Trans-America Trail — Pinedale to Dubois via the Wind River Range High Desert and Union Pass

Union Pass is one of those American geography quirks that deserves more attention than it gets. At 9,210 feet it forms the only point in the lower 48 where a single ridge sheds water into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico drainages simultaneously. The Trans-America Trail threads right over it, routing from Pinedale northeast across the high sagebrush benches of Sublette County before climbing onto the Bridger-Teton National Forest roads toward the pass summit. From the top you drop into the headwaters of the Wind River, rolling through open ranchland and BLM two-track before the track picks up pavement briefly near Dubois. Highline Trail junction is your mid-route landmark; past it, the road gets looser and the views across the Absaroka Range to the northeast open up properly.

This segment runs moderate difficulty — it’s not a rock crawl, but the soft sagebrush two-track gets badly rutted and boggy after any rain, and the Union Pass road is unmaintained above the forest boundary. A stock 4WD with decent tires handles it fine in dry conditions, but don’t push it wet unless you enjoy shoveling yourself out at 9,000 feet with no cell signal and a long walk either direction. Best season is July through September; snow can linger on the pass into late June. Fuel in Pinedale before you leave — it’s 95 miles to the next reliable pump in Dubois. Dispersed camping throughout the BLM and national forest sections is free and spectacular.