Popular Shell Falls In The Bighorns Is Closed, And Won’t Reopen For Two Years

Cody resident Barry Bruxvoort often likes to stop at Shell Falls when driving to and from Sheridan. The falls are gorgeous any time of year, but this is when they get truly beautiful with snowmelt coming down the mountains, filling the falls with white, rushing water.

The falls are just a short walk in from the parking lot, not even really a hike at all, and the site sits at the halfway mark between Cody and Sheridan. That makes it a favorite for Bruxvoort, a place to stretch the legs and take in a bit of nature at the same time. 

Last weekend, he and his son went to the Dead Swede bike race in Sheridan.  

“So we thought, ‘Boy, it’d be great to see the falls,’” Bruxvoort told Cowboy State Daily. “It’s right at the right time of year. They’re just unbelievable.”

That’s when Bruxvoort made a surprising — and unwelcome — discovery. 

The Falls are closed not just this year, but next year too. 

That makes the now second major attraction closed in the Bighorns, Bruxvoort noted, with Crazy Woman Canyon being unexpectedly closed this year for bridge replacements.

“I just didn’t even think to look before we left,” Bruxvoort said. “I thought there’s no way they would close something like that. And then you get there and you’re like in shock. With all the placards being taken down, it’s like they’re going to leave this thing closed for as long as they can.”

A Favorite Stop For Bus Tours, Tourists

Bruxvoort said the Falls are typically full of tourists whenever he’s stopped. 

“Usually that whole parking lot is jam-packed with people,” he said. “Tour buses stop there. It’s one of the biggest highlights for sure in the Bighorns.”

This time, there were still a few cars parked to see the falls, he added. They were just illegally parked, in what Bruxvoort described as a highway hazard kind of way. To him that underscores the folly of suddenly and unexpectedly closing a major attraction like that.

“Like people are risking their lives to (see the Falls) and you can’t just open the gates and say, ‘Yeah, there’s no restroom services?’”

Ignoring The Signs Comes With $5,000 Fine

In fact, according to a special order issued by the U.S. Forest Service, the general public isn’t allowed into the area at all. 

That means all trails, pathways, grounds, the viewing platform, buildings, parking areas, and roads are off limits to the public. Ignoring the closure notice is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000 for individuals or up to $10,000 for an organization. 

Bighorn National Forest did not respond to Cowboy State Daily’s inquiry for more details about the reason for the length of the closure. 

A press release attributes the closure to fixing a power outage that happened several years ago so that restrooms will return to working order. But it didn’t explain why that would take two years to accomplish.

Bruxvoort is one of those questioning that length of time. He also doesn’t understand why the issue hasn’t been fixed before now. 

He feels certain many people will be as disappointed as he was to learn the Falls are closed this year, and he feels sure it will affect tourism for the area to have it closed for two years in a row.

“It’s just unbelievably gorgeous,” he said. “It’s a nice stop for a rest stop and to see the Falls. I hope they can get it open quicker (than two years).”

Shell Store Could Take A Hit

The tourism impact is something that’s weighing on Emily Clark’s mind. She’s the owner of the Shell Store Taphouse & Kitchen and the Shell campground. 

Much of her store’s business, Clark has told Cowboy State Daily, comes from people who decided to make a day trip to see the Falls.

“A lot of our regulars do come up from like Thermopolis and Worland and even Cody,” she said. They’ll drive up the mountain and, of course, any drive up the mountain includes a stop at the Falls.”

After that, her charming, 125-plus-year-old store is a natural little lunch stop along the way, with a selection of pastries and other baked goods, as well as a choice of interesting burgers and sandwiches, like the whiskey bacon burger or the Thai peanut chicken sandwich.

“I’m going to double down and make sure our food is that much better to offset the (Falls being closed),” she said. “To still make it worth people’s time to come and visit.”

Clark said she has also been promoting some of the other, lesser-known attractions in the area like the dinosaur track site and Devil’s Kitchen to people who stop and express frustration with the Falls being closed. 

“People aren’t mad at us, but they do express their frustration about the Falls being closed to us,” she said. “Like ‘Hey, I don’t have anything to do with it. Like I want it open as much as you do.’”

Quick Pivot For Area Tourism 

Like Crazy Woman Canyon, Shell Falls figures prominently in regional tourism promotions. This year’s tourism stickers for the area feature the Pryor Mountain horses, Bighorn Canyon, and a waterfall, which Lovell Chamber of Commerce Director Linda Morrison said was meant to represent Shell Falls.

“We’ll have to change that in our minds to say, ‘OK, this represents the waterfall hikes, because there’s five beautiful ones in Bighorn County,” she said. “It’s time to pivot, right. We’ve got to still stay alive.”

These other waterfalls she mentioned include Porcupine, Bucking Mule, and Paradise falls. They are beautiful, but just a little bit more of a hike than the Shell Falls site, which is just a short walk in, right off Highway 14, rather than an actual hike.

Even without Shell Falls, Morrison feels like the area is “loaded” with everything tourists want to see and do, and she hopes that tourists won’t be discouraged by one attraction being closed. 

Lovell serves as the gateway to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, which offers plenty of wildlife and wild areas to explore, as well as water sports, hiking, fishing, scenic views, and a touch of history with things like the Lockhart cabins. 

Pryor Mountain’s wild horses roam the range and are often visible in lowland areas throughout the summer and are a popular attraction. There’s also the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark nearby, as well as Two Eagles Interpretive Trail, about 6 miles north of Devil Canyon Overlook. The interpretive trail includes results from a multi-year archeological field school, with a focus on tipi rings. 

Morrison said she’s been grateful to hear that the National Park Service plans to keep the Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center open. 

“They’re not going to be able to offer some of the services that they’ve been able to do,” she said. “They’re having to tighten up, but the visitor center gets to be fully staffed and open.”

Greybull Looks To Promote Alternatives As Well

While Shell Falls aren’t the main draw to the Greybull area, a quick pivot was also on the mind of Shayla Spragg, who runs both the Greybull Museum and the Chamber of Commerce.

“It is definitely going to have an impact,” she said. “There’s going to be a lot of disappointment. I’ve already had a field trip in here the other day from Burlington and the field trips they usually stop here, then they’ll go to the dinosaur tracks and then next they usually go to Shell Falls.”

It’s also long been a favorite stop of Spragg and her family when traveling Highway 14, so she gets the keen disappointment Bruxvoort felt when he unexpectedly discovered the Falls are closed, not just this year, but next year as well.

“That parking lot is full every weekend,” she said. “I mean that place drives a lot of tourism so it’s definitely going to be a sad summer without the falls open.”

Spragg said she’s hoping work at the falls can be completed sooner than two years, but in the meantime, she, like Clark, will be touting things like the dinosaur tracks and Devil’s Kitchen.

“I’m optimistic in nature,” she said. “So, I’m hoping that it won’t have too grave an effect on everyone. And I think (for Greybull) it’s not the main draw to our area. Most people are passing through to kind of get to Yellowstone. So, I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed, but I don’t think it’s going to have a very large impact.”

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.