown up" by early August and will stay that way until the following spring. Being at a relatively high average elevation, most areas of Wyoming will see their trees turning by late September. By early October, the aspen in the high country may have already lost their leaves for the season. In short, expect most of the landscape to be brown.
Finally, as you might guess, much of Wyoming is in the midst of the gas-drilling boom. Depending on where you plan to stay, motel rooms may be scarce and high-priced. This shouldn't be as much of a problem in Laramie or Cheyenne, but certainly can be in places like Rock Springs, Gillette, even Casper on occasion. Also, if you are not used to driving in sparsely populated areas, Wyoming can be pretty intimidating for a single female. (I know you live in Alamogordo, which has some pretty sparse country around it, but Wyoming takes it to a new level.) During the fall and winter seasons in Wyoming, it is possible to drive on US Highways and not see another vehicle for miles. There is nothing like the experience of driving alone in a driving snowstorm from delineator post to delineator post, and not seeing another vehicle for 25 miles or so--been there, done that. Get past all of that, and Wyoming is very interesting place, with neat people and a lot of history.
Just be sure to have a decent emergency pack in your vehicle - blankets, a candle (only burn one at a time...), WATER in metal containers - plastic breaks down & is really really unhealthy, cat litter for traction, shovel, some canned food/candy, flares, the normal things to have with you when traveling in winter & you'll be OK. Yes, Oct is REALLY unpredictable. Sept is a bit easier so after Labor Day would probably be good. The mention about hunters I referred to wasn't because of the motel situation but your safety if hiking in the mountains or even in meadows (antelope). Some of the hunters get a bit of buck fever & shoot at anything that moves or have pretty bad eyesight because they can't give it up when it is really time to do so (like in their 80's). I'm not anti-hunting, ya'll, just a reality - I hunted for many years but because of my physical disabilities other than the occasionally really stupid deer I can't anymore. But unles there is a home football game in Laramie, parent day, or Wyotech graduation happening or something, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a room in that part of the state. If you plan to camp you can gen'ly camp anywhere on gov land that you want, but be sure to check with the local sheriff to see if there are any fire retrictions. Sometimes you aren't even allowed to smoke a cigarette outside of your vehicle. And we've had a lot of rain so far this year so the fire hazard is liable to be pretty hefty by Aug & Sept.
This is Wyoming. You cannot predict what the weather is going to do, later today.
Last fall, everybody was praying for a White Christmas and wasn't sure if they were going to get it. There just wasn't any snow. Most ski resorts opened 2 months late, if they opened at all.
The lodges up on top didn't do their normal business on Thanksgiving because there just wasn't any snow.
In 1973-74 I walked from Medicine Bow to Casper through the Shirley basin. White out conditions and in order to stay on the road, one of us would walk ahead of the truck about 15 feet. When they got cold, we'd switch. Almost 14 hours to get from MB to Casper. Does that happen every day? NO! Can it happen? YES.
I would think that driving around where you want to go, should be no problem through the first of October. After that, I'd just keep an eye on the news.
Also, hunters were mentioned. They're not a big crowd, however, they rent up all the motel rooms. haha A lot of motels shut down during the winter so make sure you plan on that if you travel after Oct 15th or so.
Ewww, LOL!! I think I will restrict my first trip to September right after Labor Day. Even though I have 4WD, I would not want to get stuck in one of those again! Whiteout can be so disorienting.
I plan to stay within that triangle (Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie) and not go any farther north. I want to see the northern part of the state, too (Cody, Sheridan, Jackson, etc), but that will probably have to be in June/July, right at the height of tourist season
I will probably spend most of my time in Cheyenne!
