Owl Creek Mountains Road — Thermopolis to Boysen Reservoir via Wind River Canyon Backdoor
Wyoming basin emptiness at its best.
Most people drive US-20 through Wind River Canyon without knowing there’s a parallel dirt road looping through the Owl Creek Mountains that delivers genuine Wyoming emptiness. Starting from Thermopolis — the self-proclaimed hot springs capital of the world — this route climbs north via Hamilton Dome Road, threading through tilted anticlines and badland benches before dropping into the upper Bighorn Basin near Boysen State Park. The Owl Creeks are a classic Wyoming uplift — Precambrian core punching through overlying sediments — and you drive right across the exposed geology the whole way. Pronghorn outnumber people ten to one out here.
Difficulty is moderate: the roads are BLM two-track and county gravel, rutted in spots, with a few washed crossings of dry creek beds that turn ugly after rain. A stock 4WD with decent clearance handles it fine in dry conditions; don’t attempt the steeper canyon segments in a stock 2WD truck. Late spring and fall are best — summer temps in the basin push 100°F and the clay surfaces become a skating rink when wet. Carry water, fuel up in Thermopolis, and note that cell service is gone once you clear the canyon rim. No permit required. Views of the Wind River Range to the southwest are worth every mile of washboard.
Trail Specs
| Difficulty | Moderate |
|---|---|
| Trail Type | Backcountry, High Clearance, Overland Route |
| Surface | Dirt, Gravel |
| Features | Camping, Historic, Remote, Scenic |
| Length (miles) | 55 mi / 88.5 km |
| Duration | 1-2 days |
| Max elevation (ft) | 7100 ft |
| Best season | May-June, September-October |
| Minimum vehicle | Stock 4WD high-clearance |
| Nearest town | Thermopolis, WY |
| Land manager | BLM — Worland Field Office |
| Permit required | No |
| Cell service | None |
| Water crossings | Yes |
| Dispersed camping | Yes |
| Official sources | BLM Worland Field Office |
| Start coordinates | |
| End coordinates | |
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Location
Trail Conditions
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Frequently asked questions
Can a stock 4Runner or Tacoma handle this trail without any mods?
Yes — a stock high-clearance 4WD is the listed minimum and is genuinely sufficient here. Lifted rigs have more comfort margin on the rutted sections, but a factory Tacoma or 4Runner in 4-Low will get through without drama under normal conditions.
When does this route typically open in spring, and is it passable in late fall?
May through June is the reliable spring window once the clay-heavy dirt dries out enough to not destroy traction — wet Owl Creek clay turns into a skating rink that'll swallow a vehicle. By November snow and freeze-thaw cycles make sections unpredictable; September and October are the sweet fall window before that sets in.
Do I need a permit to run this route or camp along it?
No permit required — this is BLM land managed by the Worland Field Office and dispersed camping is allowed under standard BLM rules (14-day stay limit, 200-foot setback from water). No fee, no reservation, no check-in.
What's the hardest section of the trail and what makes it actually hard?
The roughest terrain is through the Owl Creek uplift itself where the road climbs to around 7,100 feet — expect loose rocky stretches, shelf road sections with limited room to maneuver, and eroded ruts that deepen after rain. Nothing technically extreme, but the remoteness is the real consequence multiplier: 55 miles with zero cell service means a breakdown here is a serious problem, not a minor inconvenience.
Are the water crossings actual ford crossings, and do I need to worry about them?
There are seasonal water crossings that vary significantly by runoff — in peak spring snowmelt (late April into May) some can run deep enough to give a stock rig trouble. By late summer most reduce to nothing or an easy splash-through. Check with the BLM Worland Field Office before running this in May if you've had a heavy snow year.
Trail track
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