We don't want to brag, but we may have just topped ourselves with our latest trip in our side-by-sides. We've been on several trips in our side-by-sides but nothing as ambitious as the one we just took from Pinedale, WY, to Iona, ID.
Actually, our 200-plus mile ride from Wyoming to Idaho is, in a way, a testament to the capabilities of and the trust we have in today's four-wheelers and side-by-sides.
Because of that trust, we started brainstorming about something more than a destination trip for our travel feature in this issue. There's certainly nothing wrong with those destination trips-we've had great rides in Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Idaho-we just wanted something different this go around.
When we came up with the idea of a long distance ride we didn't hesitate to jump on that one. We really didn't have any reservations about making the fairly long ride from Pinedale to Iona (a small community on the outskirts of Idaho Falls).
Two days and 232 miles later we were definitely not disappointed we'd made the trip.
That trip gives us the confidence and lots of ideas to try something bigger and even more grandiose.
Looking Back
Meanwhile we have great memories of our Wyoming to Idaho ride and the amazing things we saw along the way. There were antelope and deer, sky-scraping mountains and high desert landscapes, rushing rivers and streams, waterfalls and water crossings, wide open high desert roads and tight, twisty mountain trails. We started our ride in Pinedale and by the time we rolled into Iona, we had traversed Wyoming's high desert (the Cowboy State has the second highest mean elevation of any state in the U.S.), three mountain ranges, mountain meadows, more high desert, rangeland and farmland.
And our timing couldn't have been better. The weather in mid-June was sunny and warm the first day and a little overcast but still warm on the second day. The wild flowers were just starting to "pop" in the mountains and the forest, and desert actually, smelled fresh and new as spring was still hanging on before giving way to summer, especially at the higher elevations.
We experienced a broad range of elevations too, starting out in Pinedale, which sits at 7,175 feet. As we headed west across the mesa toward the Wyoming Range, the elevation ranged roughly from 6,500 feet at Sommers Ranch to 7,078 feet through Soap Hole Basin to 7,200 feet at the at Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass monument to 7,448 feet at Ryegrass Junction to 8,054 feet at the border of the Bridger National Forest where we started to cross the Wyoming Range.
It's a fairly steady climb from the forest border to the top of McDougal Gap-the only place you can cross the Wyoming Range in a motorized vehicle from east to west (or west to east)-where it's about 9,200 feet. The surrounding Wyoming Range peaks tower above 11,000 feet, just adding to the spectacular views, which you can get at the little turnout on the top of the gap. The western side of the road down from McDougal Gap drops quickly as you lose more than a thousand feet in about a mile. At the intersection where we turned north on the Greys River Road from the McDougal Gap road it was about 7,000 feet, dropping a bit more to 6,850 feet at the Box Y Lodge, where we stopped for the night. We did make a short side trip up Blind Bull Road to where it ends at a hunting camp (elevation 8,900 feet).
The next day we took off from the Box Y and headed to Alpine (elevation 5,680 feet) after stopping to admire the beauty of the confluence of the Little Greys and Greys rivers, which sits at about 5,979 feet. After leaving Alpine, we headed south a bit, crossed the Salt River and rode along Palisades Reservoir (5,617 feet) until the road crossed McCoy Creek and headed west. We took another side trip to Caribou City (6,900 feet) and then up to Skyline Ridge, over to Dan Creek Road to Kepps Crossing (elevation at this intersection is 6,254 feet), to Kepps Crossing (about 5,300 feet) where it crosses Willow Creek and on to the Bone Road (5,800 feet where the Kepps Crossing Road intersects the Bone Road) and finally to Iona (4,782 feet), the lowest point on our trip. In case you lost track, that's a net loss in elevation of 2,393 feet but the difference between the highest point on our ride (McDougal Gap) and Iona was 4,418 feet.
While we were somewhat trying to keep to a schedule and stay on our intended course, we did make several stops and take a couple of side trips. We did not, however, come close to exploring the more numerous side roads-both in the desert and in the mountains-that we came across.
Here are some highlights of the two-day ride, broken down into three sections: from Pinedale to the Box Y Lodge, from the Box Y to Alpine, and from Alpine to Iona.
