For centuries, Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming has been an iconic destination in the American West. 

As the nation’s 250th birthday approaches, consider a trip to see the park and other Wyoming historic sites for yourself, and when you do, follow these tips to make the most of your experience. 

USA 250 Most Treasured Views is a USA TODAY Network project exploring places across America with historical and cultural significance, created in celebration of the USA 250 initiative marking the nation’s 250th birthday.

The abundant wildlife and natural beauty of Grand Teton have lured people for generations. And in America’s 19th century western expansion, the largest mountain in the Teton Range was too alluring for explorers to pass.

Over the next century, explorers mapped and studied the terrain, while settlers made it an important trading outpost.

As the fur trade dried up and the soil proved too rocky for most to farm, the area became a hot spot of “dude ranching,” thriving by letting people sample Western life. 

With more than 300,000 acres in Grand Teton National Park, you have almost every outdoor activity imaginable available — camping, floating on the Snake River, nature hikes, rock climbing, fishing, boating, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are just the beginning.

Ranger and expert-led activities include snowshoeing groups, conservation talks, interpretive walks and more. 

Read here for more details to help plan your trip.

More: Order our Most Treasured Views coffee table book

Amber Roldan covers trending news for the Coloradoan. 

While traveling in Wyoming, I have often pointed out a lone tree off in the distance, standing against the elements. So, it is not surprising that there is/was a town called Lonetree.

Lonetree is a census-designated place in Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 49 at the 2010 census.

Today Lonetree is a remote community in Uinta County, nestled just north of the high Uinta Mountains.

If you are on Highway 141, you’ll see this one building, which is all that is left of the original town.

Before Europeans, this was an area that was prized by the Ute and Shoshone—who spent winters at the base of the Uinta Mountains. Fur traders and trappers found the area rich for what they were after.

The town was established in 1888, with the Lonetree Mercantile and Post Office, which served as the community’s social nerve center for decades.

The original building burned down, and an English immigrant named Herbert Joshua Gregory built a new one in 1897 that operated continuously until 1982.

If you drive by today, you’ll see that one old store that looks like it belongs in an old West town. The area is well preserved but sparsely populated. It is home to massive working properties like the historic Lonetree Ranch, encompassing thousands of acres of private, state, and BLM land, which is recognized for maintaining sustainable agricultural and conservation practices.

You can learn more, along with old photos of the town, at the Intermountain Histories website, at this link.

What is left of the town is on the far bottom west corner of Wyoming, below Fort Bridger.