Old Trail Town

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.

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.

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 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.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Old Trail Town, in the town of Cody in northwestern Wyoming, is a fascinating collection of authentic historic Old West buildings, cabins, and artifacts gathered from around the region and reassembled to recreate a frontier town. The buildings include cabins connected to famous outlaws and figures of the Wild West, such as a cabin used by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, along with a saloon, homes, and other structures, all filled with period artifacts. The site also includes the graves of notable frontier figures, including the mountain man who inspired the character Jeremiah Johnson. With its genuine historic buildings and Old West atmosphere, Old Trail Town offers an authentic and evocative glimpse into frontier history in Cody, Wyoming.

You can walk among more than two dozen authentic historic Old West buildings, including cabins linked to famous outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a saloon, homes, and other frontier structures filled with genuine period artifacts, wagons, and memorabilia, and see the graves of notable frontier figures, including the mountain man who inspired Jeremiah Johnson. The collection of authentic buildings creates an evocative frontier-town setting. Interpretive information tells the stories. With its genuine historic buildings, artifacts, outlaw connections, and frontier graves, Old Trail Town offers an authentic and atmospheric look at the Old West in Cody, Wyoming.

Old Trail Town is typically open seasonally, generally from around mid-spring through fall, so those months are the time to visit, with summer the peak season in Cody, and late spring and early fall offering pleasant weather and fewer crowds. Because it is an outdoor collection of buildings, mild, dry weather is most comfortable for exploring. Checking the current seasonal hours before you go is important since it closes for winter. For the best experience walking the historic frontier town in pleasant weather, aim for the open season from spring through fall at Old Trail Town in Cody, Wyoming.

Yes, Old Trail Town is an engaging family destination, with children fascinated by the authentic Old West cabins, the outlaw connections and stories of figures like Butch Cassidy, the frontier artifacts and wagons, and the atmospheric setting that brings the Wild West to life. Walking among the genuine historic buildings sparks imagination about frontier life. The manageable, walkable size suits families. With its authentic frontier buildings, outlaw lore, and evocative Old West atmosphere, Old Trail Town offers a fun and educational outing for families interested in the history of the American West in Cody, Wyoming.

Old Trail Town is in the town of Cody in northwestern Wyoming, near the world-class Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a gateway to Yellowstone National Park to the west, the scenic Wapiti Valley and Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, and within reach of the Shoshone National Forest. That makes Old Trail Town an authentic historical stop to combine with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the Wapiti Valley, Yellowstone National Park, and the other attractions of the Cody area on a visit to Wyoming.