Images of Shoshone National Forest, Shoshone Canyon – Wyoming, taken in July 2025.

The Shoshone National Forest, the first national forest established in the United States (1891), extends protection of the ecosystem to the east of Yellowstone National Park, the first national park ever created (1872).

Rarely have I driven through a national forest and felt like I was driving through a national park or monument, but as I worked my way toward the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park from Cody Wyoming, I found myself marveling at the towering cliffs and volcanic formations along the Shoshone River. US Highway 14 follows the river through the Shoshone Canyon passing between the forest’s Absaroka Wilderness to the north, and the Washakie Wilderness to the south. I was so impressed with the area that I set aside time at the end of a long day driving through Yellowstone National Park to make sure I had time to photograph and explore, if only by car, the sites towering above me along the highway on the way back to Cody.