Wyoming BDR?

[Rampantroo]

@halligan1201, So to be fair, I have not driven a portion of the trail listed. But I will say that in my humble and unprofessional opinion, you'd probably be safe, as long as you have a map/navigation means, pick manageable lines, and have a back up plan each night, so that you could divert the next day. I hate to give someone any unsound advice, so while it is long winded, here are some detailed thoughts of the trail conditions I do know (the short story is, I would do it lol):

So when you start near Bags Wyoming, you will drive through a range I have never been through, the Blackhall Mountain Range, but the next range is the Medicine Bow Range, and I can tell you I have ski'd, biked, and camped that mountain, and the forest roads were modest enough to take my Subaru. I would not be worried about the route there.

After the Medicine Bow range, you will hit the Shirley Mountains, they are a small range, but my fiances family owns land on that range, and I have driven over that section of the trail many times. Prior Flat is the camp at the base, but the mountain allows dispersed camping. Stock truck will be fine, and it will be fun! Big enough rocks to make you watch your line, but not really a bad enough road to worry about anything. A bad line would just mean a much less comfortable ride . The Shirley Mountains have a vaulted toilet on the top of the range. It's a sweet dispersed camping spot. I've heard mountain lions on that range at night, just a side note lol.

The next range is Wind River and it is gigantic. 100 miles long and 50 miles wide or something. I have never driven in there much, but a buddy I off-road with now used to own a Jeep (not an off-road rig), and he said he has driven that stretch and it is manageable too.

As I post this, we just got back from camping at Meadow Lark Lake area, which is the range after large Wind Rivers; it is the The Big Horns. Having just been there I think its worth mentioning those mountains are VERY popular for OHV and there ARE roads there which I would never take my truck on, but I did a lot of driving up there this weekend, and there would be work arounds for any part of the route that got too sketchy. In those areas, they tend to be well marked and blocked to vehicles with wheelbases that will not fit. That is to say, I would be hard pressed to find myself on that trail simply because they are maintained well, and rocks are set at the exact wheel length specificity to prevent you from driving up a two track road that is OHV ONLY.

Past that range you have one more stint to Burgess Junction, which I have never driven, and don't know very much about. I haven't heard much of that portion either, so not much to share.

While I was in Ten Sleep this weekend at the Brewery, a group of dudes on bikes show up and are barely able to get off their rigs without falling, so I asked them how far they had ridden, and they had just done about 200 miles of the Wyoming BDR. I didn't get to chat with the guys much, but a second set of Jeeps with rooftop tents rolled in after them looking like they were up to the same thing.

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[halligan1201]

@halligan1201, So to be fair, I have not driven a portion of the trail listed. But I will say that in my humble and unprofessional opinion, you'd probably be safe, as long as you have a map/navigation means, pick manageable lines, and have a back up plan each night, so that you could divert the next day. I hate to give someone any unsound advice, so while it is long winded, here are some detailed thoughts of the trail conditions I do know (the short story is, I would do it lol):

So when you start near Bags Wyoming, you will drive through a range I have never been through, the Blackhall Mountain Range, but the next range is the Medicine Bow Range, and I can tell you I have ski'd, biked, and camped that mountain, and the forest roads were modest enough to take my Subaru. I would not be worried about the route there.

After the Medicine Bow range, you will hit the Shirley Mountains, they are a small range, but my fiances family owns land on that range, and I have driven over that section of the trail many times. Prior Flat is the camp at the base, but the mountain allows dispersed camping. Stock truck will be fine, and it will be fun! Big enough rocks to make you watch your line, but not really a bad enough road to worry about anything. A bad line would just mean a much less comfortable ride . The Shirley Mountains have a vaulted toilet on the top of the range. It's a sweet dispersed camping spot. I've heard mountain lions on that range at night, just a side note lol.

The next range is Wind River and it is gigantic. 100 miles long and 50 miles wide or something. I have never driven in there much, but a buddy I off-road with now used to own a Jeep (not an off-road rig), and he said he has driven that stretch and it is manageable too.

As I post this, we just got back from camping at Meadow Lark Lake area, which is the range after large Wind Rivers; it is the The Big Horns. Having just been there I think its worth mentioning those mountains are VERY popular for OHV and there ARE roads there which I would never take my truck on, but I did a lot of driving up there this weekend, and there would be work arounds for any part of the route that got too sketchy. In those areas, they tend to be well marked and blocked to vehicles with wheelbases that will not fit. That is to say, I would be hard pressed to find myself on that trail simply because they are maintained well, and rocks are set at the exact wheel length specificity to prevent you from driving up a two track road that is OHV ONLY.

