Pine Haven Wyoming

Pine Haven is 45 minutes from the newest gateway welcome center in Wyoming located off I-90, 7 1/2 miles West of the Wyoming - South Dakota Border at exit 199 was design of a classic heavy timber and stone, with subtle modern accents. The interior gallery space has the ability to tell stories visually and dramatically, which is seen, felt, and experienced throughout the exhibits.

The storylines are state-wide in scope and include such things as wildlife, ranching, rodeo, mining and outdoor recreation—however; all are illustrated with regional events. For example, the centerpiece of the gallery is the Ancient Wildlife display, which is dominated by a life-sized replica of Kelsey, the 65 million-year-old triceratops found near Newcastle, which appears as being excavated from a cliff wall. Unlike traditional exhibits that separate the visitor from the subject, visitors can get up close to Kelsey—as with all the exhibits here—and children are encouraged to hunt for and join other amateur paleontologists in making rubbings of fossil replicas embedded in the cliff wall.

Visitors can also pose as white-water rafters or mount a replica horse for photo opportunities. Other visual highlights are a covered wagon housing a Google Earth display and a series of interactive three-dimensional representation of a scenes arranged in a natural setting against a realistic background. Many of which include beautiful and exciting video montages shot in Wyoming. These and many other exhibits all shed light upon the varied and exciting adventures that await a traveler coming to spend time in Wyoming.

Keyhole State Park Next to the Town of Pine Haven with two accesses to the water and two boat launching areas, with a visible abundance of birds and wildlife. It is an ideal family vacation spot, with approximately 14,720 acres of excellent camping and water recreation opportunities in Crook County, Wyoming. This Reservoir offers excellent fishing for walleye, northern pike, Smallmouth bass and channel catfish. Visitors also have the opportunity to view many type of wildlife including pronghorn antelope, mule deer, white tailed deer, red fox and wild turkeys. Keyhole is also a mecca for approximately 225 species of both resident and migrating birds, which can be observed in Keyhole State Park or within a mile of the park boundaries. With the four seasons being comparatively mild, and glorious weather from spring through fall and the long days of summer in Northeast Wyoming provides a lot of time for outdoor activities and sightseeing. Golf, camping, boating, water skiing and fishing are the favorite summer activities, and for the winter months, there is ice fishing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and iceboating.

West Texas Trail Museum 15 minutes from Pine Haven is Moorcroft Wyoming, which is located on the banks of the Belle Fourche River, where Interstate 90 crosses the OLD TEXAS TRAIL. For a decade, 1880-1890, it was the largest shipping point for cattle and sheep in the United States. Surrounded by rolling hills and praires, among purple sage, pure air and blue skies, you'll still find it in the heart of one of the best ranching sections of Wyoming. Be sure and visit the Town's "Free" West Texas Trail Museum, with numerous collections from pioneers of Crook County, CB&Q Railroad along with artifacts and tools of the American Indian.

Devils Tower North of Pine Haven is Devils Tower the first National Monument, which is truly a unique feature composed of a rock found only in a few places throughout the world and hundreds of parallel cracks that divides the Tower into large hexagonal columns in the beautiful Black Hills of Northeastern Wyoming. The visitor's center located at the base of the tower is at an elevation of 4,250 feet above sea level. The tower itself rises 865 feet above this point, literally towering above peaceful pines and a boulder field created over thousands of years by columns that have fallen and broken into pieces. The surrounding countryside is home to a countless number of plants and wildlife which attracts visitors from around the world to see this magnificent rock formation that scientists believe is the core of a volcano exposed after millions of years of erosion caused by weather and the Belle Fourche River which, meanders around the base of the tower, 1,267 feet below the summit. for more information Click Here Click Here to visit the National Park Service website

Crook County Museum30 minutes from Pine Haven is Sundance Wyoming, along Interstate 90 at the foot of Sundance Mountain in the Black Hills of Wyoming. Established in 1879 and named for nearby Sundance Mountain where the Lakota and their allies held a religious ceremony each summer. Festivities lasted several weeks and centered around a four-day period in which young men fasted, prayed, blew whistles made of eagle bones and waited for visions, danced around a ceremonial altar pole adorned with an eagle nest and a buffalo skull at the foot of Sundance Mountain. Just the name Sundance conjures to mind cowboys, outlaws and the wild west (yes the Sundance Kid did get his name here.) Be sure and visit the town's "Free" Crook County Museum.

Hulett, Wyoming 55 minutes from Pine Haven is Hulett Wyoming located on Highway 24, 9 miles northeast of Devils Tower, and is a very picturesque town with mostly western-style buildings. Native Americans used this area for more then 10,000 years with the first explorers into the area being the, French with several Military Expeditions through the area, including General Custer in 1874. The first settlers were the Hulett Family in 1881. Be sure and visit the town's "Free" Museum and Art Gallery. Aladdin, Wyoming 1 hour 28 minutes from Pine Haven is Aladdin, Wyoming a small community located along State Highway 24, 34 miles northeast of Devils Tower, in the extreme northeast corner of the state. The Aladdin General Store is the largest and most prominent of a total of fifteen buildings that make up the town along both sides of the highway. The Aladdin Store and Post Office are significant for their association with the settlement and economic development of the town of Aladdin. It is also a rare and well-preserved example of late 19th century vernacular mercantile architecture, and one of five 19th century mercantiles left in the state which represent the settlement and economic development period. Bearlodge Mountains 1 hour 30 minutes from Pine Haven is Cook Lake in the Bearlodge Mountains, a part of the Black Hills National Forest located in northeastern Wyoming offering over 125,000 acres of National Forest, with fishing at Cook Lake, hiking, biking, and horseback trails. The winter months provides powder and access to 375 miles of groomed trails which provides a wide variety of outdoor activities for every member of the family. Mount Rushmore 2 1/2 hours from Pine Haven is Mount Rushmore, The faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln are carved in the granite core of the Black Hills at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Click Here for the National Park Service website. Fort Laramie 2 1/2 hours South of Pine Haven is Fort Laramie National Historic Site located at the junction of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers, It consists of the restored remains of Old Fort Laramie. Over the years it served as a log stockade, adobe trading post, and evolving military post. Click Here for the National Park Service website. Yellowstone National Park 6 hours West of Pine Haven is Yellowstone National Park the first national park in the world established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Located primarily in the state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho, is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park. It has many types of ecosystems, but the subalpine forest is dominant. Click Here for the National Park Service website.