Pinedale To The Box Y Lodge Sandy Sletten, co-owner of Bucky's Outdoors, the Polaris dealer in Pinedale, was our guide from his shop in town on South Lincoln Avenue to the Box Y. Sandy Sletten and Gary Neely, the other owner of Bucky's, made arrangements for us to cross a stretch of private land near Sommers Ranch so that we could begin our ride in Pinedale, rather than near Daniel, WY. It is possible for others to make the same trek but it's best to check with Sletten at Bucky's (307-367-4561) so he can help make arrangements. The route we took through Sommers Ranch was the only way to cross the Green River; otherwise you have to trailer to Daniel and start there.
If you'd rather start near Daniel, it shaves off about 20 or so miles from the trip. But there is ample room for parking near Daniel. From where we started in Pinedale to the Box Y it was about 67 miles.
There is a historical site at Sommers Ranch, which was homesteaded in 1907 and is still a working cattle ranch today. The historic house and yard sit on 1.4 acres of land and the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is open for tours and has interpretive signs near the home.
Another stop on our way toward Daniel was the Father DeSmet Prairie Mass site, which sits on a bluff overlooking where Horse Creek dumps into the Green River. It's a very scenic spot that affords views of the Wyoming Range to the west and the Wind River Range to the northeast. It was here that Father DeSmet held mass for an estimated 2,000 Indians, trappers and fur traders on July 5, 1840.
From there it was more high desert riding as we headed west along County Road 117 from where it intersects with U.S. Highway 189 just south of Daniel. We crossed Cottonwood Creek near Ryegrass Junction and the Wyoming Range loomed larger and larger as we approached.
As we made the gradual climb from the national forest boundary on the east side of the Wyoming Range to McDougal Gap, snow-capped Triple Peak (11,127 feet) and Lander Peak (10,450 feet) were off to our left and Mount McDougal (10,780 feet) nearly straight ahead of us-that is, until the road turned a bit south to cross McDougal Gap. We stopped on top of the gap to soak in the view before heading down and to the Box Y. The road goes through an amazing canyon for part of the way with steep slopes on both sides, some showing gnarly avalanche chutes and banks of snow still not melted by the spring thaw.
There is a small terraced waterfall about a mile from the road on the south side that we returned to the next morning and hiked up to to snap some pictures. The Box Y's Tim Haberberger told us spring and early summer is the best time to view the waterfall because as summer wears on the amount of water decreases. It was worth the hike up the mountain to get a closer view.
Box Y Lodge To Alpine We've stayed at the Box Y during a recent snowmobile trip and know of the great accommodations and personal service provided by Tim and Cindy Haberberger and figured we would make that our overnight stop on our Pinedale to Iona ride. The Box Y, which sits at the base of the Salt River Range between those mountains and the Wyoming Range, is literally the only lodging along the entire Greys River. In fact, when asked what makes the Box Y so unique, Tim Haberberger said, "The [Greys] river is 60 miles long and we're the only people who live in the whole drainage." That makes the Box Y a great base camp for off-roaders who want to explore this part of western Wyoming. There are out-and-back trips or loop rides you can go on or you stop overnight on a long distance like we did. There are a lot of ATV/side-by-side trails south of the Box Y.
While staying at the Box Y we did make a run up Blind Bull Road, which climbs alongside Blind Bull Creek and passes Blind Bull Lake before the road ends. It's a fun climb with spectacular views, especially on the way back down.
The odometer on our side-by-side read 91.5 miles before we started our trip to Alpine. It's an easy and gorgeous ride on the wide and smooth Greys River Road to Alpine. As you go around The Elbow (clearly marked on the trail map), off to the west looms some stunning peaks, namely Man, Virginia and Sherman. There is a huge bowl below Man Peak and this part of the Salt River Range still had a fair amount of snow covering the upper reaches.
For a little variety we had wanted to take the Squaw Creek Trail (one we've ridden many times on a snowmobile), which we figured would be a bit more challenging, but that trail doesn't open until July 1, as noted on the trail map. So we ended up following the Greys River Road all the way to Alpine, which is not a bad way to go, either. Our odometer read 143.2 miles when we pulled into Alpine for gas and lunch
Alpine To Iona We skirted along U.S. Highway 89 south out of Alpine on a two-track trail that runs on one or the other side of the highway until we got to the turnoff for Forest Road 087, which crosses the Salt River and heads along the west side of Palisades Reservoir for a ways. Eventually you come to where McCoy Creek dumps into Palisades and the road (also known as McCoy Creek Road) stops following the edge of the reservoir and heads west along McCoy Creek.