Past that range you have one more stint to Burgess Junction, which I have never driven, and don't know very much about. I haven't heard much of that portion either, so not much to share.

While I was in Ten Sleep this weekend at the Brewery, a group of dudes on bikes show up and are barely able to get off their rigs without falling, so I asked them how far they had ridden, and they had just done about 200 miles of the Wyoming BDR. I didn't get to chat with the guys much, but a second set of Jeeps with rooftop tents rolled in after them looking like they were up to the same thing.

Thanks for the honest and detailed report! We're starting in Baggs and counting on camping in dispersed spots for most of it and then spending the last two nights (or maybe one) at Tensleep Brewing campground so the camping spots you mentioned are a big help too. From what I've seen on BDR videos, it's mostly the stretches of clay that get my attention as a problem. I used to drive BLM tracts in Montana for work years ago and I know a dry clay road is fine. A wet one is just about the worst thing in the world and once you're stuck, there's almost no getting out until it dries out.

 

[halligan1201]

Through the first three sections and camping on Alcova reservoir. There was one stretch between Rob Roy and Centennial that made me very glad for skid plates and the locker. Pretty long stretch of medium size boulders. After that, smooth sailing. I've determined I'm much more into mountains than desert.

Doing Beaver Rim and ending at Sink Canyon tomorrow.

I'm thinking Ford should rebrand the Tremor as the Wyoming because it seems purpose built for it.

 

[halligan1201]

Also, the 4Runner appears to be the official state vehicle of Wyoming; I lost count on how many I've seen on the roads.

 

[Shane008]

Just completed a trek from Baggs to Centennial. Beautiful country. The picture is from early

morning just North of Baggs.

 

[halligan1201]

So we ended up completing the first four stages - Baggs to Lander. The first three were great fun. Stage 4 goes along the Beaver Rim. It took us 5 1/2 hours to complete. We almost rolled on our side twice and down a cliff once. But the truck came through it all with flying colors. Only touched the skid plate once. The General tires were aired down to 20 or 25, depending on the day, and conquered everything from gravel to clay to deep sand to sharp shale. Never had issues with traction and never had issues with tire damage. I was so convinced one would fail that I brought my full size jack and some cribbing with to do a trail change.

All and all, I'd recommend the first three stages and the fourth as far as the Beaver Rim Overlook. Then turn back. The rest of BLM 2301 is very dangerous and if we would've been able to turn back, we would've but it wasn't an option.

Here are some pics from my phone - I'll add some better ones once I download the camera.

 

[halligan1201]

Ten Sleep Brewing

 

[halligan1201]

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[Rampantroo]

I'm loving the updates! I was thinking of you and your journey after you left the Alcova area. It sounds like you had an adventure after Beaver Rim, and I am very happy to hear the Ranger managed and is safe. A roll would have been terrible.

Your pictures helped make sense of what those red awnings outside of Ten Sleep brewery are! We just had some beers and went back up HWY 16 towards Buffalo, but it looks like you camped right next to the brewery! That's pretty cool. Did you have a favorite beer at the brewery?

Looking forward to more pictures, and I would love to see some of the gnarly stuff you mentioned.

Cheers!

 

[halligan1201]

Here's my after report. Great route. My stock Ranger with Tremor package managed the whole route; my skills were more of a limitation than the truck and it was a great learning trip for me and my son in terms of what the truck can do and how to get it to do it.

Thanks to @Rampantroo for advice and the piece of mind to try it solo.

I recommend the routes on https://ridebdr.com/ They are a great starting point for finding public access "roads" (the term is very broad here - some are double track gravel, some are washed out, barely visible game trails on BLM land); the overlanders can't go wrong using the maps, routes, and GPX tracks they have put together. We are planning on the Washington route next year.

Wyoming. If you have only ever been to the western edge where the national parks are, this state has every type of terrain and environment you can imagine. Mountains. Red rock. Desert. Badlands. Grasslands. The route took use through a huge portion of the state and it was amazing.

Here's my thoughts on some of the gear I broke in on this trip -

The truck. Fantastic. Almost like a giant, air conditioned SxS at times. Its a real mountain goat. The only thing I would want to add/change are upsizing slightly in tire size (the stock did fine but larger would have been more comfortable at times) and getting around to adding a winch (wasn't needed on this trip but would have been nice piece of mind).

