Wyoming is home to several impressive mountain ranges, including the Bighorn, Wind River, Teton, and Medicine Bow ranges. These soaring peaks and rolling foothills provide plenty of inspiration for riddles and brainteasers. Here are 38 riddles about the mountains of Wyoming along with their answers.
Riddles about Famous Wyoming Mountains and Ranges
Let’s start with some riddles focused on Wyoming’s most iconic peaks and ranges:
Grand Teton
Riddle: What towering Teton peak shares part of its name with a biting insect?
Answer: Grand Teton (Tetons mean “large teats” resembling the shape, Teton also sounds similar to gnat or biting fly)
Riddle: What Teton peak is the second highest in the range and linked to native tribes?
Answer: Mount Owen (13,770 feet; named after William O. Owen who studied Shoshone tribes)
Riddle: What dramatic Teton landmark is named for the fort that was ambushed nearby?
Answer: Jackson Lake (Jackson Lake was named for Fort Jackson which was attacked by Blackfoot Indians)
Bighorn Range
Riddle: Over 13,000 feet high, I’m the tallest peak in the Bighorns; some say I was named for a daredevil ranger. Who am I?
Answer: Cloud Peak (Named after Colonel William Cloud, known for his daring horseback rides in the high country)
Riddle: My Bighorn Canyon offers whitewater rafting; I’m named for the trapper who described me in 1823 journals. What peak am I?
Answer: Colter Peak (Named for mountain man John Colter who explored the region)
Wind River Range
Riddle: Named for the “wind of the mind,” what is Wyoming’s largest wilderness area found in the Winds?
Answer: Bridger Wilderness
Riddle:我的风河山脉拥有怀俄明州最高的山峰; 一个侦察兵在1868年为我命名。我是谁?
Answer: Gannett Peak (Named by General Henry Gannett after first surveying the region)
Medicine Bow Mountains
Riddle: Sharing my name with an Oregon city, cold winds blow through my high mountain passes. What Wyoming peak am I?
Answer: Medicine Bow Peak
Riddle: Straddling the highway near the Medicine Bows, my national forest offers outdoor recreation from skiing to fishing. Name me.
Answer: Medicine Bow National Forest
Geographic Riddles about Wyoming Mountains
Let’s continue with some riddles focused on the geography and landscapes of Wyoming’s mountains:
Glaciers and Ice
Riddle: Flowing for thousands of years yet still frozen in time, only a few of my ancient bodies remain in the Winds. What am I?
Answer: Glaciers
Riddle: Carved 10,000 years ago yet hidden until 1939, what is Wyoming’s largest glacier located in Grand Teton National Park?
Answer: Schoolroom Glacier
Mountain Lakes and Waterways
Riddle: High mountain waters flow down from my ice to form Wyoming’s largest natural lake. Name me.
Answer: Yellowstone Lake
Riddle: Located east of Grand Teton, my 40-mile namesake waterway drains both Teton and Yellowstone lakes before joining the Snake. What river am I?
Answer: Lewis River
Mountain Passes and Hazards
Riddle: Traversed by Oregon Trail settlers yet treacherous with steep grades, what aptly named mountain pass crosses the northern Rock Springs?
Answer: Emigrant Gap
Riddle: Blazing fast avalanches can roar down my slopes named for the 1884 mining disaster. Name this Teton landmark.
Answer: Nez Perce Creek
Wildlife Riddles about Wyoming Mountains
The diverse landscapes of Wyoming’s mountains provide habitat for all sorts of wildlife. See if you can solve these riddles related to high-country animals and plants:
Iconic Megafauna
Riddle: Massive and shaggy, I’m the largest land mammal in North America known for my huge head and shoulder hump. What beast am I?
Answer: Bison or buffalo
Riddle: Kings of the mountains, my large antlers shed annually as I migrate to lowlands each winter. What am I?
Answer: Elk
Predators and Prey
Riddle: Quick and cunning, I have reddish fur with bushy tails and sharp teeth for eating small mammals like squirrels and hares. What predator am I?
Answer: Red fox
Riddle: My bark eats trees and my antlers eat shrubs. Up high in the summer, I dine on plants before descending each fall. What am I?
Answer: Mule deer
Mountain Wildlife
Riddle: Camouflaged and rare, I’m North America’s largest wild goat known for my massive spiraled horns. What am I?
Answer: Mountain goat
Riddle: Capable climbers, we forage alpine tundra for pikas and marmots using our sharp eyesight and sense of smell. What are we?
Answer: Grizzly bears
Human History Riddles about Wyoming Mountains
There is a long human history associated with the mountains of Wyoming. Here are some riddles related to Native Americans, explorers, settlers passing through and more:
Native Tribes
Riddle: My people hunted bison for centuries in the Bighorn Basin; later, the tallest Wind River peak would bear my name. Who am I?
Answer: Shoshone tribe
Riddle: Skilled horsemen, my people hunted buffalo in the Laramie plains; the highest Bighorn peak now honors my name. Who am I?
Answer: Crow tribe
Explorers and Frontiersmen
Riddle: Credited as first to describe Yellowstone, I trapped beavers as “half horse, half alligator” in 1807 journals. Name me.
Answer: John Colter
Riddle: My wild travels brought me through South Pass while trapped furs financed mountain expeditions. Who am I?
Answer: Jedediah Smith
Outlaws and Settlers
Riddle: Fleeing east from a Wyoming robbery, my Sundance Kid gang hid out among the Bighorns in 1889. Name me.
Answer: Butch Cassidy
Riddle: We blazed the Oregon Trail across the barren Granite Range in recent years, longing for better lives out west. Who are we?
Answer: Pioneer settlers
Fun Mountain Riddles about Wyoming
Lastly, here are some entertaining and playful riddles about the mountains and people of Wyoming:
Famous Names
Riddle: Artists depict my frontier life near Emigrant Gap, keeping watch for Native tribes from my rough-hewn home. Who am I?
Answer: Jeremiah Johnson
Riddle: My daredevil movies brought fame to Jackson Hole and Teton backdrops in the 1980s. Name me.
Answer: Clint Eastwood
State Pride
Riddle: Chosen as the state emblem in 1935, my antlers adorn license plates across Wyoming today. What big game animal am I?
Answer: White-tailed deer
Riddle: Beloved as the state mammal since 1973, my shaggy profile now appears on the state quarter. What beast am I?
Answer: American bison
Just for Fun
Riddle: We dot alpine tundra across the Bighorns and beyond; golden-mantled, least chipmunks, red-tailed, and more! What are we?
Answer: Marmots and pikas
Riddle: Scrambling up rocky cliffs yet never gaining size, we softly squeak and whistle to communicate in the Winds. What are we?
Answer: Pika
How did you do with these riddles? The mountains of Wyoming have stories to tell and riddles to reveal for those who love nature, history and adventure. Next time you gaze up at the soaring summits and vast skies, see what new mysteries they have in store.
