Wyoming Back Roads

[MANXMAN]

Looking for suggestions about back country roads and routes in Wyoming.

Prefer 4x4 gravel roads that are remote and scenic with places to camp along the way.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Foy]

Two routes which can be stitched together to make a lazy two or more day traverse are FS 300 out of Lander to South Pass and BLM 2302 from outside of Atlantic City to US 287 near Sweetwater Junction. I believe the former is locally known as The Loop and the latter is the Atlantic City-Hastings Road.

The Loop runs through the Wind River Range for about 35 miles from the end of WY-131 near the Sinks State Park to WY-28 at South Pass. It reaches about 9,500' elevation at Blue Ridge and holds high elevation most of the way. Its heavily forested, goes by two alpine lakes, passes over the Little Popo Agie River on a high boggy plateau, and sports a number of traiheads. There are NF campgrounds at each of the lakes and I assume disburse camping is allowed much if not all of the way through. The larger of the lakes is Louis Lake and is closer of the two to WY-28 and FS-300 is good enough from there to the lake to allow passage of trailers including larger RVs. From the Sinks SP to Louis Lake FS-300 narrows down to good two-track and is steep in places.

From just east of Atlantic City (population 57), BLM Road 2302 runs about 30 miles over the large, treeless foothills of the Winds parallel to the Sweetwater River and the Oregon Trail and Mormon Trail. A ridge-runner, 50 to 100 mile views can be had in many places. There is a stark unshaded BLM campround towards the eastern end and some short spurs descend to creeks and springs with a few cottonwoods. In the summer months, groups of LDS (Mormon) re-enactors use 2302 to reach memorial sites where dozens of "handcart company" emigrants died in an early winter blizzard in 1856. About the first 10 miles off of the good graded road leaving Atlantic City are two-track and ungraded and should be considered impassable when wet.

Foy

 

[takesiteasy]

Lots of scenery and dispersed camping in the Bighorn Mountains. We camped (in a USFS campground) near the Cloud Peak Wilderness on our shakedown trip 6 years ago. It is still on our list as a place we want to return to. Took a nice dirt road drive along Crazy Woman Creek heading out to Buffalo WY to get propane.

 

[ski3pin]

Explore Union Pass Road over the north end of The Wind River Range. It runs west from US 26 north of Dubois, WY over to Green River Lakes Road (which is north of Pinedale off of US 191). You may want to visit Green River Lakes also.

 

[Machinebuilder]

if you do Union Pass Rd take a side trip to Gunsight Pass, Really awesome view into the Wind River Wilderness

Definitely drive up to green river lakes, its not that much further.

South Pass City is also good, Stop at the bar for a burger and Beer

I would recommend Grays River rd, but there is an active landslide blocking the road and river

 

[JimBow]

Two routes which can be stitched together to make a lazy two or more day traverse are FS 300 out of Lander to South Pass and BLM 2302 from outside of Atlantic City to US 287 near Sweetwater Junction. I believe the former is locally known as The Loop and the latter is the Atlantic City-Hastings Road.

The Loop runs through the Wind River Range for about 35 miles from the end of WY-131 near the Sinks State Park to WY-28 at South Pass. It reaches about 9,500' elevation at Blue Ridge and holds high elevation most of the way. Its heavily forested, goes by two alpine lakes, passes over the Little Popo Agie River on a high boggy plateau, and sports a number of traiheads. There are NF campgrounds at each of the lakes and I assume disburse camping is allowed much if not all of the way through. The larger of the lakes is Louis Lake and is closer of the two to WY-28 and FS-300 is good enough from there to the lake to allow passage of trailers including larger RVs. From the Sinks SP to Louis Lake FS-300 narrows down to good two-track and is steep in places.

From just east of Atlantic City (population 57), BLM Road 2302 runs about 30 miles over the large, treeless foothills of the Winds parallel to the Sweetwater River and the Oregon Trail and Mormon Trail. A ridge-runner, 50 to 100 mile views can be had in many places. There is a stark unshaded BLM campround towards the eastern end and some short spurs descend to creeks and springs with a few cottonwoods. In the summer months, groups of LDS (Mormon) re-enactors use 2302 to reach memorial sites where dozens of "handcart company" emigrants died in an early winter blizzard in 1856. About the first 10 miles off of the good graded road leaving Atlantic City are two-track and ungraded and should be considered impassable when wet.

Foy

I ran into a large group of “trekkers” on Rd. 2302 last summer. The trekkers, as they call themselves, are mainly LDS youth. They have a camp at Rock Creek Hollow, which is where some members of the Willie Handcart Company died back in 1856. It was strange to run into all those kids on that deserted dirt road!

I camped on the rim of the Sweet Water River canyon, and hiked down to fish the river. It’s quite a beautiful desert like river, with lots of cattle grazing going on though. It took some route finding to get to the rim of the canyon. It’s a pretty remote area out there.

 

[Foy]

We hadn't a clue about the Willie and the Martin Handcart Company disasters nor about any trekkers/reenactors as we departed Atlantic City on a Wednesday morning in late July 2015. We first encountered an incoming group of vehicles near Rocky Ridge and ultimately met a couple of dozen pickups and SUVs laden with people of all ages and camping gear, all headed towards the Rock Creek site, which I think the LDS church either owns or maintains as a historical and memorial site. It was not until we reached the US 287 end that we saw some electric utility workers who clued us in on the activities. As we proceeded towards Jeffrey City on southbound US 287, there was an encampment including hundreds of vehicles/campers/tents at the Sweetwater Junction crossing of the river. The utility guys said the trekkers stage there and go into the sites in smaller groups.

There's a great-looking spring with willows and cottonwoods about a mile off of 2302 between Crow's Nest and the spur down to Rock Creek/Strawberry Creek. It's tucked up right beneath the caprock of the Beaver Rim and from a distance looks like a spendid overnight stop. It's on some maps as Diamond Springs. We were also told that the continuation of the Atlantic City-Hudson Road on the opposite side of US 287, reaching Hudson at its far end, is a nice drive, but we were due in Fort Robinson, Nebraska so we did not venture down to Hudson.

Foy

 

[MANXMAN]

Thanks for information!

I'll get out my maps today and see how I can string these suggestions together to make a interesting route.

 

[longhorn1]

Manxman, both Ski and Foy have provided good places. We stayed at Sinks State Park and took the loop road. In Pinedale there is a micro-brewery you might like, and we continued up to Green River Lake and spent the night at the campground. The continental divide trail runs along the lake. South Pass and Atlantic City we're neat places to visit. Add in the Tetons and Yellowstone and you have an adventure. Check out our blog for our Wyoming/Montana trip (2016) jd

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

For dirt roads with camping in eastern Wyoming try the Medicine Bow Mnts (Snowy Range) and the Laramie Mnts, both in separate bits of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. There are innumerable, long dirt roads that pass through BLM land in the high plains of central WY.

Check out Wyoming Backroads by Mark Smith, for tips.

https://www.amazon.com/Wyoming-Backroads-Off-Highway-Wyomings-Backcountry/dp/0974090093/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525885709&sr=1-1&keywords=Wyoming+back+Roads

 

[clikrf8]

Ditto Green River Lakes. There is a campground on the lake but you can disperse camp along the river. Beautiful in the fall, late September.