Iceco VL45 fridge https://icecofreezer.com/products/iceco-vl45-portable-refrigerator-freezer Also fantastic. Was in the bed getting dusty and bounced around a bit and never had an issue. Kept everything as cold as you could want it the entire trip, including multiple days in the upper 90s. I will never go back to a cooler again. The only con is that you need the ARB 12V plug; the factory plug won't stay in.

EcoFlow River Pro https://us.ecoflow.com/products/river-pro-portable-power-station I had this plugged into the Wolf Haus outlet in the bed and the fridge plugged into this. Worked flawlessly. Fridge ran off truck and power station charged while on the move and when we were camped, power station ran the fridge. Every morning we still had 15+ hours of reserve left. This thing also got abused - dust, vibration - no issues.

Wolf Haus Outlet https://whor.us/ Glad I went this route over the factory 12V plug. The marine style adapter meant I never had issues with things staying connected or worrying about water and dust. Plus its made by a forum member.

Zoleo https://www.zoleo.com/en-us Totally unnecessary but a great piece of mind since we were solo on this trip and had only a vague notion of the terrain we would encounter. Pricey but way cheaper than InTouch and it worked as advertised. It sent location at preset intervals, allowed us to tag interesting spots with a single button push, and allows SMS messaging where there is no cellular if needed.

USB Tent Fans https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B099285YHG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Another "luxury" item. Charged them before we left and every night they provided a really nice airflow in the tents. They can also charge phones and other devices in a pinch.

23Zero Dual 1400 Swags https://23zero.com/product/dual-swag-1400-double/ I have mixed feelings on these. One arrived missing a clip loop for the poles; two months later I am still waiting for them to ship it. They are easy to setup and take down - 2 minutes each way. They are bulky (you can get smaller ones) but that wasn't an issue for us - we strapped them on top of the tonneau and they were fine. The thick foam mattress was great - no inflating/deflating like my sleeping pad - and it stays right in the swag, along with bedding. You just roll the whole thing up. Overall, two of them were a third of the price of a rooftop and were definitely a lot more stable and easy to get around with on the back than a RTT. They also had no impact on MPG.

Retrax OneXR https://retrax.com/retraxone-xr Did great. Allowed me to keep gear locked up when we were hiking away from the truck, keep things dry for the most part. Dust was another issue; the tonneau did fine but dust (a lot of it) will still get in around the tailgate. Mine is sealed up pretty good with the Truxedo foam seal but dust still got in in large amounts. Being able to strap the swags on top of it was great. You can also add racks or Billie Bars to it.

General Tires - I have heard a lot of negative about these tires and was concerned the entire off-pavement portion of the trip but they were champs. Mud, gravel, sharp rock, clay, they handled everything. I aired down to 20 or 25 psi depending on the day and they came through with shining colors. I will still probably put together a dedicated set of off-road wheels and tires but I wouldn't hesitate to take these on a trip like this again.

OnX Off-Road App - So we had this running both on the truck screen via Android Auto and on the screen of the same phone at the same time. The reason is the GPX tracks don't show on the truck screen. Otherwise, it was accurate, both in where we were and the roads and land type around us. Can recommend.

Go Treads - brought these with and probably could've used them more to make some really sketchy obstacles easier but we sorta forgot we had them. At the end of the trip we played around with them and they worked in controlled settings - they worked as traction boards, they worked as leveling devices, and were able to fill ruts and washouts so we could drive right over them. They fold down (we sorted them in a milk crate) or can be laid flat.

 

[halligan1201]

I'm loving the updates! I was thinking of you and your journey after you left the Alcova area. It sounds like you had an adventure after Beaver Rim, and I am very happy to hear the Ranger managed and is safe. A roll would have been terrible.

Your pictures helped make sense of what those red awnings outside of Ten Sleep brewery are! We just had some beers and went back up HWY 16 towards Buffalo, but it looks like you camped right next to the brewery! That's pretty cool. Did you have a favorite beer at the brewery?

Looking forward to more pictures, and I would love to see some of the gnarly stuff you mentioned.

Cheers!

They had a wheat ale I liked and something with peach in it that was really good. They were out of IPA - next batch was getting tapped the day after we left. The camping was good; quiet and great night skies, plus you can walk right to your tent from the taproom. I'll be going back for sure.

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