Top 10 Outdoor Adventures in Glendo State Park, WY

For a spectacular adventure in Wyoming’s beautiful and expansive landscape, Glendo State Park is the place to go. Located in the southeastern part of the state, Glendo offers 22,000 acres of rugged recreational space to explore.

Created by the North Platte River, the vast Glendo Reservoir weaves through the park to offer water enthusiasts excellent boating and fishing opportunities. Glendo State Park also contains more than 45 miles of hiking and biking trails. With Laramie Peak, the highest point in Wyoming, towering over the park, the reservoir winding through it, and nature all around, Glendo is a great choice for your next adventure.

Here are the top 10 adventures that await you at Glendo State Park.

1. Camping

Camping is plentiful in Glendo State Park. The park offers 19 campgrounds with more than 500 campsites. Most of the sites are by reservation only, so make sure to check to see if you need to book in advance.

Before camping in Glendo State Park, or any of the gorgeous Wyoming State Parks, make sure to check the website to find the most recent information related to fire restrictions and Covid-19. For example, open flames and wood fires (including campfires) in this state park are currently prohibited. That includes campfire in rings and tiki torches. Gas fire pits, gas & propane stoves and charcoal grills are allowed as long as they have lids.

Whether you tent or RV camp in Glendo State Park, there are many amazing options with different scenic views and varying amenities, including the most popular camping areas:

Sandy Beach Campgrounds

On the eastern side of the reservoir sits a large, 2-mile stretch of white-sand beach appropriately named Sandy Beach. Sandy Beach offers the perfect location for swimming and water sports, making the area one of the park’s most popular summer destinations. Two campgrounds are situated on Sandy Beach - Dune and Willow.

Sandy Beach Dune Campground

Sandy Beach Dune is on the south end of the beach and is slightly further from the reservoir. Amenities include:

• 67 sites
• Electric hookups (at select sites)
• Drinking water
• Vault toilets 
• Group campsites
• Day-use group shelters
• Pets allowed

Sandy Beach Willow Campground

Situated on the north end of the beach, Sandy Beach Willow offers immediate access to the water. A large grove of trees provides refreshing shade for campers. Amenities include:

• 71 sites
• Electric hookups (at select sites)
• Drinking water
• Vault toilets 
• Group campsites
• Day-use group shelters
• Pets allowed

Two Moon Campground

Two Moon is Glendo State Park’s oldest and most popular campsite. It sits within a pine forest, on top of a bluff that overlooks the reservoir. There is no direct water access, but the Marina boat ramp is about a mile away. There is a trailhead located at Two Moon, giving hikers and bikers easy access to a large section of the non-motorized trail system in the park. Note that the Two Moon campground can only accommodate tents and RVs that are 27 feet or less.

Amenities include:

• 89 sites
• Electric hookups (at select sites)
• Drinking water
• Vault toilets
• Group campsites
• Day-use group shelter
• Playground
• Pump track
• Trailhead
• Yurts
• Pets allowed

Shelter Point Campground

This well-established campground neighbors the marina and offers stunning views of the reservoir, the dam, and the night skies. The campground has little tree cover, but there is a small, nicely sheltered beach on the south side of the site that offers family fun for everyone. Amenities include:

• 26 sites
• Accommodations for large units
• Vault toilets
• Day-use group shelters
• Pets allowed

2. Camping in a Yurt

Glendo State Park offers up a unique adventure for campers who want to experience something different from tent or RV camping. Three yurts, located at Two Moon Campground, are available to rent year round. The yurts are large, circular, insulated structures equipped with beds, a dining table, and 6 chairs. They also have skylights, windows, ceiling fans, and a combination heater and AC unit. Outside of each yurt, there's a picnic table and fire pit. The yurts provide a fun family experience and something just a little different from traditional camping.

3. Boating

The name Glendo State Park is synonymous with water activities, and boating is one of the favorites. There are six public boat ramps available for use on the reservoir, as well as five courtesy docks. Bring your own boat to enjoy the 12,000 surface acres of water. Whether you enjoy leisurely boat rides or a more activity-filled day with water skiing or knee boarding, the reservoir welcomes you. No boat? No problem! You can easily rent one, or you can rent almost any water toy such as jet skis, wave runners, or stand-up paddleboards at one of several local rental locations.

