MotorcycleRoads.US

US Route 20 - Wyoming

AKA: State Route 789

Thermopolis - Shoshoni

Distance/Driving time: 33 miles/33m

County(ies): Hot Springs, Fremont

Download GPS file (right click & 'save as').

Submit your on this road.

Rider Comments:

• I just rode this road the other day and it is one fun stretch of pavement. Excellent sweepers following the Wind River and the asphalt is in perfect shape. The walls of the canyon are up to 2,500 feet high in some places and really spectacular. They will flat blow you away and make it hard to keep your eyes on the road. There are a few turn-outs along the way in case you want to pull over and take in the sights. The Indian Tribes who own the land (Northern Arapahoe and Eastern Shoshoni) offer white-water rafting down the canyon if you’d like to try that. The little town of Thermopolis is one cool place. Very laid back and friendly. I recommend you spend the night so you can go swimming at any one of the three hot mineral water pools there. The State of Wyoming Bath House is free, Star Plunge and Teepee Pool cost ten bucks, but that’s for a whole day and you can come and go as you please. Plunge and Teepee have slides and diving boards if you want to be active. Gotta hit the Thermopolis Café for breakfast – best in town. And for a cold one you need to go to the Safari Lounge in the Days Inn at Hot Springs State Park. That bar has at least a million dollars in mounted animal heads on the walls in there. Lions, rhinos, gazelles, bears and such - very cool for such small town in the middle of Wyoming. Butch Cassidy was known to knock back a few at the old Owl Bar (which isn’t there any more – dang it) back in the day. The Hole In The Wall hang out is just a couple days horseback ride over the Big Horn Mountains to the east of there. This is a good way to get to Yellowstone if you’re headed there. Or a good way to come home if you’ve already been there. - Rider from Cheyenne, WY (7/30/10)
• Starting out at the Yellowstone Malt Shop in Shoshoni (Best malts and shakes in the state w/hundreds of flavors.), head north on Wyoming Highway 20 twards Thermopolis. As you head north through the rolling hills covered in sagebrush, Boysen Lake comes into view. As you roll along the east side of the lake towards the dam, the hills begin to rise into a large moutain range. Highway 20 will take you right through the Wind River canyon. Following the Wind River through the winding canyon with its steep walls and three short tunnels carved through the rocks, expect to see plenty of wildlife in the canyon including a heard of bighorn sheep high on the canyon walls. As you come out of the canyon and finally cross the Wind River, you will come up over the hill to Thermopolis. While you are there, don't forget to take a soak in the free hotpools (open 9-9 every day). It's my favorite road in Wyoming. With cheep camping in the canyon, I visit as often as I can. - Russ Reddick

Other Resources:

• North American Sportbike Road Registry - Wyoming Sport Bike Roads

For better, faster, more secure browsing, and reliable display of Google Maps, we recommend either Google Chrome or Firefox. They automatically copy your bookmarks from Internet Explorer and you can download them for free!