New trails and recreation updates planned for Buffalo Bill State Park

by Katie Klingsporn, WyoFile

New trails, restrooms, picnic areas and improved fishing access could be planned at Buffalo Bill State Park near Cody.

Wyoming State Parks and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have released draft plans that will guide future development of the park, which surrounds an 8,000-acre reservoir. The agencies are now seeking feedback on an integrated resource management plan and environmental assessment that have been in the works for more than a year.

The plan outlines potential improvements to recreation and other park management measures, for which the agencies work together to oversee.

The park is dotted with campgrounds, fishing spots, and boat launches, and its visitor center is perched atop a concrete dam that has impounded the Shoshone River for more than a century . It received 148,624 visits in 2023, 9% more than its five-year average, according to Wyoming State Parks.

The draft documents propose two alternatives for the park. The first proposes no action, so the park’s 36-year-old master plan would remain in place.

The second proposes a series of improvements, including the development of recreational facilities and an updated management framework for the dam and reservoir. This plan involves nearly 12 miles of new trails as well as updating and expanding primitive and group camping, restrooms, parking areas and playgrounds.

History

Crews completed construction of Buffalo Bill Dam in 1910, and much of the area was designated a state park in 1957.

Buffalo Bill offers fishing, camping and water sports at the reservoir. In addition to three boat ramps, the park includes nine day-use areas, two group shelters, 11 picnic shelters and more than 100 campsites in three campgrounds. Users can also rent Shreve Lodge, which can accommodate up to 200 people.

A combination of factors prompted the Buffalo Bill update, Nick Neylon, deputy director of the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation and Division of State Parks, previously told WyoFile. Usage is growing and diversifying and it’s time for an update, he said. The last master plan for the park was completed in 1988.

Local resistance to the expansion project also played a role. Amid a pandemic-fueled spike in visitation, Wyoming State Parks used federal stimulus money to expand camping facilities at Buffalo Bill. Part of his plan proposed adding 40 campsites to an area adjoining a residential neighborhood — something residents strongly opposed.

The agency removed that part of the plan, but Neylon said staff believed it was a good time to consider future management directions and gather public input. The department and the Bureau of Reclamation began their master planning outreach efforts in spring 2023.

Master planning has caused conflict for Wyoming State Parks in recent history. A 2016 master plan for Hot Springs State Park envisioned the park as a “premier (sic) destination” with updates and renovations to facilities. When the state recently selected a new operator for the Star Plunge aquatic facility as part of a larger effort, many decried the decision.

In Fremont County, opposition mobilized after Sinks Canyon State Park released a 2020 master plan that called for, among other amenities, building a via ferrata on a cliff where hawks peregrines nested historically. The state then abandoned this project.

To be involved

The deadline for comments is June 10. Comments can be submitted via an online portal.

State parks will also host open houses for the public to learn more and provide written feedback. They are scheduled for the following dates:

• May 28, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Shreve Lodge in Cody.
• May 29, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Cody Library.

This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent, nonprofit news organization focused on the people, places and politics of Wyoming.

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