Driving Interstate 80 Offers Beautiful Landscapes
Driving along I-80 brings more than just a way to get from Point A to Point B. Along the way, travelers are greeted with some stunning, naturally occurring rock formations.
Each formation has its own name and story to go along with it, like Castle Rock and Tollgate, which was once a barricade with only a small narrow pathway for wagon trains to go through, and some enterprising people set up shop and charged a toll.
“The great thing about this area is there are stories about everything that comes through here,” says Janet Hartford with the Green River Chamber of Commerce. “This is a place that was an Indian gathering site, and they did come and do ceremonies here. With all of the flavor of the west there are great stories, though verifying them is sometimes more difficult.”
Formed from the sediments of the ancient lakes that once covered the area’s landscape, the rock formations have been inspiration to a number of artists, including Thomas Moran, a few of whose landscapes or on display at the Smithsonian.
“He came through here in the early 1800s and did paintings of Yosemite and Yellowstone, as well as several renderings of the formations,” says Hartford.
But the natural beauty inspires more than just professional artists.
“It is a very subtle beauty, but there are so many beautiful things about it at different times of day,” says Hartford, a lifelong resident. “You can see deer and tons of other wildlife. To be able to go and walk from my house and in five minutes be completely by myself, that is a unique experience I don’t think I would trade for anything.”
