Road Trip Guide: Navigating the Historic Lincoln Highway Through Evanston, Wyoming

As someone who's spent a career examining the fine print of land disputes, I appreciate Evanston's well-documented relationship with the Lincoln Highway. Established in 1913, this pioneering roadway was America's first transcontinental automobile route, stretching from New York to San Francisco. Evanston served as a critical waypoint for early motorists brave enough to attempt cross-country travel.

The original route through town followed what is now Front Street, where the historic Uinta County Courthouse still stands as a testament to the town's railroad and highway heritage. Built in 1873, it's the oldest courthouse in Wyoming still serving its original function—a fact that the attorney in me finds particularly satisfying.

What many travelers miss is the small Lincoln Highway marker near the Bear River Bridge. It's easy to drive past, but worth stopping for—I've found that these unassuming concrete posts often tell more about American ingenuity than many museum exhibits costing twenty times as much.

Today's Lincoln Highway through Evanston follows the I-80 corridor, but don't let that fool you into thinking the historic experience is lost. Exit 6 drops you right into downtown where you can reconnect with the original route. I recommend starting your exploration at the Evanston Depot Square, where the restored Union Pacific Railroad Depot houses excellent exhibits on transportation history.

For navigation, I've found that while smartphone maps work fine in town, the surrounding areas can be spotty for service. I always travel with my trusty road atlas as backup—there's something appropriately nostalgic about navigating the Lincoln Highway with paper maps anyway.

To truly appreciate the engineering challenges early motorists faced, take Bear River Drive north out of town where it climbs into the hills. The grade seems modest in your modern vehicle, but imagine tackling it in a Model T with mechanical brakes and 20 horsepower! For documenting these historic stretches, I rely on my action camera mounted to the dashboard—it captures the road experience while leaving my hands free for driving.

Evanston offers several chain hotels near the interstate, but for the authentic Lincoln Highway experience, I recommend the Historic Downs Hotel on Front Street. This boutique hotel occupies a building that once housed weary transcontinental travelers in the 1920s. At around $85-110 per night, it's surprisingly affordable for the character it offers.

If you're traveling in summer (peak season), book at least 3-4 weeks in advance. I learned this lesson the hard way last July when I spontaneously decided to follow the Lincoln Highway route and found myself settling for a characterless interstate hotel.

For those who prefer to embrace the full road trip spirit, Bear River State Park just east of town offers camping with basic facilities. I've spent several pleasant nights there, listening to the same river sounds that serenaded Lincoln Highway travelers a century ago. For comfortable sleeping under the stars, my sleeping pad has never let me down, providing remarkable insulation from the cool Wyoming ground even in summer.

One of the joys of following historic routes is discovering eateries that have stood the test of time. In Evanston, Jody's Diner on Bear River Drive occupies a building that began as a Lincoln Highway service station in 1925 before being converted to a diner in the 1950s. Their chicken fried steak rivals any I've had across the Western states, and at $12.95 including sides, it's a bargain.

For a quick lunch that evokes the spirit of early road trips, don't miss the Hamburger Stand on Front Street. This unassuming spot serves burgers using a recipe allegedly unchanged since 1937. The dining area features photographs of the Lincoln Highway through different eras—a fascinating visual history lesson while you wait for your food.

Coffee enthusiasts should make a pilgrimage to Fossil Butte Coffee Roasters, where the owner roasts small batches of beans and can tell you stories about the highway's impact on local commerce. I typically stock my travel mug here before heading out to explore the surrounding countryside—their robust Wyoming Sunrise blend provides the perfect fuel for historical exploration.

While the Lincoln Highway itself is the main attraction, Evanston offers several worthy detours. Bear River State Park, just three miles east of downtown, features excellent short hiking trails along the river where you can spot pronghorn antelope and occasionally elk in the early morning hours.

For a deeper dive into regional history, the Uinta County Museum punches well above its weight for a small-town institution. Their exhibit on the Lincoln Highway's impact on local development is particularly well-researched—I've used their archives for background on several environmental cases in the region.

Geology enthusiasts (and I count myself among them) shouldn't miss the short drive north to Fossil Butte National Monument. Though technically not on the Lincoln Highway, this side trip offers remarkable insight into the ancient lake bed that once covered this region. The fossils preserved here are among the most spectacular in North America.

For these excursions, I always pack my binoculars which have proven invaluable for spotting wildlife and examining distant geological features. The clarity of these optics has helped me appreciate details I would have otherwise missed, from the layering in the fossil buttes to the subtle movements of pronghorn on distant ridgelines.