You Can Hike To The Site Of A Tragic Plane Crash On Wyoming's Bomber Mountain

You'll find elk, pika, and all sorts of other wildlife here, too - but the most interesting thing you'll find in the area is on the ridge between Cloud Peak and Bomber Mountain.

On June 28, 1943, a Flying Fortress like the one pictured above went missing, with a last known location of "Powder River, Wyoming." At the time the pilot radioed in, the plane should have landed in Grand Island, Nebraska. The plane was declared missing shortly thereafter and the Army began to search the region. The theory was that a navigational mishap caused the plane to go off-course, and so the initial searches covered the Wind River Range, Absarokas, and Bighorn mountains, but nothing was found.

Two years later, in 1945, two cowboys spotted something shimmering on the ridge line. They rode up to investigate, and found the wreckage. Enough paint had worn from the hull of the plane that its metal now shone in the sun, and families of the crew were able to get some closure.

Today, you can climb up Bomber Mountain, find a memorial to the crew at Florence Lake, and hike to the remains of the wreckage.

Before you head out into the Cloud Peak Wilderness, you'll have to get a permit. Just fill out the form and stuff it in the box - that way, rangers know who is back in the wilderness at any given time.

You'll end up with two easier days and get to spend more time on the mountain itself, plus, you can enjoy the gorgeous scenery at sundown and sunrise!