Shell Falls
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Shell Falls is a waterfall in Wyoming, at a modelled elevation of 1,890 m. Near Miss Pinnacles stands 3,589 m to the east-southeast, 24 miles off. The nearest named place is Bull Springs, a spring 0.5 miles away. Bighorn Scenic Byway runs past it.
The story
Shell Falls is a waterfall in the Bighorn National Forest on Shell Creek, about halfway down Shell Canyon, and a few miles upstream from the town of Shell in northeast Wyoming. The falls are 120 feet (37 meters) in height and tumble over basement rock of granite. From the rest area and interpretive center, one can see outcrops of the Cambrian flathead sandstone, about 550 million years old, resting on 2.9 billion year old Precambrian rocks—some of the oldest rocks on earth. Visitors can also see "Copman's Tomb", a massive limestone promontory to the north.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q38293, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- On the Bighorn Scenic Byway
- 10.6 mi off the Medicine Wheel Passage
- 12.0 mi off the Red Gulch/Alkali National Back Country Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Scenic Viewpoint · 2 mi
- Scenic Viewpoint · 7 mi
- Scenic Viewpoint · 12 mi
- Scenic Viewpoint · 14 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Rattlesnake Hill: 2.1 mi
- Horse Mountain: 2.8 mi
- Cedar Mountain: 3.7 mi
- Elephant Head Rock: 3.7 mi
- Sunlight Mesa: 4.5 mi
- Long Park: 4.4 mi
- Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite: 13.1 mi
- Garden of the Gods: 13.3 mi
- Shutts Flats: 13.8 mi
- Burgess Picnic Area: 14.3 mi
- Bull Springs: 0.5 mi
- Reserve Spring: 1.7 mi
- Deer Spring: 5.1 mi
- Three Springs: 5.7 mi
- Three Springs: 5.7 mi
- Devils Leap: 9.5 mi
- Spanish Point: 12.9 mi
- Weston Point: 16.6 mi
- Riley Point: 20.8 mi
- Spear Lake Cliff: 24.1 mi
- Granite Creek Picnic Area: 3.3 mi
- Burgess Picnic Area: 14.3 mi
- Pine Island Picnic Area: 14.8 mi
- Twin Lakes Picnic Area: 15.4 mi
- Big Horn Basin Geoscience Center: 22.7 mi
- Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting: 23.8 mi
- Bull Elk Park Natural Area: 21.2 mi
- Medicine Wheel: 22.4 mi
- Caboose: 22.6 mi
- Porcupine Falls: 23.8 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 24.1 miles of Shell Falls. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near Miss Pinnacles | ESE 123° | 3,589 m | 23.8 mi |
| Cross Creek Peak | ESE 114° | 3,584 m | 22.4 mi |
| Five Fingers | ESE 121° | 3,572 m | 23.9 mi |
| Starvation Peak | ESE 119° | 3,548 m | 24.1 mi |
| Panoram Point | ESE 120° | 3,536 m | 23.5 mi |
| Spear Peak | ESE 119° | 3,517 m | 18.9 mi |
| Elk Peak | E 101° | 3,352 m | 14.1 mi |
| Dutch Oven Peak | SE 125° | 3,321 m | 15.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:14 | 18:45 | 19:23 |
| June solstice | 05:26 | 20:15 | 21:00 |
| September equinox | 06:58 | 18:31 | 19:10 |
| December solstice | 07:45 | 15:45 | 16:34 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 20 | 24 | 36 | 44 | 54 | 63 | 71 | 69 | 59 | 45 | 32 | 21 |
| Precip in | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Shell, 9 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/2398702722
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