Bikepacking gravel roads around the Cloud Peak Wilderness in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming

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Here's a 7-day gravel ride we rode in early August, 2021. Yet another fine escape from the crowds! Stout climbs, smooth gravel, diverse ecosystems, undeveloped camping for all but one night. 

We started and ended in Shell, Wyoming, parking on a side street after getting the OK by the cook at the Trapper Creek Lodge to leave our van there. The route took us all the way around the Cloud Peak Wilderness in the Big Horn Mountains. This mountain range is surrounded by fairly dry, high desert sage country. We yo-yoed up and down, into and out of the dry sage to the piney alpine three times over the 250 odd miles. Big, stout climbs and long, steep descents! 

75+% of the route is on hard-pack dirt and gravel. There's a short 6 miles or so of more rugged riding past Medicine Lodge Lake on Forest Service Road 344, which is more of a motorcycle/ATV trail. And a mile or so of sandy single track just before dropping into Medicine Lodge Archaeological State Park. Both of these stretches were on our Day 2.

Water was never an issue for filtering but we did make sure to carry plenty while down in the sage country. We choose to have a dry camp on our last night but there's no need to do so. Resupplies are available in Buffalo, about half way through the loop.

Here are the details of the route, with potential campsites and resupply sites marked, on RideWithGPS:

And some pics of the trip:

Location: Shell, WY 82441, USA

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