Old Trail Town
1831 DeMaris Dr, Cody, WY
Cody, WY
Real Old West cabins and outlaw hideouts, gathered and rebuilt on the edge of Cody, where the frontier feels close enough to touch.
Old Trail Town is not a movie set but a genuine gathering of the frontier, a street of real cabins, saloons, and buildings collected from across the region and rebuilt at the edge of Cody. Founded by a local archaeologist and historian, it saved authentic structures tied to the outlaws, trappers, and settlers of the Old West before they could be lost.
Among the buildings is a cabin once used as a hideout by Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and their Wild Bunch, along with other structures full of frontier history. Nearby lie the graves of frontier figures, including the mountain man whose life inspired the legend of Jeremiah Johnson, making the whole place feel like the Old West preserved in one quiet spot.
What Guests Love
- Authentic frontier cabins and buildings, moved here and lovingly preserved
- A cabin once used as a hideout by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- The graves of frontier figures, including the man behind the Jeremiah Johnson legend
- The uncrowded, atmospheric feel of a real Old West street
Worth Knowing
- The site is seasonal, generally open in the warmer months; check before an off-season visit
- It is an outdoor walking site, so wear good shoes and bring sun protection
- The buildings are genuine historic structures, so treat them gently
- It pairs naturally with a Cody visit on the way to or from Yellowstone
Details
Cody, WY
Learn about Old Trail Town
A town gathered from the frontier
Old Trail Town was created by moving genuine historic buildings from around the Bighorn Basin and beyond to a single site near Cody, saving them from decay and demolition. The result is a street of authentic cabins, a saloon, a livery, and other structures, each with its own history.
Because the buildings are real, weathered logs and hand-hewn timber and all, the place has an atmosphere that a reconstruction cannot match. Walking the street, you are among the actual walls that sheltered trappers, settlers, and outlaws in the frontier years.
Outlaws and the Wild Bunch
One of the most famous buildings is a cabin used as a hideout by Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and their Wild Bunch gang, who ranged across this remote corner of the West. The rugged basin and mountain country offered plenty of hiding places for those on the wrong side of the law.
Other structures and artifacts recall the lawmen, robberies, and hard characters of the era. The collection turns the tall tales of Western outlaws into something concrete, the actual doorways and rooms where such figures once passed.
Frontier graves and legends
Old Trail Town also holds a small cemetery where frontier figures have been reburied, among them John Johnston, the mountain man whose life inspired the legend and the film Jeremiah Johnson. Standing at these graves ties the Hollywood myths back to the real, harder lives behind them.
Trappers, scouts, and pioneers rest here, each a thread in the story of how the West was traveled and settled. The quiet cemetery adds a reflective note to a visit, a reminder of the human cost and courage of the frontier era.
Cody and the road to Yellowstone
Cody was founded by William Buffalo Bill Cody, the scout and showman who made the Old West famous around the world, and the town remains steeped in that heritage, anchored by its renowned Western museum complex. Old Trail Town offers a quieter, more intimate counterpoint.
The town is a gateway to Yellowstone's east entrance, reached by the dramatic drive up the North Fork of the Shoshone. Open through the warmer months, Old Trail Town makes a memorable stop on the way to or from the park, when the frontier past feels very close.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Cody
Buffalo Bill Center of the West
About 2 miles east
Cody's world-class complex of five museums on the art, history, and firearms of the West.
Smith Mansion
About 25 miles west
An astonishing hand-built wooden tower rising along the road toward Yellowstone.
Yellowstone East Entrance
About 50 miles west
The dramatic drive up the Shoshone canyon to the park's quiet eastern gate.