This road runs perpendicular to
the old Oregon Trail in the vicinity of the
continental divide. It crosses the divide
closer to the Oregon Trail's most famous
landmarks, the Oregon Buttes, than the
historic trail itself. The summit is a great
vantage point between the Wind River Range and
the Sweetwater Basin. Count yourself lucky if
you get a day with little wind. I would.
 |
1.START-END NORTH:Wy28
crosses county line on way to South Pass
2.profile turns right onto Oregon Buttes
Rd
3.route crosses Oregon Trail, close to
summit of original Oregon Trail over
South Pass
4.TOP, 7840ft
5.Edmund Springs
6.parking area and trailhead into a
wilderness study area
7.START-END SOUTH:jct with track north
to Point of Rocks - South Pass stage
route
|
Approaches
From North. The profile
includes part of Wy28, starting where it crosses
the county line. After a signed, yet visually
indistinguishable crossing of the continental
divide, Oregon Butte Rd takes off at a signed
junction to the south. A good surface gravel
road rolls along, with the rollers becoming ever
steeper and the views of the Wind River Range to
the north, ever more spectacular, unless smoke
hides them in a dense haze. A few miles up the
road , it crosses the original Oregon Trail.
Here a nicely executed sign points out Pacific
Butte and other landmarks that Oregon bound
travelers had to negotiate. The official Oregon
Trail summit is reached after following a
short path to the west. Here stand two
headstones that fit into the austere landscape
perfectly in their simplicity.
Leaving behind Pacific Butte, the
real road rollers are just starting. This
includes a few short steep pitches and a little
washboard, that never lasts long. At the top the
view opens up onto the high Great Divide Basin.
From South.
(described downwards) The road seems to
snuggle into a protective cove of Oregon Butte
with a switchback, before heading to a spring
that has resulted in a fairly large pond. The
descent seems small, but following every contour
of the landscape, the rolling up and down is
considerable.
|
|
|
cLiCk on image , arrows
, or thumbnails to advance slideshow
|
Dayride with this point as
highest summit
PARTIALLY PAVED / UNPAVED
( <
Fremont
Lakes Rd(ow) |
Lander
Cutoff Rd s(u) > )
Oregon Buttes Rd s(u) x2: Oregon
Buttes Rd, a short distance south from it jce
with Wy28 > Oregon Buttes Rd north > Wy28
west > unmarked unpaved road south > Hay
Meadow Resrvoir > unmarked track east >
Powerline trail north > Pacific Butte
powerline trail(shp) >
Oregon/California/Mormon Trail east >
official summit of Oregon Trail over South Pass
> jct with Oregon Buttes Rd <> out and
back on Oregon Buttes Rd south <> Oregon
Buttes Rd s(u) << turaround point ~400ft
below summit at wilderness study area sign
>> Oregon Buttes Rd north back to starting
point: 47.2miles with 2920ft of climbing in
5:51hrs (garmin etrex32x m6:25.06.23)