Shell Falls Interpretive Site - Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming

(Post and photos by David Miller, Rob Gilchrist, Ernie Blankenship, and Brian Childress)

Shell Falls is a waterfall in the Bighorn National Forest on Shell Creek, about halfway down Shell Canyon, and a few miles upstream from the town of Shell in northeast Wyoming. The falls are 120 feet in height and tumble over basement rock of granite.

From the rest area and interpretive center, one can see outcrops of the Cambrian flathead sandstone, about 550 million years old, resting on 2.9 billion year old Precambrian rocks—some of the oldest rocks on earth. Visitors can also see "Copman's Tomb", a massive limestone promontory to the north.

Coversations/Things we learned:

This is a location you wouldn’t go out of your way to visit but if you are in the Yellowstone/Grand Tetons National Parks Area, it’s worth a brief visit. Keep in mind this is a “site” with walkways and steps down to the waterfalls. This location can be viewed and enjoyed in an hour or so and would be a great location for a picnic. We visited the location as we traveled to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons National Parks. The waterfall is spectacular.

Contact Information:

Website:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/bighorn/recarea/?recid=30868

Gallery of photos: