wreckdiver1321
Overlander
I've been shut in most of the last few months thanks to snow, cold, and wind, and I've been looking for a way to escape again, and been talking a lot recently about getting more desert exploring in. I know one of the most unique places in southern Montana/northern Wyoming is the Bighorn Canyon, a big 'ole hole in the ground carved by the Bighorn River. The river has carved deep into the red rock scenery, creating a fascinating landscape that is unlike any other in the state. I've always meant to explore this area a little more, and I found time yesterday to have a look.
I picked up my friend Austin around lunchtime yesterday and headed south for the Bighorn Canyon. We turned off at Bridger, where we bombed down a system of dirt roads to the border. Just before the Wyoming line, we joined back up with the highway and rolled through a couple very small towns until we hit Lovell. We followed the highway to the east and over Bighorn Lake. on the east side of the lake, we turned off to the north and made our way into the hills.
This road would turn out to be a fantastic surprise. It started out pretty easy, a little washboarded, but pretty easygoing. As the road looped around and started climbing, it deteriorated, getting rougher and rougher. It turned into a pretty fun mild 4x4 trail. As it climbed onto the plateau, the view got better and better. And we even found a cool place to get flexed out a bit.
The trail climbed up and crested on a butte, where you could see for miles. We followed the trail for a while longer, passing a couple Jeeps that slowed down to get an eyeful of Lola. After a little while, we made our way to a small group of buildings. According to my onboard maps, this used to be a mining area. We stopped to check out the buildings for a few minutes before moving on.
As we continued on, I spotted a sign next to a side trail that was begging to be read. This is one of the more... unique ones I've run across, one that deserved a photo.
Sadly, I left my Geiger counter at home, so we bypassed this area and followed what used to be a landing strip along the plateau. We navigated our way north, back across the border and into Montana. After choosing which trail to follow, we found a very steep and loose hill that looked like it went somewhere interesting. I dropped the truck into low range and engaged the locker. With zero drama and no wheelspin, Lola climbed right up the hill. The more I drive this truck, the more I love it! As we crested the hill, I hit the locker switch, dropped the transmission into neutral, and selected high range. The almost immediately, the 4x4 indicator blinked and went out. Simultaneously, the 4x4 warning light came on. The truck would not disengage from 4 wheel drive. I was concerned, but I figured I had just tried to change things around too quickly and the system couldn't handle all the inputs at once. So I shut the truck off, let it sit for a couple seconds, then started it again. The indicators turned back on, and the warning light went out. I was back in business. At least the view here was great!
We followed this trail until it ended, just above part of the canyon, then hopped out and had a look. We were not disappointed.
We hiked back up to the truck and headed back the way we came, then made our way down the enormous hill and followed another trail that ran along the canyon rim. We made sure to stop and check out every turnoff where there was a view. We were absolutely gobsmacked.
The view was breathtaking. Here we were in southern Montana, in February, not far from two large mountain ranges, and we come across red rock canyons and trails that seemed like they were straight out of the American Southwest. It was magical. We just had to see where the trail went.
Eventually, the trail dropped down onto a narrow finger of rock isolated by a horseshoe bend in the river. At the end of this rock, there was one of the most fantastically picturesque campsites I've seen. It's definitely on the list for this year. Here's the view a couple of steps from the campsite.
After taking in this final view, the light was fading fast and we still had to make it home. So we decided to forego any extra trail running, which turned out to be a good plan, since it got dark before we made our way back to the end of the dirt. After eight hours of exploring, we made it back home, safe but tired. Overall it was a very fun day full of exploring and discovery. I found a new place that makes me fall in love with Montana even more, and I have a new area I'm really itching to check out some more.
I picked up my friend Austin around lunchtime yesterday and headed south for the Bighorn Canyon. We turned off at Bridger, where we bombed down a system of dirt roads to the border. Just before the Wyoming line, we joined back up with the highway and rolled through a couple very small towns until we hit Lovell. We followed the highway to the east and over Bighorn Lake. on the east side of the lake, we turned off to the north and made our way into the hills.
This road would turn out to be a fantastic surprise. It started out pretty easy, a little washboarded, but pretty easygoing. As the road looped around and started climbing, it deteriorated, getting rougher and rougher. It turned into a pretty fun mild 4x4 trail. As it climbed onto the plateau, the view got better and better. And we even found a cool place to get flexed out a bit.
The trail climbed up and crested on a butte, where you could see for miles. We followed the trail for a while longer, passing a couple Jeeps that slowed down to get an eyeful of Lola. After a little while, we made our way to a small group of buildings. According to my onboard maps, this used to be a mining area. We stopped to check out the buildings for a few minutes before moving on.
As we continued on, I spotted a sign next to a side trail that was begging to be read. This is one of the more... unique ones I've run across, one that deserved a photo.
Sadly, I left my Geiger counter at home, so we bypassed this area and followed what used to be a landing strip along the plateau. We navigated our way north, back across the border and into Montana. After choosing which trail to follow, we found a very steep and loose hill that looked like it went somewhere interesting. I dropped the truck into low range and engaged the locker. With zero drama and no wheelspin, Lola climbed right up the hill. The more I drive this truck, the more I love it! As we crested the hill, I hit the locker switch, dropped the transmission into neutral, and selected high range. The almost immediately, the 4x4 indicator blinked and went out. Simultaneously, the 4x4 warning light came on. The truck would not disengage from 4 wheel drive. I was concerned, but I figured I had just tried to change things around too quickly and the system couldn't handle all the inputs at once. So I shut the truck off, let it sit for a couple seconds, then started it again. The indicators turned back on, and the warning light went out. I was back in business. At least the view here was great!
We followed this trail until it ended, just above part of the canyon, then hopped out and had a look. We were not disappointed.
We hiked back up to the truck and headed back the way we came, then made our way down the enormous hill and followed another trail that ran along the canyon rim. We made sure to stop and check out every turnoff where there was a view. We were absolutely gobsmacked.
The view was breathtaking. Here we were in southern Montana, in February, not far from two large mountain ranges, and we come across red rock canyons and trails that seemed like they were straight out of the American Southwest. It was magical. We just had to see where the trail went.
Eventually, the trail dropped down onto a narrow finger of rock isolated by a horseshoe bend in the river. At the end of this rock, there was one of the most fantastically picturesque campsites I've seen. It's definitely on the list for this year. Here's the view a couple of steps from the campsite.
After taking in this final view, the light was fading fast and we still had to make it home. So we decided to forego any extra trail running, which turned out to be a good plan, since it got dark before we made our way back to the end of the dirt. After eight hours of exploring, we made it back home, safe but tired. Overall it was a very fun day full of exploring and discovery. I found a new place that makes me fall in love with Montana even more, and I have a new area I'm really itching to check out some more.
