Shell Creek forces
its way between the 3 billion year-old granite walls of Shell Canyon in a
noisy, 120 foot plunge to another, lower level of the canyon floor. You can
feel the earth shake under your feet as you absorb the sight, scent and
sound. It so good to be alive! There is a designated parking area here plus
an interpretive center maintained by the Forest Service (Summer hours: daily 9a to 5p).
An excellent, self-guiding 'interpretive trail' introduces you the the
geology and current flora and fauna and a very easy trail to a rustic bridge
overlooking the waterfall makes viewing easy for everyone.
How to get there:
Take I-90 west from
Sheridan to exit 9 (Ranchester). Head west on US-14, through Dayton (6
miles) winding your way up to Burgess Junction (27 miles). There US-14 Alt
splits off from US-14. You want to stay on US-14 (the highway to your left)
and continue your climb to Granite Pass (8,950 feet elevation). Now you wind
(carfully) down, the highway trying to follow Granite Creek. While not
visible from the highway, Granite Creek and several other creeks merge with
Shell Creek and, what they call a creek, really becomes a river.
The Shell Falls
Viewing Area is very obvious. You may already have heard the thunder of the
waterfall. We were told by the Ranger that the typical water flow over Shell
Falls is something like 3,600 gallons per second. While that is a
measurement we couldn't visualize, seeing the waterfall provides an impact
for which no numbers can substitute.
Links to some
excellent photos of Shell Falls:
For more information
about this area:
Bighorn National Forest
1969 S Sheridan Ave
Sheridan WY 82801
307-672-0751
