Dubois

Population: 971
Elevation:  6,946
Known For: Togwotee Pass, Bighorn Sheep, Absaroka Mountains, Historic Dude and Guest Ranches, Year Round Fly Fishing, Snowmobiling
Events: Friday Night Rodeos, Tuesday Night Square Dancing, Day of the Cowboy

Dubois, WY is situated in the “banana belt” of Wyoming with Chinook winds that help keep you cool in the summer and melt snow in the winter. The town has a diverse economy with working ranches, outfitters, artists, craftsmen, and loggers. Be sure to discover some best things to do in Dubois to make the most of your next trip.

Dubois offers convenient services and accommodations to both residents and visitors. A 9-hole golf course is located on the west side of town. The Wind River Historical Center/Dubois Museum is filled with the history of Dubois, housing many artifacts of days gone by. Also open to the public are a covered swimming pool, town park with playground and tennis courts and the library.

Explore Dubois with this interactive audio tour. The tour can be taken remotely by clicking on the white arrow in the green circle below and then clicking on the story sites on the map. Or enjoy the tour on-site by downloading the TravelStorys app for free. The audio, text and images will launch automatically as each story site is approached.

The Story of Dubois

It was 1886 and they wanted to call their little settlement “Never Sweat”, a joke on the men of the area who seemed not to take work too seriously. But the federal government named it Dubois, after an Idaho senator of the era.

Today, the town of Dubois is a quaint little community located along the Wind River, rimmed to the south by the Wind River mountains and to the north by the Absarokas. It’s an area of striking contrasts from the badlands east of town, to the high peaks south, north and west. Stop and stay awhile and see some of the sights.

The Elk of Whiskey Mountain

Whiskey Mountain looms to the south and while several elk herds winter on Whiskey, even more take up winter residence on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Inberg-Roy management area on the East Fork of the Wind River. There, approximately 2,500 to 3,000 elk winter from mid-November to mid-April. Dubois is an area of great diversity in wildlife.

Big game species include bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, moose, antelope and black bear.  Cougar and grizzly bears are occasionally sighted, as are wolves.  The area has a multitude of small wildlife species and migratory waterfowl.

Outdoor things to do in Dubois, WY

Recreational opportunities in the Dubois country include many scenic areas, camping, fishing, hunting, horsepacking, hiking, photography and a large array of remarkable views for the artist. And that’s just in the summer. There’s a lot to do in the winter, too. The Upper Wind River Country has more than 150 miles of groomed snowmobile trails that have access to the Continental Divide Trail.

The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail has 360 miles from Lander to Yellowstone and it also connects to 665 miles of groomed trails. Ice fishing in the winter months is an exciting adventure, as is the dog sled ride at Brooks Lake near Togwotee Pass. Crosscountry skiers enjoy the packed snowmobile trails, or venture off trail for exciting telemark runs.

Seeing the Bighorn Sheep of Dubois, WY

Completed in 1993, the center plays tribute to one of the most stunning of all North America’s big game animals, the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. Dubois is home to the largest wintering bighorn sheep herd in the Lower 48.

Since 1949, more than 2,000 sheep have been transplanted to Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, New Mexico and to other areas of Wyoming from the herd on Whiskey Mountain.

The center offers interpretive displays on the bighorn sheep as well as acting as a repository for research documents. A small mountain is the centerpiece of the 4,250-square-foot building. The mountain displays the sheep in its natural habitat.

Peaks of the Wind River Range

There are 2.4 million acres of national forest, which surround Dubois. Of this acreage, 1.5 million acres are designated as wilderness, where mechanized equipment is now allowed. Gannett Peak, located in the Shoshone National Forest, is the highest peak in the Wind River Range, with an elevation of 13,804 feet. It is due south of Dubois, but it is hidden from sight by the foothills and peaks looming over the valley floor.

A memorial west of Dubois pays tribute to the timber harvesters of yesteryear. Timber harvesting has been a part of Dubois since its early settlement days, in 1914, timber harvesting began on the forests of the Upper Wind River in the DuNoir Valley, in order to supply railroad ties to the Chicago and Northwestern railroad. Thus began the era of the famous “Tie Hack” – the nickname for the job of cutting railroad ties.

During the Tie Hack era, ten million ties or approximately 40 million board feet of lumber was logged from the surrounding hills.

The main operation was run by the Wyoming Tie and Timber Company, whose employees were mostly Swedes and Norwegian immigrants. Their dedication to the drink, vigorous brawling and feats of strength brought to Dubois a colorful and lively bunch of characters.

Remnants of the flumes from this bygone era can still be seen west of Dubois. A 14-foot limestone monument overlooks the site of the Tie Camp.

Visit Dubois as part of the Old Yellowstone Highway Driving Tour, the Circle the Continental Divide Driving Tour, or the Togwotee Driving Tour.

For more information, visit Destination Dubois or the Dubois Chamber of Commerce.

This page is also available in German.