While Wyoming is the best state in the nation for its residents, there are a few things you should be aware of before you start spending time here. These dangers of living in Wyoming are all too real – but you be the judge on which ones will affect your everyday life. Is Wyoming dangerous? You decide!
- Slightly unusual traffic jams
Flickr / Ted We’ve all been caught in a bison jam before. Being late thanks to wildlife is a way of life here.
- Falling in love with Winter
Flickr / Charles (Chuck) Peterson Wyoming has three seasons - July, August and Winter. If you stay here long enough, you start to think thoughts like “Oh, -20 isn’t that bad” and “We really could have used more snow this winter”, and that’s the beginning of the end.
- Getting lost in the wilderness
Flickr / vladislav@munich This is another thing that happens a lot to Wyomingites. Always tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to be back, so they know where to find you if you wander off the trail. This is one of the things that can kill you in Wyoming if you don’t play your cards right.
- Being blown away by the Wyoming wind
Flickr / Daniel Hoherd Okay, so it’s unlikely you’ll be blown off of Devils Tower by a big gust of wind, but we’ve all had to chase down some paper or an umbrella like a cartoon character before.
- Rattlesnakes
Flickr / Paul Cooper There are only two venomous snakes in Wyoming, and you’re not really likely to get bitten by one even if you do spot one off the trail. Just stay calm and give them space. Be extra careful in the Flaming Gorge area, where the Midget Faded Rattlesnake lives. This is Wyoming’s most dangerous snake, but there aren’t many left, and they’re extraordinarily rare.
- Occasionally, a hungry grizzly.
Flickr / josephmccowie Bear spray and bear bags, friends. You’ll see grizzlies if you live here, but they’ll almost always leave you alone. Don’t give them an excuse to take an interest in you.
- Getting stranded on the road
Flickr / Thomas Hawk All it takes is one closed gas station to really ruin a trip. Carry emergency supplies in your car, especially in winter.
- Moose encounters
Flickr / Tim Lumley Moose are a little more frightening than grizzlies to me - they’re all over the place and absolutely gigantic. Give them space and try not to run your car into any of them and you should be good.
- Misplaced bullets
Flickr / Bring Back Words While we love our guns here, it’s an unfortunate reality that our gun fatality rate is nearly twice the national average. Remember basic gun safety - lock them up, teach your kids not to play with them, and never point a gun at something you don’t intend to kill.
- Greenie encounters
Flickr / Lauren Brown Their plates may have changed but their Colorado scent remains the same! Enjoy your own Rockies, neighbors.
- Tourist encounters
Flickr / David Pirmann Unfortunately, encounters with tourists are one of the risks of living in Wyoming. You know, I’ll take my chances with the Moose and the Grizzlies.
- Never being happy anywhere else.
Flickr / Robert No matter how many perilous encounters you have with wind, bears, isolation and greenies, there’s really no place in the world like Wyoming, and those of us who live here wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Don’t let this list discourage you from visiting or moving to Wyoming – it really is unlike any place on earth! Check out The Ultimate and Definitive Bucket List For Everyone In Wyoming and be sure to make your way down the list before you succumb to the Wyoming Wind.
Flickr / Ted
We’ve all been caught in a bison jam before. Being late thanks to wildlife is a way of life here.
Flickr / Charles (Chuck) Peterson
Wyoming has three seasons - July, August and Winter. If you stay here long enough, you start to think thoughts like “Oh, -20 isn’t that bad” and “We really could have used more snow this winter”, and that’s the beginning of the end.
Flickr / vladislav@munich
This is another thing that happens a lot to Wyomingites. Always tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to be back, so they know where to find you if you wander off the trail. This is one of the things that can kill you in Wyoming if you don’t play your cards right.
Flickr / Daniel Hoherd
Okay, so it’s unlikely you’ll be blown off of Devils Tower by a big gust of wind, but we’ve all had to chase down some paper or an umbrella like a cartoon character before.
Flickr / Paul Cooper
There are only two venomous snakes in Wyoming, and you’re not really likely to get bitten by one even if you do spot one off the trail. Just stay calm and give them space. Be extra careful in the Flaming Gorge area, where the Midget Faded Rattlesnake lives. This is Wyoming’s most dangerous snake, but there aren’t many left, and they’re extraordinarily rare.
Flickr / josephmccowie
Bear spray and bear bags, friends. You’ll see grizzlies if you live here, but they’ll almost always leave you alone. Don’t give them an excuse to take an interest in you.
Flickr / Thomas Hawk
All it takes is one closed gas station to really ruin a trip. Carry emergency supplies in your car, especially in winter.
Flickr / Tim Lumley
Moose are a little more frightening than grizzlies to me - they’re all over the place and absolutely gigantic. Give them space and try not to run your car into any of them and you should be good.
