Our Impressions of Casper, WY
Geographically Casper is a city in the southeastern central area of Wyoming. Casper is one of our absolute favorite places in the country. We never realized it would be, but it is! Casper is easy to get around, the people are friendly, the downtown is quaint, the restaurants are wonderful, there is at least one cocktail bar that is superb, history is embraced and within 30 minutes of downtown you are in the wilderness. There is so much to love in Casper.
There are a couple of towns close to Casper that are interesting to visit. Bar Nunn is a small little town that has angular roads. It is because the streets used to be the runways of an airfield! The airfield closed down, but the paved runways became streets in Bar Nunn!
Douglas is another small town close to Casper that has an interesting history. From January 1943 to February 1946, Camp Douglass was an internment camp for Italian and German prisoners of war (POWs). On a more humorous note, Douglas is now known as the jackalope capitol of the world. There are many jackalope statues and silhouettes all over the town.
Attractions
The Alcova Reservoir includes 6 campgrounds, 8 boat ramps, an interpretive center of walking/hiking trails, a fishing pier and more. There is an onsite marina, restaurant and bar.
Ayres Natural Bridge is one of Wyoming’s most popular tourist attractions and among only three natural bridges in the U.S. with water beneath.
Fort Caspar was once established to the east of Casper. The Fort was originally built during the mid-19th century mass migration of land seekers along the Oregon, California and Mormon trails. The area was the location of several ferries that offered passage across the North Platte River in the early 1840s. In 1859, Louis Guinard built a bridge and trading post near the original ferry locations.
Hell’s Half Acre gives off an otherworldly feel with its deep ravines, jagged rock formations, and steep slopes. Hell’s Half Acre has been fenced off from the public since 2005. A fun fact about Hell’s Half Acre is that the location was used to shoot a fictional planet in the movie Starship Troopers. Hell’s Half Acre is a 150-foot-deep gorge that covers 320 acres.
Independence Rock is also known as the “Register of the Desert” for the more than 5,000 names that are a part of our pioneering history. One of the earliest signatures carved into the large granite rock was in 1824 by M. K. Hugh. The Rock received its name after an Independence Day celebration with William Sublette and 80 pioneers. The rock became a landmark and the traveling destination of the more than 550,000 westward travelers. The Rock’s highest point sits 136 feet above the surrounding terrain.
The North Platte River runs through Casper. It is beautiful as it meanders 718 miles from Colorado to the South Platte in western Nebraska.
The Pathfinder Reservoir and Dam is 213 feet tall. There are 117 miles of shoreline, the Pathfinder Interpretive Center, campgrounds, a marina and restrooms. Fishing, boating, camping, hiking and birdwatching can all be part of your time at Pathfinder.
Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center is in downtown Douglas. It has many train cars you can walk through. They also have one of the biggest locomotives we have ever seen!
Downtown Casper
Now THIS is what a downtown should be like! There are many shops, restaurants, and businesses in the downtown area. I don’t believe we saw any empty store fronts. One of the great things about downtown Casper is that they encourage commerce by not having parking meters!
Food and Drink
Backwards Distillery was AMAZING!!!! The drinks were unbelievably good, the waitstaff was attentive and the atmosphere was fun and eclectic with a circus theme! Backwards makes their own grain-to-bottle vodka, gin, rum, moonshine and whiskey. The mixologists (NOT bartenders) create innovative, unusual cocktails with circus names, for example, Big Top and Freakshow. Cocktail selections change with the seasons.
Fire Rock Steakhouse was an excellent choice for both meat and seafood! The seafood is brought in fresh three times per week, something that is unusual in beef and bison country! Everything about our experience here was very good: the quality and quantity of food, the waitstaff and the ambiance.
Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant is a casual Mexican restaurant. It has a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. The lunch prices were unreal: $2 margaritas, $9.99 HUGE “two-servings” burritos.
While it isn’t really food or drink, the Casper Cigar Company had an excellent selection of cigars at a reasonable price!
Home Base: The Campground
For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Except for water, electric and sewer rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!
We stayed on site 45 at River’s Edge Campground in Evansville. 30 and 50 amp service were available. The campground was clean and well maintained. The staff was friendly.
Our full hook up (water-sewer-electric) site was on level crushed stone.
The site was long enough to leave the Jeep hooked up and still have both vehicles off the road. We parked the Jeep next to our motorhome and there was still plenty of space to the next RV. There was good cell phone coverage (Verizon) and a good open southern sky for our satellite. Easy off and on I-25.
There isn’t much grass around the campsites in this campground. However, the campground is directly on the North Platte River. There is a very large grassy area between the campground and the river. From our site, we could see the North Platte flowing.
This was one of our favorite campgrounds on our west coast trip. When we go back to Casper, we will definitely stay here again.
Fun Facts
Since 1999, each June, Casper welcomes the best collegiate rodeo athletes to the Casper Events Center for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR). It features the best cowboys and cowgirls from universities and colleges around the country. Events include saddle bronc, bareback, barrel racing, bull riding and more.
Every July, the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo occurs with five nightly rodeo performances in Casper. It is one of the top 35 PRCA rodeos in the U.S.
The Wyoming flag was designed by Mrs. A.C. Keyes of Casper and was adopted January 31, 1917.
Casper is home to one of the oldest stores in Wyoming, Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters, which was established in 1919.
People who were born in Casper include:
- Mike Devereaux who played twelve seasons for the LA Dodgers. He began and ended his career with the Dodgers.
- Actor Jim J. Bullock who was a co-star on the sitcom Too Close for Comfort and was a regular on Hollywood Squares.
- Musician Spencer Bohren who has released fourteen albums. He has performed both as a solo artist and with several bands.
- Vice President Dick Cheney who served under President George W. Bush. Cheney was also CEO for the Haliburton Company.
- NBC News correspondent Pete Williams has covered the Justice Department and the U.S. Supreme Court since March 1993.
| Casper | Douglas | Bar Nunn | |
| Population | 58,656 | 6,351 | 2,978 |
| Founded | 1888 | 1887 | 1980 |
| Elevation | 5,150 ft. | 4,836 ft. | 5,285 ft. |
| Average income | $34,445 | $32,497 | $45,033 |
| Average price of housing | $273,592 | $299,050 | $365,000 |
| Average age of population | 37 | 36 | 29 |
Websites:
https://www.casperwy.gov/
https://www.cityofdouglas.org/
https://www.townofbarnunn.com/
Summary
This was an amazing place. Too bad it is so cold and snowy in the winter or we would settle down here!! It is convenient to drive around town. The downtown is thriving. There are plenty of good restaurants. It doesn’t take long to go from downtown Casper to the outskirts where there are numerous recreational activities. This is a great place!
Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!
No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement.
Your partners in travel,
Kathryn, Dave and Lucky
RVing Nomads
It’s a lifestyle
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