Buffalo Bill State Park

Buffalo Bill State Park is located west of Cody Wyoming and surrounds the Buffalo Bill Reservoir which is held back by the Historic Buffalo Bill Dam, anyone see a theme here?

The dam was originally the Shoshone Dam and was built for irrigation for the farms.  At the time of its building, it was the tallest concrete dam in the United States.  It was renamed in the 1970’s to Buffalo Bill to memorialize the effort first started by Mr. Cody to bring irrigation to the farms of the area.

The State Park is broken up into many different use areas from picnicking and boat launching to overnight camping.  North Shore Campground has no hookups.  We chose the North Fork campground because of the electric hookups (again hot prairie weather over 90 degrees).  There are no sewer or water hookups but there is a nice double dump station with both rinse and potable water spigots on site. 

The campgrounds are easy to find and as you pull in you are greeted by a part time employee who gets you checked in (we had reservations and paid in advance), then it is an easy drive through the sites to locate yours (a map was provided).  The North Fork is actually above where the reservoir starts and is on the Shoshone river proper, literally just a 5-minute walk takes you to the bank.

One word of warning, the wind was a constant along the reservoir.  In three days at this spot I never put out my awning.  If you put out an awning, do take it in before leaving or going to bed or you may have a rude surprise.  There is an old saying that the snow in Wyoming never melts, it just wears out from being blown back and forth between Montana and Colorado. 

The sunrise at this campground was absolutely beautiful and was accompanied by the chatter of the Magpies.  I have an affinity for the magpie.  Ever since I saw my first one at the age of 8, I have loved this member of the Corvidae family.  Their plumage is lovely and they rate among some of the smartest avians in the world.  Just be warned that they love shiny objects.

Both Campgrounds, as you may have guessed are located on the north side of the reservoir.  The reservoir is the result of the dam across the Shoshone River and is a haven for local and visiting sportsmen alike.  A quick 5-minute drive takes you to the visitor center for the dam which is a surprisingly good little distraction.  A 20-minute drive takes you to the Buffalo Bill Cody museum of the West which is actually 5 museums in one.  While here, make sure to check out the Cody Nite Rodeo which is held every night of the week from July through September at 8:00 pm. 

This area is central to not only Yellowstone National Park but also the Bighorn National Recreation Area, Bighorn National Forest and other attractions too numerous to count.

We rate this campground 1 billion stars (in the night sky above you without light pollution)!