Bear River State Park

A 324-acre riverside sanctuary in Evanston featuring herds of bison and elk, miles of multi-use trails, and rich fur-trade history.

Bear River State Park, established in 1991 on the eastern edge of Evanston, Wyoming, serves as a 324-acre day-use sanctuary that bridges human history and high-desert ecology. Situated just south of Interstate 80 at Exit 6, the park centers around a gentle stretch of the Bear River, a waterway known to local Indigenous peoples as Quee-ya-paw, meaning tobacco root, named for the native plants that once lined its banks. Nineteenth-century trappers renamed the river for the abundance of bears they encountered here, and the area quickly became a favored site for fur-trade rendezvous. Today, the park preserves this riparian corridor, offering a quiet, accessible retreat where the sagebrush plains meet the cottonwood-lined riverbanks.

At the heart of the park's wildlife conservation and education efforts are its resident herds of bison and elk, which graze in spacious, secure pastures visible from the main paths. The captive bison herd typically numbers between 10 and 12 adults, managed in cooperation with other state facilities like Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis. In 2023, the herd gained national attention with the birth of a rare, white-furred bison calf, a genetic trait resulting from historical cattle DNA rather than albinism. While the calf was eventually relocated, its white-furred mother and sister remain on-site. Nearby, a small herd of bull elk displays massive antler arrays, which are particularly striking during the autumn rut. For a deeper look at the region's fauna, the Bear River State Park Visitor Center, located at 601 Bear River Drive, houses extensive taxidermy displays of Wyoming wildlife, alongside exhibits featuring live native snakes.

Outdoor recreation in the park is anchored by a well-designed trail system that totals nearly five miles of pathways. A 1.2-mile paved asphalt loop is wheelchair-accessible and leads to an arched footbridge spanning the river. Crossing this bridge brings visitors to the western side of the park, which features more than three miles of packed gravel and dirt trails winding through groves of mature cottonwoods. These paths connect directly to the Bear River Greenway, a city-managed trail system that extends into downtown Evanston, passing the local ice ponds and the Bear River Pavilion. During the winter, these trails are groomed for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, while summer brings anglers casting for brown and rainbow trout. Looking outward from the trails, the park offers a clear view of the Wyoming Overthrust Belt, a dramatic geological formation shaped by the ancient Sevier and Laramide orogenies, with the distant peaks of the Uinta Mountains framing the southern horizon.