The Bighorn Basin is often known for its mountains, rivers, and wide-open ranch country. But hidden among the sagebrush and rolling hills are some of Wyoming’s most fascinating badlands landscapes, places where colorful rock formations, ancient fossils, dramatic canyons, and remote desert scenery create an adventure unlike anywhere else in the state.
Using Worland as your basecamp, this three-day itinerary takes you deep into the badlands and geological wonders of the Bighorn Basin while still returning each evening to comfortable lodging, restaurants, and amenities.
Day 1: Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite and the Southern Basin
Morning: Fuel Up in Worland
Start your day with breakfast in Worland and stock up on water, snacks, sunscreen, and a full tank of gas. Much of today’s adventure takes place in remote country with limited services.
Head south toward the famous Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite.
Mid-Morning: Walk with Dinosaurs
One of Wyoming’s most remarkable paleontological sites, Red Gulch preserves hundreds of dinosaur footprints dating back approximately 167 million years.
A short interpretive trail leads visitors across exposed limestone where Jurassic dinosaurs once walked along a shallow shoreline. Standing beside tracks left millions of years before the Rocky Mountains existed is a humbling experience.
Spend an hour or two exploring the site and reading the interpretive displays.
Afternoon: Explore the Badlands Around Ten Sleep
Continue exploring the surrounding public lands and badlands formations south of Worland. The area features colorful bentonite hills, eroded clay formations, and expansive views stretching across the basin.
Bring a camera. The contrast between red, gray, and tan earth tones creates spectacular landscapes, especially when clouds cast shadows across the terrain.
Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the solitude.
Evening: Return to Worland
Head back to Worland for dinner and overnight accommodations.
As the sun sets, watch the basin glow with shades of gold and orange while the distant peaks of the Bighorn Mountains rise above the horizon.
Day 2: The Paint Rock Badlands and Shell Valley
Morning: Drive to Shell
Today focuses on the western side of the basin.
Travel north through agricultural valleys toward the small community of Shell.
The drive itself is part of the experience, with broad views of the basin framed by the towering wall of the Bighorn Mountains.
Mid-Morning: Explore Paint Rock Country
Near Shell lies the spectacular Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site and the surrounding Paint Rock region.
The area combines towering cliffs, colorful sedimentary formations, archaeological resources, and badlands-style erosion features that showcase millions of years of geological history.
Take time to walk the interpretive trails and learn about the Indigenous peoples who traveled through this landscape for thousands of years.
Afternoon: Shell Falls Scenic Drive
Continue west into Bighorn National Forest via the scenic route toward Shell Falls.
While not technically badlands, the dramatic canyon walls reveal layers of ancient rock that help tell the geological story behind the basin’s formation.
Spend time at the overlooks before returning east toward the basin floor.
Evening: Sunset Photography
The badlands around Shell and Greybull often produce spectacular evening light.
Photographers will find endless opportunities as the low-angle sunlight highlights ridges, gullies, and colorful rock layers.
Return to Worland for the night.
Day 3: Bridger Trail Country and the Bighorn Basin’s Hidden Deserts
Morning: Journey Toward Meeteetse
Head west toward Meeteetse through some of the most remote portions of the Bighorn Basin.
The landscape gradually transitions into rugged badlands, desert hills, and expansive sagebrush country.
Mid-Morning: Explore Public Lands
Numerous areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management offer opportunities for exploration, photography, wildlife viewing, and short hikes.
Look for:
- Colorful bentonite formations
- Eroded clay hills
- Dramatic desert vistas
- Wild horses (occasionally spotted)
- Pronghorn antelope
- Golden eagles and hawks
The open spaces here feel almost otherworldly.
Afternoon: Geological Discovery
Spend time exploring overlooks and backroads that reveal the basin’s layered geological history.
The Bighorn Basin contains rock layers spanning hundreds of millions of years, making it one of North America’s premier locations for understanding ancient environments, prehistoric life, and mountain-building events.
Bring a field guide if geology interests you, the landscape becomes even more fascinating when you understand the story written in the rocks.
Evening: Final Basin Sunset
Before returning to Worland, find a high overlook and watch the sunset paint the basin floor in deep reds, oranges, and purples.
The badlands are at their most dramatic during the final hour of daylight.
Return to Worland for dinner and reflect on three days spent exploring one of Wyoming’s most overlooked landscapes.
Trip Tips
- Carry extra water every day.
- Cell service can be limited in remote areas.
- Download maps before leaving town.
- Summer temperatures can exceed 90°F.
- Spring and fall often provide the best weather.
- Stay on established roads and trails.
- Watch for rattlesnakes in warm months.
- Carry a snake bite kit with you for safety.
- Bring binoculars for wildlife viewing.
- Sunrise and sunset provide the best photography opportunities.
The Bighorn Basin’s badlands may not receive the attention of places like South Dakota’s famous Badlands, but that is part of their appeal. Here you’ll find vast landscapes, fascinating geology, dinosaur history, and a sense of solitude that has become increasingly rare in the modern West. From a comfortable basecamp in Worland, three days is enough to discover a side of Wyoming that many travelers never see.
Bighorn Basin Explorer 
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