Flickr / Bring Back Words
While we love our guns here, it’s an unfortunate reality that our gun fatality rate is nearly twice the national average. Remember basic gun safety - lock them up, teach your kids not to play with them, and never point a gun at something you don’t intend to kill.
Flickr / Lauren Brown
Their plates may have changed but their Colorado scent remains the same! Enjoy your own Rockies, neighbors.
Flickr / David Pirmann
Unfortunately, encounters with tourists are one of the risks of living in Wyoming. You know, I’ll take my chances with the Moose and the Grizzlies.
Flickr / Robert
No matter how many perilous encounters you have with wind, bears, isolation and greenies, there’s really no place in the world like Wyoming, and those of us who live here wouldn’t trade it for the world.
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Address: Wyoming, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Dangers of Living in Wyoming July 23, 2022 Christy Articola What are the most dangerous and deadly places in Wyoming, for real? While Wyoming is generally very safe to visit and to live in, there are some dangerous places in The Cowboy State, all kidding aside. Highway 287 is very dangerous because it is a long road and there are lots of crashes on it. Corbet’s Couloir ski slope in Jackson Hole claims many lives due to its notorious free fall. Also, in the winter in northwestern Wyoming, there are lots of avalanches. These are just a few of the dangerous places in Wyoming. To learn more about them and more, check out this post: Here Are The 9 Most Dangerous, Deadly Places In Wyoming What about wild animals? What are some of the most dangerous animals I might encounter in Wyoming? For the most part, wild animals don’t want to have anything to do with you. If you don’t bother them, then they won’t bother you. However, some of the animals you really shouldn’t bother in any way in Wyoming include bears, bison, snakes, mountain lions, and wolves. Learn more about them in this post: 8 Dangerous Critters You Might Encounter When You’re Out And About In Wyoming What else should I know about the dangers of Wyoming? Maybe you don’t want to know, but you should know all of the things in this post! 13 Troubling Facts About Wyoming You Would Be Better Off Not Knowing. There are so many great things about Wyoming, but knowledge is power and knowing is half the battle when it comes to being safe!
The OIYS Visitor Center
Dangers of Living in Wyoming
July 23, 2022
Christy Articola
What are the most dangerous and deadly places in Wyoming, for real? While Wyoming is generally very safe to visit and to live in, there are some dangerous places in The Cowboy State, all kidding aside. Highway 287 is very dangerous because it is a long road and there are lots of crashes on it. Corbet’s Couloir ski slope in Jackson Hole claims many lives due to its notorious free fall. Also, in the winter in northwestern Wyoming, there are lots of avalanches. These are just a few of the dangerous places in Wyoming. To learn more about them and more, check out this post: Here Are The 9 Most Dangerous, Deadly Places In Wyoming What about wild animals? What are some of the most dangerous animals I might encounter in Wyoming? For the most part, wild animals don’t want to have anything to do with you. If you don’t bother them, then they won’t bother you. However, some of the animals you really shouldn’t bother in any way in Wyoming include bears, bison, snakes, mountain lions, and wolves. Learn more about them in this post: 8 Dangerous Critters You Might Encounter When You’re Out And About In Wyoming What else should I know about the dangers of Wyoming? Maybe you don’t want to know, but you should know all of the things in this post! 13 Troubling Facts About Wyoming You Would Be Better Off Not Knowing. There are so many great things about Wyoming, but knowledge is power and knowing is half the battle when it comes to being safe!
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
While Wyoming is generally very safe to visit and to live in, there are some dangerous places in The Cowboy State, all kidding aside. Highway 287 is very dangerous because it is a long road and there are lots of crashes on it. Corbet’s Couloir ski slope in Jackson Hole claims many lives due to its notorious free fall. Also, in the winter in northwestern Wyoming, there are lots of avalanches. These are just a few of the dangerous places in Wyoming. To learn more about them and more, check out this post: Here Are The 9 Most Dangerous, Deadly Places In Wyoming
What about wild animals? What are some of the most dangerous animals I might encounter in Wyoming?
For the most part, wild animals don’t want to have anything to do with you. If you don’t bother them, then they won’t bother you. However, some of the animals you really shouldn’t bother in any way in Wyoming include bears, bison, snakes, mountain lions, and wolves. Learn more about them in this post: 8 Dangerous Critters You Might Encounter When You’re Out And About In Wyoming
What else should I know about the dangers of Wyoming?
Maybe you don’t want to know, but you should know all of the things in this post! 13 Troubling Facts About Wyoming You Would Be Better Off Not Knowing. There are so many great things about Wyoming, but knowledge is power and knowing is half the battle when it comes to being safe!
