Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

     This is a vast area in the north central part of Wyoming.  We made our way from Ranchester, Wyo. climbing up Hwy 14,  with great views up this road! There are some campgrounds in this 80 x 30 mile forest. There’s a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) from the  Bighorn forest service for the Avenza App. Most people boondock in the forest. We boondocked, North of Burgess Junction off a forest service road. Routes are diverse, from road riding, 4x4 roads and trails.  Four days, we rode about 50-70 miles per day. 

Flowers and Rocks

Numerous wild flowers

Stone pillars made by shepherds

Numerous moose in area

 We rode to the north, mapping the trails to make a loop. great views from the top, rock outcroppings and cold clear creeks running. There are several bands of sheep, 4,000 in a group with a sheepherder and guard dogs, please give them a wide berth.  Cattle herds can block the road. Cold creeks running, through sagebrush covered hills and forest at the top of the hill. Often you can see a moose, especially if you take a drive after 5pm.

Mike, Janna, Geri, Larry

Clarks, wild flowers and snow

Looking over the edge

Mike, a cow herder's cabin

We were riding one day and stopped and visited with a ranch hand, who stays at a line shack.  He invited us in for coffee and filled us in on the area.  Cattle roaming on the fertile mesas, old buffalo skulls found in the canyons, Indian trails from years ago and bears, elk and moose in the area today. Nothing like hearing about the country from a local!

One day, we hauled down to the south to fs 258 to Shell Creek, we stopped at Upper Medicine Lodge Lake and Painted Rock Lake and campground.  On the return trip, we swung over to Shell Reservoir and never got to Adelaide Lake!

Shell Reservoir

Trail up the sage brush hill

Cowboy and his herd

Painted rocks

We also took a day off to sight see and visited the town of Shell and the Shell Falls Interpretive Site along the way or you can find hiking trails in the area.  There are two lodges, restaurants- Bear Lodge Resort and Elk View Inn, with limited phone service and gas stations near Burgess Junction . There is a public dump station and water fill near the Junction.  Not much for groceries.  A big Thank You to Mike and Janna Clark for sharing this beautiful country we all have to explore.  We have seen such interesting country together!!

High on a hill

More rocks and boulders

Boondocking site

Shell Reservoir

Two years ago we rode the southwestern area also. It is a huge area with a wilderness mountain in the middle of the range.

Numerous hill sides

Sage brush and poplars