BAGGS TO CENTENNIAL – 160 miles

The WYBDR begins in Baggs, Wyoming just 2.6 miles north of the Colorado border. This is a great place to get provisions for the trip as they have a grocery store. Lodging is available and convenient as you’ll probably be getting here from out of town (reserve rooms ahead if possible). The route officially begins with a short paved segment on Highway 789. Pay attention for a turn that comes up quickly on the right which leads you into the vast treeless region known as Wild Horse Basin. Enjoy the views and the firm dirt track which makes a nice introduction to Wyoming’s backcountry. This section ends when it descends into the Savery Creek Valley and passes by Boyer YL Ranch, another lodging option for the start of the WYBDR. A side trip to the historic town of Savery (pop. 25) is worthwhile.

Riders will then ascend out of the valley onto a blissful track with sagebrush and aspen trees called Savery Stock Drive which is impassible when wet as the mud will be too slippery and sticky to ride. This mud warning applies to all of the non-forested sections of the WYBDR. One more bit of pavement leads past the Battle Mountain Viewpoint before a northward turn begins a long segment through the Sierra Madre Range. Immediately riders will go through the unmistakable “Aspen Alley” where photographs are in order.

Then riders will pass through burned forests before stopping to make a decision. The first harder option on the WYBDR goes over the Continental Divide Trail and Bridger Peak (elev. 11,004 ft). This option is not doable early in the season and after the first snowfall in autumn. If you’re here in July and August and you are an advanced rider who enjoys steep rocky 4×4 trails, this is for you. Otherwise enjoy the scenic and bucolic option that bypasses this massive mountain. Both options end in the town of Encampment/Riverside (pop. 460 combined) where you should re-fuel.

The next section uses pavement and wide dirt roads heading eastward towards the next mountain range. The road ascends from the North Platte River Valley and passes through another burned forest before getting to Rob Roy Reservoir in the heart of Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Camping is available at Holmes Campground and Rob Roy Campground at the north end of the lake. For those staying at Rob Roy consider the side trip up to Spruce Mountain Lookout for superb views of the area. The BDR leaves Rob Roy going northward and the track gets a bit rougher. Watch for puddles and sharp rocks as the track continues and turns NE before leaving the Medicine Bow Mountains and descending to the historic town of Centennial (pop. 308).