Just be sure to have a decent emergency pack in your vehicle - blankets, a candle (only burn one at a time...), WATER in metal containers - plastic breaks down & is really really unhealthy, cat litter for traction, shovel, some canned food/candy, flares, the normal things to have with you when traveling in winter & you'll be OK. Yes, Oct is REALLY unpredictable. Sept is a bit easier so after Labor Day would probably be good. The mention about hunters I referred to wasn't because of the motel situation but your safety if hiking in the mountains or even in meadows (antelope). Some of the hunters get a bit of buck fever & shoot at anything that moves or have pretty bad eyesight because they can't give it up when it is really time to do so (like in their 80's). I'm not anti-hunting, ya'll, just a reality - I hunted for many years but because of my physical disabilities other than the occasionally really stupid deer I can't anymore. But unles there is a home football game in Laramie, parent day, or Wyotech graduation happening or something, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a room in that part of the state. If you plan to camp you can gen'ly camp anywhere on gov land that you want, but be sure to check with the local sheriff to see if there are any fire retrictions. Sometimes you aren't even allowed to smoke a cigarette outside of your vehicle. And we've had a lot of rain so far this year so the fire hazard is liable to be pretty hefty by Aug & Sept.
Believe me, I hear you about the hunters. We had them in droves in West Texas, so we stayed in town and out of the way. Even though most of them stayed with the blinds, you never knew when some idiot might decide to go elsewhere, when he had no business doing so.
I actually already carry quite a bit of what you list, so I'll add the kitty litter and a couple of other winter items, and I should be good to go.
I think what surprises me so much about the western states is how much public land there is. That and the weather would be limiting factors in states such as WY.
My parents used to RV all of the time, and they were somewhere near Yellowstone in July in a camping/RV park. They had their hookups, but some of the others were in tents. They woke up one morning to find ice on the tents around them, while they sat toasty warm in their RV with their hot coffee, LOL!!
So I knew the northern part of the state could get really unpredictable, cold weather even in the summer, but wasn't sure about the SE!
I don't know why everybody is so afraid of the weather up here. It's not as bad as people make it out to be.
Sure, we've all got caught in a blizzard. But we don't have 365 of them each year. The way some people talk, it's a miracle they're still alive because they might need grocery's and won't be able to get any.
For several years in a row, we haven't had any snow to push the Elk off the top of the mountain.
Yes, any kind of weather is possible. Snow in the mountains? Maybe. I've been in some hellacious winter weather in Wyoming in October. Or it can be beautiful weather--dry and in the 60's or 70's in the day and the 30's at night.
That said, don't expect the landscape--especially at the lower elevations--to be very appealing at that time of year. Unlike much of Colorado and New Mexico, Wyoming's wet part of the warm season is in May and June. July and August tend to be pretty dry. Most of the grasslands "brown up" by early August and will stay that way until the following spring. Being at a relatively high average elevation, most areas of Wyoming will see their trees turning by late September. By early October, the aspen in the high country may have already lost their leaves for the season. In short, expect most of the landscape to be brown.
Finally, as you might guess, much of Wyoming is in the midst of the gas-drilling boom. Depending on where you plan to stay, motel rooms may be scarce and high-priced. This shouldn't be as much of a problem in Laramie or Cheyenne, but certainly can be in places like Rock Springs, Gillette, even Casper on occasion. Also, if you are not used to driving in sparsely populated areas, Wyoming can be pretty intimidating for a single female. (I know you live in Alamogordo, which has some pretty sparse country around it, but Wyoming takes it to a new level.) During the fall and winter seasons in Wyoming, it is possible to drive on US Highways and not see another vehicle for miles. There is nothing like the experience of driving alone in a driving snowstorm from delineator post to delineator post, and not seeing another vehicle for 25 miles or so--been there, done that. Get past all of that, and Wyoming is very interesting place, with neat people and a lot of history.
That in particular is what I wanted to avoid altogether!
I'm used to driving in isolated flat areas where you see nobody for miles on end, so that doesn't intimidate me. I know you frequent the New Mexico forum, so you may have read of my adventure driving between Los Alamos and Farmington...in the mud, with trees lining the unpaved road in March. The trees along the road where you can't see on either side is smothering to me....and I don't think I have ever been that scared in my life.I wondered if I were going to go sliding down the side in one of the few open spaces.
Thanks for the heads up on the landscape. I am looking forward to seeing the country, and I hope I can plan it for either this summer or next. There is no point in the state lower than 3,000 feet.
Thanks to all of you for the responses....I will plan accordingly!!
I will most likely stay in Cheyenne, and take day trips to Casper and Laramie.
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