MotorcycleRoads.US

US Route 287 - Wyoming

AKA: US Route 26

Lander - Moran Junction

Distance/Driving time: 130 miles/2h, 50m

County(ies): Fremont, Teton

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Rider Comments:

• This is one really fine ride starting in Lander and heading over the mountains into the Jackson Hole. Coming out of Lander you start climbing up the big hills until you get ontop of the plateau. The views of the Wind River Mountains on your left, and the Owl Creek/Absaroka Mountains on your right are IMMENSE! You can see for miles and miles and miles. It's like nowhere else in the good ol' USA. Up here you'll be running across the Wind River Indian Reservation, so watch your speed. Even though there's little traffic, the Arapahos and Shoshones are always looking for some revenue. About 28 miles out you'll start to descend into the Wind River Valley where the road hooks up with US 26 and follws the Wind River northwesterly towards the mountains. 45 miles up from the junction is the uber-cool town of Dubois. This town has been around for more than a hundred years and started as a logging camp. They used to cut the trees in the forest and send them down the Wind River to Riverton, Wyoming for the town and railroad. Be sure to stop in at the Whiskey Creek Saloon for a cold one and a bite to eat. The food is better than excellent for a small town, and the hospitality is first rate. They are seriously biker friendly there and might even spot you a cold one for the road just for stopping in.
  Coming out of Dubois you'll start the climb up Togwotee Pass with an elevation of about 9,650 feet, crossing the Continental Divide at the head of the Wind River and at the north end of the Wind River Range; it is on the boundary between Shoshone National Forest and Bidger-Teton National Forest.
  It was named for the Sheep Eater Indians, a mountain Shoshone tribe and means "shoots with a spear, arrow or gun." A second version is that an Indian guide named "Togwotee" escorted President Arthur and his party through Yellowstone National Park in 1883. Who knows? Doesn't matter because you won't be thinking about the origin of the name as much as you'll be enjoying the road and the views - they are incredible! WYDOT is in the process of rebuilding this road by widening the travel lanes and the shoulders, installing wildlife "migration connectivity" underpasses and overpasses and fencing to keep the animals off the road and riders safe. That doesn't mean you won't see deer, elk, and moose; it just means you see them on the road infront of you.
  There is a short section of the Pass that will still be under construction this summer (2010), but it will only be a couple miles of dirt and WYDOT keeps it in good shape to facilitate the movement of traffic. You'll forget all about that minor inconvenience once you start down the west side of Togwotee and start getting glimpses of the Teton Mountain Range through the trees.
  Togwotee Mountain Lodge is a good place to stop just over the top of the Pass to stretch your legs, use the rest room, or get something to eat or drink. They've got everything you'll need there before you head on back out. As you come down the west side of the Pass you'll start seeing the Tetons through the trees and before too long those mountains will take up the entire western horizon. What a view! Picture taking is a must and there are several turnouts along the way just for that. When you get to the bottom of the Pass you'll be at Moran Junction and be forced to make a decision: Turn right and go into Yellowstone; or turn left and ride down to Jackson? No matter which direction you decide, you won't be wrong. Both are great.
  This is one fantastic ride that you won't forget or be sorry you took. In fact, you'll probably come back to ride it again once WYDOT is completely done with the improvements. - Rider from Cheyenne, WY (3/5/10)

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