Wyoming’s Hell’s Half Acre Opens New Viewing Deck

The first time I saw Hell's Half Acher, what was left of the viewing area was in sad shape. Because of high chain-link fences, I could not get very close to see what was down there.

But now, after a lot of work, Hell's Half Acre in Wyoming officially reopened on Friday, May 8, 2026, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

You'll see a scenic boardwalk and viewing platform so you can safely lean over and look.

Visit Casper posted this video on their Facebook page.

There are also new picnic tables, a better parking area, and new informational signs.

The project, led by Visit Casper and Natrona County, and because of them, it is now worth driving out there.

Hell's Half Acre is a striking 320-acre badlands geological formation located 40 miles west of Casper, Wyoming, on US 20/26. Known for its caves, deep ravines, and red-white rock formations, it was famously used as the planet Klendathu in the 1997 film Starship Troopers.

The website Visit Casper has a new webpage about the improved site, which you can view at this link.

For thousands of years, tribes used the steep, rugged terrain of the canyon to trap and drive bison over the cliffs, utilizing it as a natural, efficient hunting ground.

Often called "The Devil's Kitchen" or "Pits of Hades," the name "Hell's Half Acre" is believed to have stuck after 1920s tourism boosters in Casper ordered postcards that were incorrectly labeled.

The federal government donated the site to Natrona County in 1924. A motel and cafe operated there until 2005. Following the closure of the motel, the area was fenced off for safety due to hazardous, unstable terrain.