Western Wyoming is memorably scenic and romantically reminiscent of the frontier West. Deer and antelope play on dusty plains and big horn sheep scamper along hillsides. Here the Teton, Wind River, Absaroka and Gros Ventre mountain ranges converge to create remarkable vistas that have long been a favorite of traveling Utahns.
Amid this scenic splendor is Jackson Hole. Together with Yellowstone National Park to the north, it attracts Utahns like a magnet.Many residents of the Beehive state travel to Jackson Hole on Highway 89 through Logan Canyon, Montpelier, Idaho, and Afton, Wyo. It is scenic and direct.
But the following itinerary is even more beautiful and for the most part less traveled. You enter Jackson Hole through the back door at Moran Junction in the valley's northeast corner.
A word of warning: two segments, which happen to be the most scenic, are dirt. Boulder Road and Union Pass Road are maintained but unpaved. In good weather you can traverse them in the family sedan. During or after a rainstorm you'd better take paved alternatives. Rain or shine, ask someone in the area about road conditions. A note to mountain bikers: both Boulder Road - also known as Sweetwater Gap Road and marked as such at its junction with Highway 28 - and Union Pass Road are ideal for mountain biking.
Allow at least three days round-trip from Salt Lake City. Add extra time for hiking, fishing or just seeing the sights.
Campsites are available at several spots along the way. There are motels in Pinedale and Dubois and dude ranches between Dubois and Moran Junction. Whatever the class of your accommodations, the scenery is first-rate.
Here is the route in a nutshell. Drive I-80 east to Rock Springs. From there head north on Highway 191 toward Pinedale. Turn right at Farson on Highway 28 to South Pass City. After visiting South Pass City, backtrack on Highway 28 to Sweetwater Gap Road (dirt), which winds through the southwest section of the Wind River Mountains. Hook up with Highway 191 into Pinedale.
From Pinedale take Union Pass Road (dirt) to Dubois. Drive west along Highway 287, one of Wyoming's Scenic Byways, over Togwotee Pass to Moran Junction. Turn left toward the town of Jackson, or right toward the entrance to Grand Teton National Park.
We suggest overnight stops in Pinedale and Jackson Hole.
Here's a detailed itinerary.
FORT BRIDGER, established by Jim Bridger in 1842 to supply pioneers heading west on the Oregon Trail, is now a registered historic site and a living history museum. The fort was destroyed during a dispute with Mormons but was resettled as a military base. Judge William A. Carter and his family lived there, as well.
A number of structures are still intact or have been restored or replicated. They include military barracks, the commissary, officers' quarters, the Carter farm and Bridger's original stockade. Costumed interpreters on weekends and holidays. No admission fee. A great place to stretch your legs or eat a picnic. Take the Fort Bridger exit off I-80 east of Evanston.
ROCK SPRINGS is about a three-hour-drive from Salt Lake City on I-80. The town is a confusing sprawl on a high-desert plateau, one you'd just as soon avoid. Despite that incentive to head directly for Highway 191 north, hunt down Western Wyoming College atop the red butte that divides the city. Life-size replicas of dinosaur skeletons are on display at the natural history museum there. From Rock Springs take Highway 191 north toward Pinedale.
FARSON, about 40 miles away, is little more than a general store. But the store, called Farson Merc., sells ice cream at bargain prices and in generous portions.
Turn right on Highway 28 toward Lander and proceed to South Pass City.
SOUTH PASS CITY, once a rowdy mining town is now a Wyoming State Historic Site. Buildings have been restored and a visitors center explains the area's history. There are picnic sites along Willow Creek.
Ask for directions to Sweetwater Gap Road, also known as Boulder Road or Boulder Cutoff. This scenic (dirt) drive winds through the foothills of the Wind River Mountains past Big Sandy. The route is particularly scenic in autumn. You eventually meet up with Highway 191. Continue to Pinedale.
PINEDALE is small, rustic, unspoiled. Elkhart Park, a major trailhead for the Wind Rivers, is near here. Some of the most scenic campsites in the area are at Green River Lakes where you get a good view of Square Top Mountain (please see cover photo).
The dirt road to Green River Lakes takes off from Union Pass Road outside Pinedale.
Pinedale's Museum of the Mountain Man is a first-rate presentation of the area's history. Green River Rendezvous is held the second weekend of July on the rodeo grounds in Pinedale. A pageant depicting the area's history is presented that Sunday afternoon. Admission is $6 per person.
There are motels and good restaurants in Pinedale.
Take Highway 191 north out of Pinedale. Turn right toward Cora on Highway 352. Follow the paved road to its end, where unpaved Union Pass Road begins. This road also takes you to the cutoff to Green River Lakes.
Union Pass Road climbs over the north end of the Wind Rivers. It is a particularly scenic drive in autumn.You'll find food and limited accommodations at Line Shack, located in the mountains before you descend to Dubois.
Accommodations are available in Dubois as well as at dude ranches in the area.
From Dubois drive west on Highway 287 over Togwotee Pass to Moran Junction.
Here you enter the hustle and bustle of Jackson Hole and territory so familiar to Utahns that it feels like home.
From there you're on your own.
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(Additional information)
Call ahead to make reservations
If you'll be traveling during July or August, you may want to reserve accommodations ahead. For a list of motels and dude ranches contact the chambers of commerce in each area: Pinedale, (307) 367-2242; Dubois, (307) 455-2556; Jackson, (307) 733-3316.
Both Pinedale and Dubois are charming towns that haven't yet been spoiled by tourism.
Although I didn't stay there, I paid a visit to Turpin Meadow Lodge near Moran Junction. It looked like an intriguing place to stay with rustic cabins nestled amongst the trees. The lodge is secluded off Highway 287 but still offers a distant glimpse of the Tetons.
My favorite eating spots include McGregor's Pub in Pinedale and Togwotee Mountain Lodge on Togwotee Pass. - Kathryn Clayton.