When you think of Wyoming, you usually think of Yellowstone. Maybe you picture the silhouette of the Grand Teton mountain range.
If you know your way around the state or are a huge fan of aliens… perhaps you think about Devil’s Tower.
However, if you find yourself more south east, you can learn a lot about Oregon Trail History by walking the same trail ruts as those wagons took going west, and exploring the names on Register Cliff.
Then end your day with some amazing free camping in Wyoming, right on a lake!

Without a doubt, you have never heard of Guernsey.
It’s a small town. A tiny town, really. In the bottom east corner of the state. To illustrate how tiny, I’ll just say the population sits at just over 1000 people.

This is the perfect pit stop or day trip if passing through the area. Not only is there free camping nearby (probably my favorite boondocking spot I’ve used yet), but the town has some hidden gems… especially interesting for a history buff! By history buff, I definitely mean anyone who grew up in the era of the Oregon Trail pc game.
In the same town you can both walk along the Oregon Trail, and find great camping.

The first time I came here was in the summer of 2017, during the solar eclipse. We were trying to get to Wyoming to be in the 100% totality line. The cool folks from the Drivin n Vibin blog had posted that they were at an amazing little spot with plenty of room, so I sent them a message asking for the deets.

Grayrocks Reservoir

Grayrocks Reservoir is public access land from the Wyoming Game and Fish department that sits right along the Laramie River. Halfway between Wheatland and Guernsey, this area is far enough out that you’re in nature but close enough to towns for supply stops.

You can camp on the southern shore of the reservoir for up to 14 days. There are vault toilets near the east and west gates, and tons of places you can park and set up camp. Yes, there will be other campers around you but it is possible to find your own little secluded area. Most of the people who stay here do so for the water. Boating, fishing, and swimming.

This spot was perfect for the eclipse. I stayed one night, and it gave perfect views for the 360 degree sunset and sunrise that happened in the middle of the day. I started with the eclipse, then headed further into Wyoming to spend the rest of the week around the Yellowstone and Teton area. Everyone else was leaving the state as I was heading deeper in, which made traffic a dream!

When I planned to head back up to the area (South Dakota for a week in the Black Hills) a few years later in 2020, I knew I had to plan a night here again. I didn’t get to do much research on the town the first time, and I was so upset I missed some great spots, so I had to do some sight seeing the second time around.

That really awesome skull? I almost stepped on that while walking down to the water! Some people might get a bit creeped out by that… but fun fact:
I ADORE ANYTHING WITH SKULLS. The creeeptastic oddity type stuff makes me happy.

A few miles from the reservoir, you’ll find the little town of Guernsey, Wyoming.
If you are passing between these areas, please drive safe. There are a lot of people who fly down these roads towing big ol boats and taking up the entire road. It is VERY easy to get into an accident when you’re in places with an abundance of these types of vehicles. (I will save you from the reason behind my warning).

On to drown when you try to ford the Oregon River, or to die of dysentery!
Really though, did anyone ever check the odds of actually winning that Oregon Trail game we all played as kids? Was that game rigged? Did anyone win? I feel like you never made it no matter what choices you picked lol.

The Oregon Trail was a 2,000+ mile long wagon route that connected the Missouri river to the west coast of Oregon. Fur traders and trappers started this route as early as 1811. The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, when the trail use would slowly start to decline.

In between that time, folks filled as much as they could into wagons and headed west. A few miles down the road from Guernsey was Fort Laramie, the last army outpost travelers would reach before the coast.

Guernsey has multiple stops that show the history of this trail.
The first one is Register Cliff. There is some serious Oregon Trail history here.

Register Cliff – Oregon Trail History

The Oregon Trail guidebooks mentioned Register Cliff. If you passed by this landmark, you knew it was the right path.

The ground in this area was made out of Sandstone. Sandstone is a very soft material. Sturdy enough to withstand time, soft enough to carve into. This cliff was one days trip from the fort, where many people stopped for a night. Those who passed would stop to engrave the names of their families into the rock wall.

There’s a pretty long parking lot here with a bathroom and even what looks like a little graveyard. As you walk along the cliff face, keep walking. You’ll pass by a tiny little cave looking thing which was cut into the wall for food storage. There’s a trail along the side of the wall.

The oldest names are behind a fence to protect them. Unfortunately that means that outside of the fence… the cliff has taken a different look to it, with more modern day graffiti chiseled in.

To the Native Americans who lived in this area, all the names being carved in were done so covering up their original pictographs and petroglyphs… so I suppose even the historical aspect of it is graffiti.
There is really no telling what else was carved into this cliff that has been wiped out over time.

I came across a link to a list of the names that were recorded. It’s interesting to see the dates that accompany them.
https://web.archive.org/web/20050104161642/http://www-wsl.state.wy.us/platte/WTWeb/RegisterCliff.htm

Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site

Down the road from Register Cliff is another great Oregon Trail stop.
At this historic landmark, you can see the wagon trail ruts as they start winding up to the south pass.

This is considered the best place to see the ruts. The wagons taking this path started battering down the sandstone ridge between 2 to 6 feet deep!

Along this path you’ll see lots of historical markers that tell the story of the army outposts in the area, the travelers, as well as the interactions with Native Americans during this time.

Nothing here is fenced off.
You want Oregon Trail history?
You can actually walk DIRECTLY in the same rut paths that thousands of settlers walked down, really transporting yourself back in time. The walk here is short, but there are some hills to walk up and down. The path itself if paved and easy to access. It’s basically a little nature walk.

You can spend as little as half an hour at each of these places, or as much as a few hours. Both of these sites can easily be combined into a half day or short pit stop on any road trip. It is definitely worth the detour.

If you’re hanging around a bit longer I would recommend stopping at the Guernsey State Park. Lots more nature. Right on the river.
Along the road before turning into the Ruts, you can also see a monument dedicated to the women pioneers of the trail.

Not planning on hanging around?
You’re about 3 hours south of the Devil’s tower from here.
6 hours east of the National Parks on the other side of the state.
If you’re driving one of those directions, this is a perfect stop for a night!

What’s your favorite stop in Wyoming? Head over to Facebook and let me know!