Experience Americas Most Treasured Roads
Touring the Byway
4 Days / 3 Nights | Gateway City: Evanston, Wyoming
We recommend starting your journey in Evanston, where you can explore the town on a Historic Walking Tour, before touring the Uinta Museum and the Historic Railroad Roundhouse and Railyards, the last intact roundhouse on the Union Pacific line. Spend the night in one of the downtown hotels.
After a night’s rest, on Day Two, it’s off to Bear River State Park, following the Bear River Parkway from downtown Evanston, to begin your journey on the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway. After you cross the point where the Mormon Trail crossed Highway 150, you’ll pass Bear River City, Bear Town Interpretive Site, the Sulphur Creek Reservoir and the Hilliard Interpretive Site. The Bear River Lodge is approximately 30 miles further. In the afternoon you can choose from hiking, (there are hundreds of miles of trails surrounding the Lodge), fishing, swimming, hunting, or an ATV rental. There are also fire pits, a general store and a restaurant, in addition to your overnight cabin.
On Day Three, it’s time to continue on the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, where you’ll pass the Bear River Ranger Station and Ruth Lake, before reaching Mirror Lake. You’ll want to take the 1.5-mile trail around the lake to enjoy the scenic beauty. Nearby, discover the Hayden Peak Overlook, before crossing the summit of Bald Mountain at 11,943 feet. From there, Lost Lake gives rise to the Provo River, Duck Lake gives rise to the North Fork Provo River and the other beautiful lakes appear. Be sure to stop at the Provo River Falls Overlook. From there, it’s a short drive to Kamas and the end of the Byway. Spend the night in Park City, UT.
On Day Four, it’s time to visit the Park City Museum before looping back to Evanston. From there, we wish you safe passage if you are traveling another Wyoming Scenic Byway in the area, or a safe and pleasant journey home.
View the Detailed Itinerary below to see the full route, which is complete with dining, shopping, and lodging recommendations!
Highlighted Attractions
Historic Roundhouse and Railyard
Here you can tour one of the last intact roundhouses in the Union Pacific Railroad Line. Constructed in 1912, the city adopted the structure and renovated it as a public use facility while keeping much of the historic character. The original Machine Shop still stands across the Plaza. The turntable, used to change the direction of train engines in the Roundhouse, is still operational. The still outfitted machine shop, a superintendent’s office and washroom, and a renovated visitor center which was previously the Oil House, make up the rest of the complex.
Bear River State Park and Visitor Center
Before exploring the park, stop first at the Visitor Center which showcases Wyoming’s impressive array of wildlife. Once in the park, you’ll discover a small herd of bison and elk, along with several miles of trails.
Uinta County Museum
Located in the 1906 Classic Revival Carnegie building, the museum holds nearly 5,000 artifacts, photographs and archival records, with about 20% on exhibit at any given time. Explore the heritage of the region in Trails, Rails, Ranches and Rigs and learn how the Lincoln Highway impacted the local landscape when it came through in 1913.
Bear River Lodge
The location of both an afternoon full of activities, dinner and your accommodations for the evening, the Bear River Lodge is a family-owned facility established in 1997. Accommodations choices in the cabins range from studio and one bedrooms to seven bedroom family cabins. There is a restaurant on site. Activities include hiking, fishing, hunting, swimming, ATV rentals, fire pits, a general store and more. Even though the mailing address of the lodge is Kamas, UT, the actual facility is much closer to Evanston.
Park City Museum
Learn the stories of Park City in exhibits ranging from a Kimball stagecoach, Mega Mines and Days of Ore, The Dungeon: Park City’s Territorial Jail, Muckers and Millionaires and the skier subway. The original 1885 building was destroyed in 1898 when a fire raged down the street, leaving only the front facade, partial side walls and the Territorial Jail standing. Rebuilding began immediately resulting in the structure you see today. When the Museum expanded, over 6,000 square feet was added to the back of the historic structure.
To experience all that Jewel High In The Mountains has to offer, download the complete itinerary!
The detailed itinerary includes:
- A complete trip experience organized in geographic order, to print down and go.
- A full description of the Byway tour.
- Each trip experience begins in a gateway city with commercial flight availability (and often ending in another) to enhance the Byway experience.
- Attractions and activities along the full length of the Byway selected to truly tell the story of the places you visit.
- Detailed description of each attraction and activity, including the address, telephone number, hours of operation, admission fees and suggested time to allow for a visit.
- Accommodations (related to the theme of the Byway or unique to the destination wherever possible) positioned in the correct locations and including breakfast wherever possible.
- Dining suggestions positioned in the correct locations for lunch and dinner.
- All attractions, accommodations and dining locations arranged into Days that allow time for relaxation, savoring meals and enjoying the experience.
- A road trip to create memories and intrigue your mind.