Encampment Wyoming Tourism

The Grand Encampment copper boom started in 1897 when an English sheepherder struggled across the snow fields of the Sierra Madres to a quartzite dike he had seen the previous fall. He probably never imagined that under that mountain was a supply of raw copper ore.

With that discovery, the town boomed to more than 1,000 residents. A smelter was built so that the copper could be made into usable metal and the world’s largest aerial tramway was also built from Grand Encampment to the Ferris-Haggarty Mine.

The Wyoming State Song was penned by two local men. The Sierra Madre Mountain Range, where Encampment is located, is a very popular area for great outdoor recreation including hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking and hiking. During the wintertime, enjoy snow-shoeing, skiing and snowmobiling. The Sierra Madre Winter Carnival, held in February, features a Nordic ski race as well as extreme SnoCross.

At Medicine Bow National Forest, just minutes from Encampment, find solitude in four wilderness areas and a million acres of national forest land with abundant elk, deer, antelope and birds. While here don’t miss the museum.

You’ll find a variety of accommodations including motels, cabins, bed and breakfasts or a full vacation package at a guest ranch nearby. Stock raising and lumbering are Encampment’s principle industries. The Woodchoppers Jamboree and Rodeo in June celebrates Encampment’s lumbering heritage.