We were making our way west across the northern Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. As we began our descent into Shell Canyon, a small autumn storm started to gather. Rain was imminent as the sky turned a soft shade of grey, muting everything around us. When we reached the pull-off for the Shell Falls Interpretive Site precipitation was still at bay, so we decided to stop and check it out.
We were visiting the attraction in autumn, so the buildings were closed but the walkways around the attraction were open. A series of paved paths wrapped around the site, leading to various lookouts. The large mountain known as Copman's Tomb loomed in the background, dominating the scenery.
We made our way along the nearest path, which led to a high overlook of Shell Falls. It was absolutely stunning to behold the rushing waters of Shell Creek plunging 120 ft over the rugged cliffs below us. The girls and I absorbed the view from this amazing vantage point before continuing along the walkways.
Ursa seemed especially impressed with the scenery and was all smiles as we kept exploring the area. We made our way down to the lower platform near the waterfall and came face to face with a magnificent sight.
The large falls were impressive and hypnotic. The water cascaded into a rocky stream bed, where it crashed and bombarded any obstacles in its way, relentlessly making its journey farther into Shell Canyon.
This was a truly spectacular sight and a remarkable place to be. It was one of the most beautiful places we had ever visited, and it was difficult to tear ourselves away from the mesmerizing scene.
We rejoined the network of paved paths. The dogs seemed very interested in this fabulous place. They followed the walkways excitedly, eager to see what the next vista would present.
We continued our tour of the sights, taking in everything around us. The stark cliffs rising above the rushing water were especially striking in their rugged beauty. Mountains towering in the distance provided a gorgeous backdrop to the already dramatic landscape.
The girls were having a lovely time touring the attraction. We followed all the different pathways, observing the full majesty of this place.
Shell Creek flowed away from us, disappearing deep into the canyon it had carved over time.
Grey clouds began to lower onto the mountains and a foggy haze settled over the higher peaks around us. We had made our way around the area, and were just finishing the last unexplored pathway when a gentle rain began to fall. Thankful for the perfect timing, we quickly walked back to the car before the gentle drizzle turned into an outright storm.
This had been a magnificent place to stop. The views were outstanding, and the paved pathways were extremely easy to navigate.
The weather had been kind enough to wait until we had finished our sight seeing to take a nasty turn. We considered ourselves extremely fortunate for the window of time were were able to enjoy here. Shell Falls is one of the most popular attractions in the northern Bighorns, and for good reason. The scenery was so gripping that even in the falling rain we had a hard time pulling ourselves away.
