I stopped at this overlook on Highway 89 jut south of Smoots, WY and noticed the Smiths Fork RD. below it. You can see that looks like beautiful country and I was determined to explore it.
Continuing my Rockies trip after I had spent the night in Idaho on FR 111, I continued north on Highway 89. It’s a very pretty and pastoral drive. As you enter Wyoming you enter the Star Valley which is wider and greener than it was in Idaho (which was mostly sagebrush) and the mountains on both sides get bigger. As you know I really like to study Guide Books of areas I’m traveling to because learning about the state from somebody who has spent a lot of time there is far better than wandering around blindly hoping you can find the best places. The book I’ve been using for Wyoming is
“8000 Miles of Dirt: A Backroad Travel Guide to Wyoming.” Like every other guide book I have it fails totally because it doesn’t rate the trips. A boring road is given exactly the same time and attention as a great drive and refuses to tell you which is better than the other. Granted, they’re all full of facts and information, but they leave out the one thing I need to know most “
Should I use my limited time in Wyoming on this drive?” But at least I know something about them. You can get it from Amazon here:
8,000 MILES OF DIRT: A Backroad Travel Guide to Wyoming
Smiths Fork Rd. in Wyoming. I have since driven this road and it goes to the top of my list of my favorite drives in the Rockies. It only gets prettier from here!
One of the trips it talks about is the Smiths Fork/Greys River Back-Road which is a dirt road that’s kept in very good condition. It sounded good and was right along my way so I looked it up in my
“Benchmark Road and Recreation Map”. It looked great because the road follows a river in a valley between two 10,000 foot mountain ranges that should be very pretty so I decided to go that way. It turns East off Highway 89 about 6 miles south of the little town of Smoots, WY. There is a very pretty overlook at about 7 miles south of Smoots and I pulled over to take some pictures and I noticed a dirt road cutting off 89 below me. As soon as I saw it I was certain that was the road I wanted so as I pulled out of the overlook and drove north I kept my eye on it. Sure enough, it was clearly marked as the Smith Fork Road. Get the Benchmark Wyoming Atlas from Amazon here:
Benchmark Wyoming Road & Recreation Atlas
I was turned back by snow on the road so this was on the way back to 89.
I knew instantly that this was a good idea because it was a very pretty drive. The forest foliage was very lush and green because of the recent spring snow-melt and there were many wildflowers in bloom. In the distance were many mountain peaks and I knew that when I turned north on the Greys River Road I would be following a valley right into the heart of those mountains.
The road meanders around up and down hills and follows some very pretty creeks and rivers; it was gorgeous. However, I ran into a problem when the road kept climbing higher into the forest: snow! First I came to some snow berms that other people had busted through so I kept going. That was worrisome but even worse was the mud which started to get deeper as there was more snow melting on the side of the road. Finally I came to a snow berm that wasn’t a berm, it was an endless field of snow. Someone had tried to bust through it and failed; I could see where they had got stuck and fought their way out of the snow. I had no choice but turn around and go back to 89 and follow it up to Jackson.
Rafting is big business through the Snake River Canyon, and rightfully so; it is a spectacularly beautiful drive and float!!
It was such a pretty drive I enjoyed it as much coming out as I had going in. As I drove north on 89 I came to a Bridger Teton NF Ranger Station in the little town of Afton, so I stopped in to get a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) and ask when the road would be clear. The Ranger said that snow was some of the latest to melt in the state and it might not melt before July. I thanked her and made a note to myself to be sure and make that drive sometime this summer; I’m really looking forward to it! As I’m writing this, the road opened up and I’ve already driven it and loved it! I’ll do a post on it soon.
There are some pretty fast parts of the river, much worse than this one.
The drive north through the Star Valley is designated as a Wyoming Scenic Byway, and while it’s very pretty, it’s not anything special. Like most rural areas, there were tiny little towns every 5-10 miles and every one of them had a 25 MPH speed limit. I’m very careful to follow those speed limits so after awhile it gets old constantly speeding up and slowing down every ten minutes.
The Snake River Canyon.
Once you hit the little town of Alpine, WY everything changes because from there north you are following the Snake River which is just gorgeous! It’s surrounded by tall mountains and there are numerous overlooks that let you see the river. Most of it is wide and easy-going but at times it has wild rapids which you know are leaving the many rafters you see on the river soaking wet! It gets so wild at times it’s officially called the “Grand Canyon of the Snake River.” If you are a rafter or kayaker, there are numerous pull-ins along the drive where you can put your boat into the river.
Very shortly you reach Jackson, WY which has dozens of River Rafting companies that will either take you on a float trip down the river or rent you the boat to take yourself. They also offer shuttles to drop you off at the beginning of the river and pick you up at prearranged spots at the end.
