Granite Pass by Bicycle - Velo

Three paved roads cross the Bighorn Mountains in north central Wyoming. They all summit within 400ft of elevation. But this one is the lowest of the three and geographically situated between the other two. Arguably it is also the most scenically spectacular and unusual of the three - not because of the summit, but because of Shell Canyon on the lower western approach.

1.(mile00.0,4220ft) START-END WEST: US14 crosses Shell Creek, immediately north of Shell
2.(mile15.5,7450ft)jct with FR17 Battle Creek Rd/Paintrock Rd on right
3.(mile22.0,9033ft)TOP: Granite Pass
4.(mile22.4,8950ft)FR10 Hunt Mtn Rd takes off on right
5.(mile32.4,8110ft)Burgess Jct
6.(mile36.0,7700ft)low point between Granite Pass and Cutler Hill, where US14 crosses south Tongue River
7.(mile40.2,8340ft)Cutler Hill s(u)
8.(mile41.9,7970ft)jct with Black Mountain Road on right
9.(mile58.1,3960ft)START-END EAST: Dayton

From West. It's from this side that the Bighorn Mountains show their most unusual and spectacular side. Rolling into Shell from the west on US14, the massive limestone layers behind Shell appear like a patterned wall, behind a colorful dessert that you might expect in southern Utah.

The profile starts in Shell, population somewhere below a hundred, according to the sign. There is a campground and a cafe here, and the people behind the counter are usually working somewhere around the property. Most of the yards look like they are spacious town parks, but are actually really private lawns. The large, old Cottonwood trees give the place an oasis like character.

Just north of Shell the road crosses Shell Creek, the rivulet that eroded all this massive grand scenery ahead on this ride, and with that the road reaches a low point, and the profile finally starts. Heading for the mouth of the canyon, it sure looks like you are descending towards it. But the tilted rock layer play tricks on the perception. Only during the last short distance before entering the canyon, does the road drop a small amount.

Initially the road stays immediately next to Shell Creek, negotiating the narrowest and deepest part of the canyon. At a bridge a trail following an old livestock driveway allows exploring the northside of the canyon, while the road stays on the south. This trail also reaches the top of the plateau

These spectacular canyon walls are formed by two consecutive limestone formations, one on top of the other: the Missippian Madison limestone on the bottom, upon which the Ordivician Bighorn dolomite is stacked.

As the canyon becomes much wider, the road climbs partially up the north side of the canyon with wide sweeping turns. The road has a shoulder, but unfortunately it has been rumble stripped in the middle. Still, the shoulder is wide enough that you can still ride to the right of the rumble strip. Further up the rumble strips have been paved over (Aug 2015).

The mountains across the canyon seem unclimbable, bordered by ledges on all sides. The most unusual looking is Copman's tomb, which resembles the teeth in a mouth with extreme tooth decay, with a little imagination. From this vantage point you would never guess that zones of dense forest wait on top of this plateau.

At about 6200ft the road reaches Shell Falls, for many drivers the first reason to exit their enclosures. Paradoxically this point also marks the end of the spectacular canyon section. Above, there is still the occasional slot like canyon cut into precambrian granite, dissecting the landscape into cracks, but still, it looks comparable to other canyons around here.

Up ahead large boulders from a higher formation lie in the middle of the gentle valley, like big bread crumbs on a rumpled table cloth. This is where FR17 takes off toward Paintrock to the north. The road makes one more switchback and looking back, the limestone cliffs are now below eyelevel.

The scenery takes on more and more of a high plains character, and the road levels out to near zero grade. Still, just before reaching the summit, the road climbs a minute amount to make the whole thing just a little pass-like. There is a single Granite Pass sign on top, facing west, as well as signs announcing the change in counties. There is no shoulder on top, but traffic is generally light.

From East. The profle starts in Dayton, at the edge of the Powder River Basin. On this side the road crosses another summit first, Cutler Hill s(u). Following a 700ft drop, this profile stays left on US14 and follows a gentle grassy valley uphill. In August long rows of trailers can be seen lining nearby meadows at the edge of the forest. It seems many people just park their trailers somewhere in the Bighorns even if they are only there for a couple of weekends. Others groups of these nomadic settlements are surrounded by every type of motor contraption that you can think of. I never saw a single bicycle, except the one I was riding. - Too bad.