Centennial Wyoming Tourism

Centennial is a quiet little place tucked away in the shadows of the Snowy Mountains in Southeast Wyoming on WY Hwy. 130. It was originally settled as a Tie Hack camp for the Trans-Continental Railroad in 1868.

Men would work the surrounding forest and bring down the pine trees needed to make railroad ties. This soon came to an abrupt halt when the town came under assault by the American Indian raid of 1869.

A year later, the area’s first homestead was staked out in the valley. A gold strike in 1875 produced $90,000 worth of ore in the first year. The mine, mountain and post office were named “Centennial” as the United States prepared to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

In the 1890s, the town experienced a silver boom and a brief platinum boom during the 1920s. Several of the buildings still stand.

Today, Centennial is a bustling year-round resort community. The 30 mile drive from Laramie on Hwy. 130 is one of the most breathtaking in the nation. One can see the Overland Trail that the Mormons and others used on their way to the Utah and Oregon territories.

State Highway 130 stretches from I-80 near Laramie, travels west across the high prairie to Centennial and then turns into a Scenic Byway as it winds through the beautiful Medicine Bow National Forest and the Snowy Range Mountains. It travels around the bottom of Medicine Bow Peak at an elevation of 10,400 feet above sea level.

Stop the car at one of the many pull-outs and take a picture of one of the 50 or so glacier lakes that are within viewing distance from the highway, or go hiking into a meadow of over 200 different species of wild flowers.

You may want to try your hand at fishing for elusive brook trout which is abundant in the surrounding waters.

Also, there are many fine restaurants and accommodations in the surrounding area, as well as in the forest. If you are looking for the real Wyoming that your soul cries for and not the usual tourist trap, give us a try. You won’t be disappointed.