Explore the natural beauty of Wyoming and visit Ayres Bridge outside of Douglas, it’s a fun place to explore and have a picnic!
Hey, friends! Our summer vacation is quickly drawing to a close, my kids start school in 5 days. The weather will still be nice, but we won’t have quite as much freedom to travel around a bit to explore and hike, so we decided to squeeze in a few more outdoor adventures before school begins.
We enjoy exploring in our state and the states close by. We get to have some fun and it’s still affordable! An article about Ayres Bridge popped up in my Facebook newsfeed one day and I realized that it was fairly close to us but I had never been there! Friends shared that this was one of their favorite picnic spots, so we packed up a picnic on Sunday and headed down to explore this new spot.
We didn’t see too many places to hike around the bridge, but if you want a little exercise you can walk up the road a bit for a short walk
Check out other places to see and hiking in Wyoming, the Black Hills, and Montana:
- Garden Creek Falls, Casper, WY
- Crow Peak, Spearfish
- Ayres Natural Bridge
- Community Caves (Wildcat Caverns), Spearfish, SD
- The M Trail Missoula
- Devil’s Bathtub, Spearfish Canyon
- Crazy Horse Volksmarch
- Red Beds Trail, Devil’s Tower
- Trail End Museum, Sheridan
- Koltiska Pumpkin Patch, Sheridan
Ayres Natural Bridge is located in a small canyon between Douglas and Glenrock in Wyoming. From Gillette it’s about a 2 hour drive, not too bad!
From Douglas, take 1-25 towards Casper and take exit 151 onto Ayres Bridge Road. Follow the road for several miles straight to the canyon
There’s a tiny trail that makes it’s way to the top of the bridge. It’s fun to look over the canyon from up there!
A view of the old power house from the top of the bridge
A view of the metal bridge from the top of Ayres Bridge. The canyon has a lot of trees and plenty of chokecherry bushes if you like to pick those.
There are plenty of benches and picnic areas in the park, as well as clean bathrooms. The park is well maintained and loved by locals, it got pretty busy after we got there with people having Sunday afternoon picnics group events. There’s also a playground, a volleyball net, and camping spots so people can stay longer if they like
The kids enjoyed playing in the water, exploring, and playing at the playground
The creek right under the bridge is quiet and shallow, perfect for wading
This old door at the old power house is pretty cool
The Oregon trail passes close to Ayres Bridge, and Independence Rock is probably an hour away just past Casper
There is a bison ranch not too far from the canyon so we got a few photos of the buffalo too 🙂
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and healthy living blogger based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist
Thank you for posting! I have a friend visiting from South Dakota for a quick weekend and was looking for something outdoors (not time intensive) that I could piggyback with the National Trails Center in Casper, WY. I think the two will be perfect before a comfortable home-cooked supper and dessert.
Also thank you for noting no dogs in the park!
Graciously Yours,
Shauna
Sounds awesome Shauna, glad you found the post! I think you’ll really enjoy it there, it’s beautiful 🙂