Hell's Half Acre was one of the MOST ACCESSIBLE AND PICTURESQUE ROADSIDE STOPS along my cross…read morecountry road trip! I knew about this place prior to visiting. I knew I wanted to come here. I had read that Hell's Half Acre was a fantastic roadside attraction and it did not disappoint! After spending the prior day servicing my car, grabbing supplies, food and gas in Casper, Wyoming for continuing on my summer journey...I then headed straight here to witness if Hell's Half Acre was as good as what I had seen on the internet. Yeah so it's located 44 miles west of Casper and I simply plugged Hell's Half Acre into Google Maps and had no problems finding it. Reception along Highway 26 in Wyoming was just fine for me. And...it's as basic of a roadside stop as it gets. No sugar coating anything. There's a sign saying that I was here and I easily turned into the parking lot. At first I thought to myself....um, "maybe this won't be good?" Is this really what I drove all the way here for?" But...upon getting out of my car and heading straight to the overview...I was quite impressed. It was beautiful. For anyone who knows and appreciates the badlands scenery and terrain....then Hell's Half Acre is for you! I was very appreciative. Not only were the badlands expansive and dramatic, but they were colorful as well. I'd say there were lots of purple and white colors embedded all along the cracks and curves. It was pretty. Now...okay yeah, so there's a fence built up surrounding the entire overlook. But, I mean cmon...there was no way to truly enjoy what Hell's Half Acre was all about while standing behind a fence. No way! So...along not 1, but 2 parts of the fencing....there were easy spots where I crawled underneath the fencing to access closer views of the badlands. Yep I did this! For sure! I mean...there were no security guards and or enforcement on duty to prevent you from getting a closer look. There was virtually no one even there. And for me...I'm not the type to risk my safety just for photos, but I promise...crawling underneath the fencing was perfectly fine. The 1st area I crawled underneath was off to the side while I was investigating even if Hell's Half Acre could be better accessed. It was off to the left hand side while I ventured away from the parking area. I crawled underneath, walked along an entirely lengthy and grassy area that extended pretty far, but...I got much better aspects to the badlands for my picture taking. It was definitely worth it! The 2nd part where I found the best spot to crawl underneath the fencing was right at the immediate and main parking lot. Basically, you can't miss it....because, all you have to do is look for the area and spacing available where an actual human body can fit properly under and then you'll know it's the one, lol! Once again, this 2nd spot was right at and or in the parking lot. And...this is where I received some pretty magical views from. It was quite memorable! Once I crawled under the fence I then walked towards the end of the ledge/viewpoint....and I promise....this was totally safe and in no way did I put myself in any type of endangerment. But yeah...this viewpoint from the ledge was fantastic. I was able to see the badlands much better and my perspectives weren't hindered with a fence! My photos came out wonderfully, especially because I visited in the morning with the sun appearing at my back. And from this angle, I snapped plenty of terrific pictures as the badlands offered so many different aspects to gaze upon. Funny, for what you'd expect to be quick a roadside stop....since I discovered these 2 spots to crawl under the fence...I actually spent about 90 minutes hanging out. Overall I just admired what Hell's Half Acre was about. And yeah, for being in the middle of nowhere...I was quite happy and left here with a sense of fulfillment for having visited. From Hell's Half Acre I was continued along my drive 82 miles northwest towards Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway and eventually to one of the best drives in the USA....Beartooth Highway ultimately leading into Yellowstone National Park. I highly recommend making an effort to see what Hell's Half Acre is all about. The statuesque badlands at this roadside stop were very photogenic and I really enjoyed my time here. And I promise...crawling under the fencing to gain more accessibility to the viewpoint of the badlands was quite fine! No one was even around when I visited in August and it certainly made for my photos to be much more cherishing now when I look back upon them.

This 150 ft deep gorge in the middle of nowhere is very easy to miss. There is no fancy sign or…read morepaved parking lot. We didn't even see another visitor while looking around, but it is absolutely surreal. I wish we could see more, the whole view was closed of with metal fence. If there was a facility with entrance fee and somebody to show us in, we would happily pay and take the tour. Locals call these places badlands. You might not be able to grow crops in this area, but we found it very special. I believe I read that Indians were using the area to hunt.. they would make large herds of animals jump off the cliff while trying to escape.

Independence Rock is definitely a stop worth making if you are doing that long, slog of a drive…read morefrom Casper to Rawlins. Down the road is Martin's Cove which has it's own historical significance , history and stories. Devil's Gate is near here too which is a natural rock formation which is a gorge where the Sweetwater River is. All these things are in close proximity to Independence Rock so you can spend a fair amount of time checking out these sites. But staying on topic to this entry, Independence Rock was a landmark used by many emigrants heading west. Travelers from the Oregon, Mormon and California emigrant trails used the rock as a bulletin board. The earliest name carved in the Rick was by William L. Sublette which dates back to 1830 and Hugh is credited for the oldest inscription which goes back 1824. 5,000 names are carved onto this rock. I have been here twice and have examined some of the carvings. Some you can tell are quite old and some have faded. Some I suspect are much more recent and weren't emigrants at all. Which I am sure is discouraged due to this landmarks historical significance. I like to think people are more respectful of such a historical site but there is always someone that comes along that isn't. Anyway it's worth the stop and an excellent place to recalibrate from the lengthy driving.

At a distance it looks like a huge whale [Alcova WY]…read more Visit: July 4, 2024. Independence Rock in central Wyoming is just a few miles down the road from Martin's Cove. This area is a rest stop but behind it is a natural historic landmark. We stopped here for about 10 minutes, very briefly. I didn't get a chance to get up close to the rock. We stopped here once again (4 days later) before heading back towards home in California. We had more time to spare and we were able to go around the base of the rock. There were interpretive signs along the footpath. Hiking is allowed on the rock but I wasn't adventurous enough to climb on top of it. The rock stands at 130-ft high, 1,900-ft long and 850-ft wide. Historic! Emigrants traveling the Missouri River had to reach this important rock landmark along the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails before July 4th if they were to make it over the Rocky Mountains before winter. They carved their names on the granite rock leaving their marks over the centuries... some of the markings we saw were names, initials, dates. Some were wearing thin. What an incredible time in U.S. History and I'm so glad we returned and had a chance to see. With more than 5,000 names carved, Independence Rock was named "The Register of the Desert" and it's quite a big deal for the Great State of Wyoming. Review #3475

Very very small airport. Nice staff - No Full TSA pre-check. Have to pull out laptops and liquids.read more