The Carter Inn
414 2nd St
Ten Sleep, WY
A Wyoming motor court on one of America's great scenic drives. Breakfast is made from scratch.
About The Carter Inn
Christa and Kenny have owned and operated the Carter Inn in Ten Sleep, Wyoming since 2009, and the property shows it. The rooms carry local artwork. The bathroom soap was made by a local entrepreneur. The breakfast is home-cooked with multiple fresh-baked breads and housemade preserves. Ten Sleep sits at the base of the Big Horn Mountains where the Cloud Peak Skyway begins its climb through Ten Sleep Canyon, one of the premier limestone sport climbing destinations in the United States. The western character of the town, two rodeos a year, a three-day music festival in the city park, and a Main Street where you know the people at the next table, is the context the Carter Inn grew out of and reflects. This is not a motor lodge that happens to be clean. It is a motor lodge that has been thought about, carefully, for a long time.
What The Carter Inn Is Known For
The Carter Inn has been family-owned and operated since 2009, and the care accumulated in that time is visible in every detail. The local artwork in the rooms was not sourced from a catalog. The herbal soap was made by someone who lives nearby. The preserves at breakfast were made by Christa. A rating that consistently places The Carter Inn among the top-reviewed motels in northwest Wyoming does not happen at a small-town property because it is adequate. It happens because the people running it have genuinely thought about what staying here should feel like, and they execute that vision every day.
Amenities
- Breakfast Included
- WiFi
- Home-cooked breakfast daily (fresh-baked bread, housemade preserves, full spread)
- Courtyard with barbecue grill and gazebo
- Outdoor seating with misters
- Local artwork in every room
- Herbal soap handmade by a local entrepreneur
- Chocolates in mini fridge
- Robes and slippers
- Free WiFi and Dish TV
- Coffee maker, mini fridge, microwave
What Guests Love
- Home-cooked breakfast is the real thing: fresh-baked bread, housemade preserves, a full spread that earns its own mention in nearly every guest review
- On the Cloud Peak Skyway at the base of Ten Sleep Canyon, one of Wyoming's most dramatic scenic drives
- Exceptional limestone sport climbing in Ten Sleep Canyon, five miles up Highway 16
- Local artwork, locally made soap, and preserves from the owner's kitchen: the details that come from genuinely caring about what this place is
- Among the highest-rated motels in northwest Wyoming, in a town of 300 people
Worth Knowing
- No pets permitted
- Ten Sleep is remote: plan fuel and provisions before arriving
- The two annual rodeos and Nowood Stock music festival fill the town: book well ahead for those weekends
- Cash discount available with a valid credit card on file
- Contact the property in advance if arriving after in the evening to arrange check-in
The Room
Each room with its own local artwork and western character. Robes and slippers hang ready on arrival. Sheets are buttery soft and the mattresses earn their own mention in reviews. In-room amenities include a TV with Dish Network, free WiFi, a coffee maker, mini fridge, and microwave. The herbal soap in the bathroom was handmade by a local entrepreneur. Chocolates wait in the fridge. Towels are fluffy and thick. Everything in the room has been considered by people who live here and know what staying in the Big Horns deserves.
The Grounds
The Carter Inn sits on Second Street in downtown Ten Sleep, with parking directly outside each room. The outdoor courtyard includes a barbecue grill and a gazebo, with outdoor seating and misters for warm afternoons. The Cloud Peak Skyway, Wyoming Highway 16, begins its climb through Ten Sleep Canyon at the edge of town: one of Wyoming's most dramatic scenic drives, crossing the Big Horn Mountains to Buffalo and the I-90 corridor beyond. The town's restaurants, specialty shops, and bars are within walking distance. Two rodeos, a music festival two doors from the front door, and the kind of western Main Street that has not been replicated in a tourism district.
