Proposed Improvements to Buffalo Bill State Park

Although the historic dam – located about 8 miles west of Cody, Wyoming – is operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, the Wyoming Division of State Parks and Cultural Resources manages the reservoir’s three campgrounds, three boat ramps and nine developed day use areas.

Together, the agencies unveiled a 246-page plan exploring improvements to improve amenities for visitors to the reservoir. To that end, officials are seeking public comment on the state park’s Resource Management Plan/Environmental Assessment.

Comments will be accepted until June 10. Public meetings are scheduled for May 28 at 4 p.m. at Shreve Lodge along the north shore of the lake and May 29 at 11 a.m. at the Cody Library.

Like many outdoor recreation sites during and after the pandemic, attendance at Buffalo Bill State Park facilities has accelerated, from a five-year average of about 92,900 between 2016 and 2020, to more than 178 600 in 2021.

This is due in part to its location about 40 miles east of the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park. This same year 2021, the east gate of the park recorded more than 210,600 vehicles. This proximity to Yellowstone explains why 57% of visitors to the reservoir come from other states, compared to 40% from Wyoming and 3% from other countries.

Although the presence of a lake and varied fishing (from walleye to trout) may indicate that many visitors go to the reservoir to fish or boat, it is more likely that camping and bird watching nature and wildlife that visitors cited as their top activities – 18% each. . Fishing comes in at the bottom of the top five, with 8%, along with picnics. Hiking and hiking trails come in third with 12%.

Under the proposed alternative, the Bureau of Reclamation and State Parks are planning improvements in 15 areas, five of which would be new developments and ten of which would be updates or expansions. These include expanding two existing campgrounds to accommodate visitor preferences, as well as adding a 12-mile trail along the north shore.

The North Fork Trail would be a non-motorized link connecting day-use areas and other facilities along the shoreline. Part of the trail is proposed along the old stagecoach route, known as the Old Yellowstone Highway.

Currently, the three campgrounds – Lake Shore, North Fork and Stagecoach – offer 300 campsites. The plan proposes increasing camping facilities at Stagecoach and North Fork. At North Fork, the plan called for this to include, at a minimum, “improvements to the irrigated landscape to provide shade and screening, improved RV and tent campsites as well as improvements to dump stations and walking paths.”

Another proposal is to develop primitive camping opportunities along the eastern shore of the lake at Diamond Creek. Currently, the land is still under the management of the Bureau of Reclamation, but it is proposed to be transferred to the State Parks Division so that water access, camping and approximately 6 to 10 miles of trails can be built.

Improvements to parking, fishing access sites and picnic areas are also being considered on the south side of the reservoir at the Bartlett Lane, Shirley’s Pond and South Fork sites.

Much of the west side of the reservoir remains underutilized and is only accessible by a gravel road that can be difficult to navigate when wet. However, the region, called Central Shores, is in high demand. Some of the ideas for developing the area include a small parking lot, a non-motorized trail system and possibly an archery range.

As with everything else, any improvement depends on finding funds for the work.

“Due to the uncertainty of funding from one fiscal year to the next, a precise timeline for each project cannot be developed,” the agencies noted, but the idea is to implement them gradually over the next 10 years.

The reservoir was created in 1910 after the completion of Buffalo Bill Dam, impounding the Shoshone River not far from where the North and South Forks joined. Construction of the dam began in 1905, one of the first water development projects undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation. When completed, the dam was the tallest in the world, measuring 325 feet.

Named for famous Wild West showman, promoter and developer Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Between 1985 and 1993, the dam was raised an additional 25 feet, flooding the recreational resources that had been built but increasing the reservoir’s irrigation capabilities on 93,000 acres of farmland in the Bighorn Basin. The reservoir also generates 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year and supplies six cities and several rural areas in Park and Bighorn counties with municipal water.

The state park includes 8,215 acres of reservoir surface and 3,544 acres of surrounding land for a total area of ​​11,759 acres.

To learn more about the proposed plans for the reservoir area, visit Reclamation’s website at: https://www.usbr.gov/gp/nepa/sopa.html#wyao or contact Joseph G. Felgenhauer , Outdoor Recreation Planner, Bureau of Reclamation, at 406-247-7746 or [email protected].

Comments on the plan may be made online at: https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/buffalo-bill-master-plan or by email to: [email protected]. Written comments may be mailed to: Carly-Ann Carruthers, Planning and Grants Manager, Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, 2301 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002.