Posted on: February 21, 2012
Something Sweet in Sweetwater
Sweetwater County offers a mix of outdoor and cultural activities
Biking is a popular activity in Sweetwater County. // © 2012 Sweetwater County
Sweetwater County is located halfway between Yellowstone and Canyonlands National Parks in southwest Wyoming. Known as ‘Flaming Gorge Country” the area is home to Flaming Gorge Lake, the famed Green River, expansive deserts and rugged mountains. Sweetwater County has more than 10,500 square miles for hiking, biking, fishing, sightseeing, golfing, hunting dinosaurs, shopping or just getting away from it all. While visiting Sweetwater, tourists can ski or snow shoe across more than 200 miles of trails in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area or ice fish for burbot, rainbow and lake trout. Visitors can also drive down the Sheep Creek Geological Loop Tour to view bighorn sheep or the Reliance Tipple to get a sense of the region’s mining history.
Culturally, Sweetwater offers the Rock Springs and Sweetwater County Historical Museums as well as the Western Wyoming Community College Natural History Museum, which is home to five life-sized replicas of the dinosaurs that once roamed the area. Tourists can also experience the Community Fine Arts Center, which is a joint effort of the City of Rock Springs, Sweetwater County and the local school district and features more than 500 pieces of original works from well-known local, regional and national artists, such as Norman Rockwell, Edward Chavez, Grandma Moses and Loren McGiver.