4. Fishing

Fishing is a huge attraction at Glendo State Park. With so much water, the park offers an abundance of fishing opportunities. While most anglers prefer to fish from a boat, you can easily catch dinner from the shorelines of many campgrounds. The park is a prime spot for catching walleyes, and the reservoir also offers up perch, bass, catfish, and crappie. At the south end of the park, you’ll find a marina where you can purchase bait and other fishing supplies or rent equipment and a fishing boat. Good things to know about fishing at Glendo State Park:

• Fishing is excellent anywhere in the park.
• Best fishing is in the late spring to early summer.
• A fish cleaning station is available at Bennett Hill Campground.
•  A valid Wyoming Fishing License is required

5. Hiking

Besides water activities, hiking offers amazing adventures in Glendo State Park. With 4 trailheads, over 45 hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty and so much amazing scenery, there's a hike for everyone. The trails loop together, so you can choose to take a shorter, easier loop or a longer, more rigorous route. Some of the more popular loops include:

Twenty 15 and Narrow Bluffs Loop

• 3.5-mile loop
• Easy
• 406-foot elevation gain
• River and mountain views

Two Moon, Broken Bow, and Buffalo Run Loop

• 6.4-mile loop
• Easy
• 449-foot elevation gain
• River views

Raptor, Rattlesnake, Feather Rim, and Rocky River Loop

• 15.4-mile loop
• 1811-foot elevation gain
• Moderate
• River, mountain, wetland views

6. Mountain Biking

Glendo State Park offers bikers the chance to try over 40 miles of hand-tooled, single-tracks of varying difficulty levels. Many of these tracks run through popular campgrounds and overlook the reservoir, so you can enjoy incredible water views as you ride and easily post up at a campsite after a day on the trails. 

Easier mountain biking loops include Two Moons, Buffalo Run and Porcupine. Two Moon Campground is also furnished with a pump track near the group shelter area. For more advanced riders, try Feather Rim, 91 Gigawatt, and Toadstool.

7. Swimming

Glendo Reservoir provides a great place for a refreshing swim. Sandy Beach and Shelter Point are both no-wake zones, so these are some of the best and safest swimming spots. For a more serene and isolated swimming area, hike from Sandy Beach to Burnt Wagon. Note that all areas in Glendo State Park are swim-at-your-own-risk with no lifeguards on duty.

8. Archery

If you've never tried archery before, or you have a child who is interested in the sport, you can try it out while visiting Glendo State Park. The park has an exhilarating range that consists of two courses:

Course One

A six-target static range with distances from 10 to 60 yards.

Course Two

A 20-target 3D course with pop-up targets (they even have a Sasquatch target) to simulate bowhunting scenarios. A 1.1-mile moderate-level hiking trail runs through the course.

There are no additional fees to use the archery range. If you are a beginner and don’t have any equipment, bows can be checked out free of charge at the Park Headquarters.

9. Hunting

If hunting is your sport of choice, don’t forget to pack your hunting gear in your RV when visiting Glendo State Park. Hunting is allowed, but only during Wyoming Game and Fish Department regulated hunting seasons. Larger game includes deer, elk, moose, and antelope. There are also bird and small-game hunting opportunities in the park, and the annual Pheasant Management Hunt is a popular activity. Hunting areas are designated north of Indian Point and west of Waters Point. Hunters are required to follow all rules and regulations set forth by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Wyoming State Parks.

10. Observing Wildlife

If shooting wildlife through a camera lens is more your thing, Glendo State Park is full of opportunities for wildlife viewing. With mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope, coyotes, turkeys, and a large number of bird species to spot, you’re bound to see something. If you are a bird watcher, the Wetlands are the place to be, but many of the trails also offer great opportunities to view birds and other wildlife. 

The Park Headquarters offers backpacks that can be checked out, free-of-charge, containing binoculars, books, and pamphlets about viewing wildlife in the area. Observing wildlife is a year-round activity, but fall, winter, and spring offer the best opportunities.

Room For Adventure

With 10,000 acres of land and 12,000 acres of water, Glendo State Park offers plenty of room for adventure in this gorgeous area of Wyoming. Your family can experience everything from a beach vacation with swimming, boating, and watersports to the rugged adventures of hiking, mountain biking, and hunting. And don’t forget the fishing, as Glendo Reservoir is home to one of the best walleye fisheries in the state. With its vast scenic views and unlimited year-round activities, Glendo State Park is the perfect place to explore and enjoy your next adventure.

Featured Image - Glendo Reservoir and Laramie Peak by Wusel007, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.