The Experience
Arriving in Ten Sleep on the Cloud Peak Skyway, coming over the Big Horns or up through the canyon from Worland, you will already understand what the town is: unhurried, western, and specific in a way that the more famous parts of Wyoming are not. Christa and Kenny run the Carter Inn with the attention of people who have made it their work, not just their business. Breakfast is the event: home-baked bread, preserves made in-house, a full spread that shows up in nearly every review as a genuine surprise. The climbing in Ten Sleep Canyon brings a particular kind of traveled, outdoors-literate guest to this motel, and the mix of climbers, BDR riders, hunters, and families that end up talking to each other over coffee is the natural cross-section of the people this part of Wyoming draws.
Details
Ten Sleep, WY 82442
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Carter Inn have EV charging?
No, The Carter Inn does not have EV charging.
Does The Carter Inn have WiFi?
Yes, The Carter Inn has WiFi.
What is there to do near The Carter Inn?
Ten Sleep Canyon and the Cloud Peak Skyway: 5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there. Bighorn National Forest: 7.5 miles, about a 15 minute drive. Thermopolis Hot Springs: 55 miles, about a 110 minute drive.
How far is The Carter Inn from Ten Sleep Canyon and the Cloud Peak Skyway?
5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.
How far is The Carter Inn from Bighorn National Forest?
7.5 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
How far is The Carter Inn from Thermopolis Hot Springs?
55 miles, about a 110 minute drive.
Is The Carter Inn pet-friendly?
No. The Carter Inn does not accept pets.
Is breakfast included?
Yes. A home-cooked breakfast is included daily, with fresh-baked bread, housemade preserves, and a full spread prepared by the owners. Breakfast is mentioned in nearly every guest review as a genuine highlight of the stay.
Is Ten Sleep Canyon good for rock climbing?
Yes. Ten Sleep Canyon is one of the premier limestone sport climbing destinations in the United States. Bolted routes on dramatic canyon walls are approximately 5 miles from the Carter Inn up Wyoming Highway 16.
What is the Cloud Peak Skyway?
Wyoming Highway 16, the Cloud Peak Skyway, is a designated scenic byway that begins at the edge of Ten Sleep, climbs through Ten Sleep Canyon, crosses the Big Horn Mountains, and descends to Buffalo and the I-90 corridor. It is one of the most scenic drives in Wyoming and a primary reason travelers route through Ten Sleep.
Is there parking at The Carter Inn?
Yes. Free self-parking is available, with parking directly outside each room.
How far is The Carter Inn from Yellowstone?
Yellowstone's East Entrance is approximately 150 miles northwest of Ten Sleep, about 2.5 to 3 hours by car through the Big Horn Basin and Cody. Many guests build Ten Sleep into a broader Wyoming road trip that includes Yellowstone.
What makes Ten Sleep, Wyoming worth stopping for?
Ten Sleep is a small ranching town at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains with a genuine frontier character and a growing reputation among climbers, mountain bikers, and backcountry travelers. The Ten Sleep Saloon has been the town's social center since the late 1800s. The town is also the western gateway to the Cloud Peak Wilderness, one of the least-visited wilderness areas in the continental United States, with peaks over 13,000 feet.
Does The Carter Inn have a pool?
The Carter Inn does not have a pool. The property has a shared courtyard.
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Things to Do Near The Big Horn Mountains
Ten Sleep Canyon and the Cloud Peak Skyway
5 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.
Wyoming Highway 16, the Cloud Peak Skyway, climbs through Ten Sleep Canyon and crosses the Big Horn Mountains to Buffalo and I-90 beyond. The canyon is also one of the premier limestone sport climbing destinations in the United States, with bolted routes on dramatic canyon walls above the creek.
Bighorn National Forest
7.5 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
The 1.1-million-acre Bighorn National Forest covers the high country above Ten Sleep Canyon, with the Cloud Peak Wilderness at its center. Alpine lakes, 200 miles of trail, and fishing access that most travelers drive through without stopping.
Thermopolis Hot Springs
55 miles, about a 110 minute drive.
Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis holds the world's largest mineral hot springs, with a free public bathhouse on the terraced travertine formations. About an hour south of Ten Sleep through the Wind River Canyon, one of the more dramatic drives in central Wyoming.