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Keyhole State Park, which is built around an eponymous 14,000-acre reservoir in Wyoming’s northeast corner, includes several outdoor amenities for its visitors. 

They include a marina, five boat ramps, 10 campgrounds and 320 campsites. There are tree day-use shelters, four rental cabins and 5 miles of trail. 

What does not exist at Keyhole is a visitor center featuring interpretive exhibits, information desks, a gift shop or sizable community space. That could change with the Wyoming Division of State Parks and Cultural Resources seeking feedback on a proposed visitor center in the Coulter Bay Area at Keyhole. 

Keyhole State Park is built around its namesake reservoir, a roughly 14,000-acre impoundment formed by the damming of the Belle Fourche River. (Wyoming State Parks)

The agency is seeking public comment on the conceptual location as well as visual impacts; an online survey closes Feb. 15. 

The project comes as Wyoming funnels more resources into promoting and expanding its outdoor recreation economy. State Parks is also exploring construction of a new visitor center in Sinks Canyon State Park. 

Water sports

Keyhole State Park sits about 10 miles outside of Moorcroft. The reservoir dominates the park, and most visitors are drawn by water activities like boating and fishing for walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass. Camping is also popular at the park, which tallied 270,000 visits in 2024. 

Because it was created by the damming of the Belle Fourche River, Keyhole State Park is managed in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation.

This map shows the proposed location of a new visitor center in Keyhole State Park, which sits less than 10 miles outside of Pine Haven. (Wyoming State Parks)

The opportunity in Keyhole came about thanks to the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said Wyoming State Parks District Manager Misty Moore. The Trust has supported projects at Wyoming’s Fort Phil Kearney and Medicine Lodge sites, and the state approached it about Keyhole, she said. 

“They have a real focus on rural health and understand that our Wyoming State Parks help address some of that, especially for Wyomingites who love to recreate outside,” Moore said. 

A visitor center could help enhance recreation and education opportunities at Keyhole, according to State Parks. The agency is looking for public input to shape the look and use of the visitor center and to inform the agency about park needs, Moore said. The online survey asks users’ preferences on building styles like modern or rustic. State Parks also held a forum in the nearby burg of Pine Haven in January, with nearly 50 people attending. 

During the Pine Haven meeting, a recurring theme was public interest in a new dock at Coulter Bay — the area where the visitor center is proposed, Moore said. The dock could relieve congestion that results from people trying to get their boats in and out of the water, she said. 

“It’s just another symptom of how well-loved Keyhole State Park is, and how we’re just seeing this continued upward trend in outdoor recreation,” she said.

Katie Klingsporn reports on outdoor recreation, public lands, education and general news for WyoFile. She’s been a journalist and editor covering the American West for 20 years. Her freelance work has...

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