Oregon trail Wyoming
Was wondering if anyone has followed the Oregon trail across Wyoming. I was studying this route recently and it looks like there might be some fascinating things to see along the way for those who int...
Forum Discussion
Cup fan wrote:CloudDriver wrote:
Old-Biscuit missed a couple.
Two miles from Register Cliff are the best preserved wagon ruts. Walk along the deep ruts to see additional sections of ruts.
Fort Laramie
Route 28 south of Lander follows near the route of the Oregon Trail over the continental divide at South Pass. There are several trail markers along this route.
Not an Oregon Trail site, but worth a visit is South Pass City, a partially restored gold mining town about two miles down a good gravel road from route 28.
I guess what I'm really wondering is, are most of these sites such as the ones that Old-Biscuit mentioned, accessible by vehicle, and are they worth the stopping to see. I'm trying to determine if it would be worth spending a few days of our vacation following this route. We would only be doing the western Nebraska and Wyoming portions. Part 2 of my question is what about camping? Are there campgrounds along the way? BLM or National Forest areas, or private campgrounds? Some of these areas, especially in Wyoming, look like they could be pretty remote. Am I going to have problems finding places to camp along the way? I may post that question in another section, but if anyone here has some suggestions, I'd appreciate it.
There is a rest stop at Independence Rock if you are comfortable with that type of camping. Memory is hazy, but I think there are only bathroom facilities there. As a FYI, route 220 from Casper and then route 278 to Lander crosses essentially unpopulated area for many miles. A few large ranches but no towns. It's a nice drive, but don't break down.
Guernsey State Park with lots of campsites is a couple of miles from the wagon ruts and Register Cliff. We had a water/electric site. I would suggest this as a campsite for Fort Laramie as well. Pony Soldier campground is a few miles east of Fort Laramie and there is another campground right at the turn off for the fort, but both are very close to the Union Pacific main line and the trains are frequent.
Sleeping Bear campground in Lander is good for route 28 over the South pass.
Can't advise on the other locations suggested by Old-Biscuit, as we haven't visited them.
