Bighorn National Forest
The Bighorn National Forest is located in northern Wyoming, United States and consists of over 1.1 million acres (4,500 km²). Created as a US Forest Reserve in 1897, it is one of the oldest government-protected forest lands in the U.S. The forest is well east of the continental divide and extends from the Montana border for a distance of 80 miles (130 km) along the spine of the Big Horn Mountains, an outlying mountain range separated from the rest of the Rocky Mountains by Bighorn Basin. Like an island is a sea of sagebrush, elevations range from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) along the sagebrush and grass-covered lowlands at the foot of the mountains, to 13,189 feet (4,020 m) on top of Cloud Peak, the highest point in the Big Horn Mountains. The forest is named after the Bighorn River, which is partially fed by streams found in the forest. While the river and forest used the name "Bighorn" all in one word, the mountains associated with the forest are referred to as the "Big Horns".
Within the forest is the Cloud Peak Wilderness area in which no motorized or mechanical equipment is allowed. The only access into the 189,000 acre (765 km²) wilderness is on foot or horseback. There are 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of trails in the forest, along with 32 improved campgrounds, lodges, and three scenic vehicular byways.
An area nearly added to the Cloud Peak Wilderness in 1984, is the Rock Creek recommended wilderness. Rock Creek is one of the Wyoming Wilderness Association’s priority campaigns.
Learn all about WWA's priority campaign
The Bighorn National Forest needs to hear from you!
The Forest Service is proposing to convert a motorized trail
back to non-motorized use. This is a huge step for this forest in
addressing increasing motorized use and abuse. WWA is very supportive of this proposal.
An outpouring of support to defend this action will assure its success.
Your comments are needed now to ensure peaceful backcountry recreation is not interrupted by motorized vehicles. Please write about your experience with damaging off-road abuse and unsafe riding by motorized enthusiasts as
well as the fact that Trail 38 is not needed for motorized access. If you know Trail 38, please write what you know or have learned.
ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED TO PROTECT TRAIL 38
- Trail 38 parallels the Penrose Trail and is not needed for motorized access to Kearny Lake and it will not block access to Willow Park Reservoir. Two motorized accesses are not needed to Kearny.
- Trail 38 has extremely rocky portions that make it unsafe to use motorized vehicles
- Trail 38 follows an important watershed, Kearny Creek, with the trail weaving in and out of the water. Protecting the watershed and fisheries is very important to limit erosion and damage to natural re-sources.
- Trail 38 is too narrow and rocky for safe use by motorized vehicles.
- Spear-O-Wigwam Ranch’s high camp near Beaver Lakes on Kearny Creek (now owned by Sheridan Col-lege) had always enjoyed the area as closed to motorized use to assure their horse packing clients had a wilderness-like experience. Dudes rode over the Cloud Peak Wilderness’ Highland Park and down into Beaver Lakes. Now meeting ATV’s and motorized users has destroyed their experience and the primitive setting.
- Historically, Trail 38 was always a horse and foot traffic trail. The trail was designed for horse and hiking travel, not for motorized use. Over the years, motorized abuse has occurred and harmed the area.
- There has been “an incredible amount of motorized use on this trail” and parts of ATV’s litter the area, indicating that the trail is not safe.
- Applaud the BNF for finally taking on this controversial issue that will provide good stewardship for our Mountain.
Comments are accepted until March 12, 2012.
Please send to Cheri Jones, BNF at cajones02@fs.fed.us or
2013 Eastside Second Street
Sheridan, WY 82801.
Contact the Wyoming Wilderness Association at (307)672-2751 or email justin@wildwyo.org for more information.
