You might expect a place called “Hell’s Half Acre” to be bleak, barren, and hot as, well, hell. That’s why a trip to this natural wonder is so surprising.

Though it may not exactly be paradise, the rock formations, ravines, and overall landscape in Hell’s Half Acre are mesmerizing. It’s one of the many pieces of Wyoming that has fascinated people for almost two centuries.

You'll find Hell's Half Acre in the middle of Wyoming, halfway between Shoshone and Casper on US-26.
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When explorers stumbled onto this 320-acre slice of land in 1833, they truly believed they'd happened into some corner of hell. Between the odor of sulfur permeating the air and the stark terrain, where else could they be?
Barbara Ann Spengler/Flickr
Scientists later attributed the stench to ancient coal deposits that had been burning for years.
Initially, the odd tract of land was dubbed the Devil's Kitchen, but when local merchants in the 1930s had postcards made with pictures of the area on them to lure tourists to central Wyoming, the printers mistakenly printed "Hell's Half Acre" on them. Rather than go to the trouble and cost of reprinting, the name was changed to match the cards.
Doug Kerr/Flickr
Today, the stunning acreage has been turned into a public park. The air is much fresher and the hottest temperatures in the summer average in the 90s - much milder than you'd expect in a place named for Hades.
Doug Kerr/Flickr

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The deep ravines, craggy spires, and rugged towers are otherworldly. The scenery seems as if it's from an entirely different planet.
Nathan Hamm/Flickr
The area does such a good job of impersonating an extraterrestrial world that it was used in the sci-fi movie Starship Troopers as the planet Klendathu.
There used to be a motel, restaurant, and campground in Hell's Half Acre, but the businesses were closed and the buildings were torn down.
Bill Lile/Flickr
Though you can no longer book a room or get a meal at Hell's Half Acre, you can bring your own food and enjoy a picnic atop the cliff.
Doug Kerr/Flickr
Hikers and photographers enjoy exploring the area. There aren't any official hiking trails, but there is a road that drops down into the ravine. You can't drive down it, but it's a nice walk.
Doug Kerr/Flickr
The road is even paved, a leftover courtesy of the Hollywood folks who needed to get their equipment to the bottom of the gulch.
It's not exactly hellish, but the colors the colors and textures in Hell's Half Acre certainly make it bewitching.
Doug Kerr/Flickr

Have you been to Hell’s Half Acre? What about it was most memorable for you?

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