Grand Mesa

Posted on September 1, 2015 by siteadmin

Grand Mesa is 22 miles east of Grand Junction in west-central Colorado. The byway follows CO 65 and Lands End Road (FSR 100). Travelers can access the byway from I-70 at Exit 49 or in the town of Cedaredge. Colorado Highway 65 is a two-lane paved road that is suitable for all vehicles. Lands End Road is a maintained gravel road that is closed in winter. Although most passenger cars and RVs can complete this portion of the byway, it is best to inquire locally about current road conditions. Colorado Highway 65 is usually open year-round.

From the exit off I-70, you begin in the canyon of Plateau Creek with sandstone walls rising 400 to 1,000 feet above the highway. The road continues climbing from the town of Mesa to an elevation of around 11,000 feet. It is here that you’ve reached the top of Grand Mesa, the world’s largest flat-top mountain. The panoramic view from the top is simply astounding. In a short drive you’ve traveled from the pinyon-juniper desert canyon to a cool, evergreen forest.

Over 300 stream-fed lakes teaming with rainbow, brook, and cutthroat trout are scattered across the Mesa. Several national forest campgrounds offer the perfect spot for pitching a tent or settling in your RV. Among the facilities are picnic tables, drinking water, fire rings, and pit toilets. There are no hookups or dump stations. During winter, the area becomes a haven for cross-country and downhill skiing as well as snowmobiling. Hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, and horseback riding are enjoyed in warmer months.

Pioneer Town in Cedaredge offers travelers the chance to turn back the clock. Authentic stores and the Cedaredge Town Jail, along with period clothes and memorabilia from the past 100 years, create a realistic old-west atmosphere.

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Medicine Wheel Passage

Posted on September 1, 2015 by siteadmin

Medicine Wheel Passage is 47 miles west of Sheridan in north-central Wyoming. It follows a 27-mile segment of US 14A, a two-lane paved road suitable for all vehicles. Medicine Wheel Passage is usually open May to mid-November.

The Medicine Wheel Passage scenic byway provides an alternate route for those traveling the Bighorn scenic byway. It also provides an excuse to complete the other scenic drive and then make your way around to drive this byway. As with the sister scenic byway, Medicine Wheel takes you through the beautiful scenery known as the Bighorn Mountains. The mountains are covered with lodgepole pine, alpine fir, Engelmann spruce, and ponderosa pine.

A large parking area adjacent to the byway at Bald Mountain provides breathtaking views of the northern Bighorn Mountains. Be sure you have enough film in your camera. This area marks the center of gold mining activity during the late 1880s. To the northeast are the remains of Bald Mountain City, a gold mining ghost town.

Not far from the Bald Mountain overlook is Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark. Believed to have been built by prehistoric Indians, this giant wheel is made of limestone slabs and boulders. It measures 245 feet in circumference. This wheel is recognized by Native Americans as a sacred site. The reason for its construction remains a mystery. If you want to continue exploring this area, find FSR 11/14. It will take you to the trailhead for Bucking Mule Falls National Recreation Trail. The trail is eleven miles long but the first three will take you to a viewpoint of the thundering Bucking Mule Falls.

Camping opportunities along this stretch of US 14A are not as extensive as its sister byway, the Bighorn. North Tongue has eleven sites while Bald Mountain provides fifteen.

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Smith River

Posted on August 30, 2015 by siteadmin

Smith River scenic byway is in northwest California, near Crescent City. The byway begins at the intersection of US 199 and US 101 and ends at the Oregon state line. It is 39 miles long and follows US 199, a two-lane paved road safe for travel by all types of vehicles. The byway is open year-round although poor driving conditions may exist in winter.

The scenic byway travels through a mixed conifer forest as it crosses the Six Rivers National Forest and Smith River National Recreation Area. Middle Fork of the Smith River flows next to the byway and is popular with rafting enthusiasts as well as anglers. Among the fish inhabiting the river are Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and rainbow trout. Several access points are along the byway. The river is part of the Wild and Scenic River program and is the only undammed watershed in California.

Smith River provides access to a variety of recreational activities. There are several developed campgrounds directly along the byway. Near the western end is Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The campground here has over 100 campsites set among the giant trees. Those interested in hiking, backpacking, or horseback riding will find several trails throughout the area. Trails range from under one mile long to more than 15 miles.

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Big Sheep Creek

Posted on August 23, 2015 by siteadmin

Big Sheep Creek is in southwest Montana about 25 miles south of Dillon. It begins in Dell on I-15 and ends at the junction with MT 324, east of Grant. The 50-mile route follows Big Sheep Creek and Medicine Lodge Roads. The roads are primarily two-lane gravel roads; a short stretch is a narrow, dirt road. Two-wheel drive vehicles can safely drive the byway. Motorhomes and vehicles pulling trailers should not attempt to complete the byway. Big Sheep Creek Back Country Byway is usually open May through early October.

From Dell, the Big Sheep Creek Back Country Byway makes its way through steep canyon walls with Big Sheep Creek flowing alongside. This spring-fed creek attracts bighorn sheep and deer, which are commonly seen in the evening. Numerous side roads tempt the byway traveler to further explore the canyon on foot, by bicycle, or in the comfort of your vehicle.

Once through the canyon, the byway heads north through the open spaces of Medicine Lodge Valley, surrounded by the Tendoy Mountains to the east and the Bitterroot Range to the west. Through this portion of the byway, Medicine Lodge Creek meanders nearby. Side roads from here will take you into Beaverhead National Forest for hiking and backpacking opportunities.

Developed recreational facilities are nearly nonexistent on this back country route. The Bureau of Land Management maintains a primitive campground, the Deadman Gulch Campground. A pit toilet is provided but there is no drinking water. Camping is permitted nearly anywhere along the byway as long as your campsite is on BLM land.

More developed camping facilities may be found in the Clark Canyon Reservoir area and Bannack State Park. The state park, north of Grant, is the site of Montana’s first major gold discovery and a well-preserved ghost town. The town once boasted of a population over 3,000 and became the state’s first territorial capital in 1864. There are 30 campsites available for tents and recreational vehicles; there are no hookups.

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Yuba Donner

Posted on August 21, 2015 by siteadmin

Yuba Donner is in northeast California, about 80 miles northeast of Sacramento. The byway forms a loop drive through Tahoe National Forest. It follows CA 20, CA 49, CA 89, and I-80. All roads followed are suitable for all types of vehicles. Yuba Donner is 170 miles long and usually open year-round.

Yuba Donner travels through the foothills and mountains of the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. It winds through miles of forests and valleys with meandering rivers and streams. The area is rich with gold mining history and immigrant and transportation history, including Native American trade routes and campsites of the ill-fated Donner Party.

The Donner Party was actually composed of two families, the Donners and the Reeds, who left Illinois in 1846 and headed for California under the leadership of George Donner. After having difficulty crossing the Great Salt Lake in Utah, they were trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains by heavy November snow. They were forced to camp for the winter at a small lake, now named Donner Lake. They suffered tremendous hardships; members of the group resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. Forty-seven of the original 87-member party were eventually brought into California by rescue parties over what is now known as Donner Pass.

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