You're still riding in the trees and forest at this point, but eventually the landscape changes to high desert and rangeland, intermingled with pines and other trees like Quaking Aspen, depending on the elevation you're at.
We were making good time so we decided to take a side road (Forest Road 007) to Caribou City (named after Cariboo Jack, who discovered gold in the late 1890s), which is about 3.5 miles off the main trail. The ride through the trees to the old mining site/ghost town is a lot of fun and there are some challenging trails just past Caribou City for those looking for something a little more technical and wanting to use 4WD. There isn't much left of the old mining town but the forest service is improving access and installing information kiosks, expected to be completed this year.
Once back on the McCoy Creek Road, we continued on to Brockman Road and then to Skyline Ridge. Skyline Ridge is a great trail with lots of character. It's got lots of turns but isn't necessarily tight or twisty. There are some rollers and awesome views-we even caught a glimpse of the Tetons. "Ridge" is a key word in describing some portions of this trail and it winds along the very top of the ridge, which is why the views are so awesome on both sides of the road.
Skyline Ridge continues on for several miles but we turned at Lava Creek and dropped down to the Sawmill Trail, a little cutoff road that merges with the Dan Creek Trail, which we followed to where it dumps into Kepps Crossing Road. If we had turned right at Kepps, it would take us back up to Skyline Ridge. Turning left took us west down the hill where the road crosses Willow Creek and eventually dumps out onto the Bone Road. Here we headed north into Iona on parts of the Bone Road and back roads. Our odometer read 221 miles when we got to the Bone Road and 232 miles when we got to Iona. The last stretch of road goes through a mix of desert and farmland and as you lose elevation headed toward Iona, you'll get pretty good views of Idaho Falls.
There weren't many challenges of our trip. We planned carefully, sought out local help and made sure we knew the rules of the road (Wyoming and Idaho have slightly different rules regarding off-road vehicles-know before you go) and allowed plenty of time to complete the ride. If anything, we made better time than we expected and looking back, could have done a little more exploring on side trails, especially around the Box Y Lodge.
While our ride might not have been an adventure of epic proportions, it was a great experience riding through some of western Wyoming and eastern Idaho's most beautiful mountains. We would make the trip again and do more exploring along the way, maybe even camp, although it's tough to beat the Box Y Lodge.
Somehow, we would want to top ourselves again.
Pinedale, WY To Iona, ID
Elevation
7,175 to 9,200 to 4,418 feet
Full Service Town
Pinedale, Alpine, Idaho Falls
Nearest Airport
Idaho Falls, ID, Jackson Hole (86 miles from Pinedale)
Getting Started
Pinedale Travel & Tourism 888-285-7282 or www.visitpinedale.org; Star Valley Chamber 800-426-8833 or www.starvalleychamber.com; Yellowstone Teton Territory 800-634-3246 or www.yellowstoneteton.org
Getting There
Pinedale is in western Wyoming on U.S. Highway 191. Iona is just east of Idaho Falls in eastern Idaho. Alpine is also in western Wyoming at the junction of U.S. Highway 89 and U.S. Highway 26
Getting Around
BYO4 Bring your own four-wheeler or side-by-side
Bedding Down
There are several lodging options in Pinedale, Alpine and Idaho Falls. We stayed at the Box Y Lodge 254-381-0350 or www.boxylodge.com. We like the Box Y for a lot of reasons, one of which is because it's so remote: no TV, no phones, not many people. It's a great base camp for exploring the Wyoming and Salt River mountain ranges, the Greys River and numerous off-road trails in the area. There's fishing nearby, the lodge offers horseback riding (if you want to try a different kind of horsepower), wildlife viewing and solitude. The Box Y has nine cabins: seven smaller one-bedroom cabins and two larger cabins; one with three bedrooms and the other with two. The two big cabins have kitchens. All cabins have full baths and propane heat. The Box Y also sells premium fuel. There are also several campgrounds available in the mountains.
Eating Out
There are lots of dining options in Pinedale, Alpine and Idaho Falls. Consult each respective area's website listed above for a complete list. If you stay at the Box Y, overnight stays include supper and breakfast. We've experienced the food and it's really good stuff. See the lodge's website for pricing.