Cody and I needed to stop for lunch so we drove up Fall Creek Road and found a nice spot in the shade to stop for lunch and to let Cody out and run around. This shot is up Fall Creek.
I don’t like to stop on major roads for lunch because Cody needs to get out of the van to run around freely and burn up some energy. Near a main road he couldn’t so that. Se we headed up Fall Creek RD and found a nice spot with shade to stop and eat lunch. I ate while Cody ran around and hunted for lunch! After lunch we got back on 89 and drive the rest of the way to Jackson, did our shopping and headed up to the Grand Tetons where we camped.
I’ll end this post here and pick up next time at Jackson, WY.
Smith Fork Rd winding through the forest.
Snake River
Bob,
Great pictures! I sure hope Cody was successful in catching some lunch. I sure would’nt want to hear his stomach growling all the way down here! Have a great trip, I’m enjoying it with you two.
WTXCal
Thanks WTXCal, Cody seems to be a very good weight but if you were to ask him I’m sure he would say I starved him! Whenever I get a burger at fast food (not all that often) he gets a burger too!
Bob
Incredible beauty! Luv the pics. Just listened to Eddie Vedder’s song Hard Sun from the movie Into the Wild. It tugs at the heart and soul.Jeff the Nomad.
Thanks Jeff!
Bob
thanks for the opinions on how nice and worth it or not each drive is. I agree with you that guidebooks should provide that information to save you from wasting what little time you have in that area. Kind of like the “Don’t Waste Your Time in the … ” series of hiking books for BC/ Alberta.
Ming, I used to have that book and it is my inspiration. I may steal part of her title!
Bob
it’s a good title! 🙂
Thanks Ming!
Bob
Anytime I see Snake River I always think of Evel Knievel
Me too Tommy!
Bob
Bob, I am headed that way from Florida on August 1st in my van. I really appreciate all the information. I plan on being in Wyoming, Idaho and Utah for about 3 months before coming back home to Florida for the winter. Thanks so much for all the great suggestions.
Kathy, that’s a good time to be there! I’d save Utah for last so it can cool off and go to Wyoming or Montana first.
Bob
I don’t think I would be able to leave such beauty. Green, rolling meadows, with tree and mountain backdrops? Who could ask for anything more?!
T, I’ve since driven the whole thing and fell deeply in love with it!
Bob
Bob: Absolutely gorgeous. In one of last month’s posts you mentioned that you were getting complaints about too many travel blogs. You sure won’t hear that from me – I love ’em! (But I love the how-to posts also!)
Thanks Diane, very kind of you to say! It’s going to be mostly travel blogs because I’m so busy I can’t do many of the others. But there will still be some.
Bob
Hi Bob
I see in your pictures that you have the high roof racks fitted to your van. I thought you might like to see this awning I just fitted to my roof racks that are same as yours. For $150 you cannot beat it. It is a 8 foot by 7 foot awning and very light. It mounted right onto the holes in the top of the roof racks. It has a manual crank to extend and retract the arms for the awning. It is actually for homes but works great on my van. All the other awnings I found for vans were around $350 and were not very well made.
Here is the link were I got mine on ebay. Maybe the seller has some more they are selling.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281651033416?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Thanks Andy! Have you had it long enough to know how reliable it is? Got any pictures of it?
Bob
Keep these accounts comin’, Bob! Very helpful and inspirational. Would you have considered going farther into the snow with 4WD, or would that have merely been an invitation to get yourself in deeper trouble? Did it mask where the road actually was?
Thanks Doug! No, I would have turned back even with 4×4. The road was still climbing so I guess it would have just gotten deeper the further I went. It’s not worth fighting it to me. At that elevation the forest was thick so you had to stay on the road.
Bob
Great country I have driven in the area and it is very pleasant I am glad you are there enjoy it take some hikes if you are able, by the way I hope your van is braking well i Iost your llast blog about your Utah trip I think I deleted it by mistake any way I hope they are braking good and safe enjoy your self out there
Thanks Joe, putting new brakes on the rear solved all of it’s problems and it’s doing fine!
Bob
Bob,
Coming south from Alpine would have been a much better drive and the camping would have been superb! And lots of it. I did the run west in the Zuki and would never attempt it in anything much bigger and without 4wd!
The river road is a place you could spend a month with no problem and the fishing is great.
Corky
Corky, I’m not sure I see any difference in taking it north or south. The camping is superb either way. Are we talking about the same drive? I didn’t have any problem with my 2wd extended van.
No doubt I could camp there for a month easily!
Bob
Bob,
I was talking about taking Grey’s River Road south from Alpine. I spent a couple of months up there a few years ago. Huge number of places to explore up there.
Corky
Corky, maybe they have improved it since you drove it, it’s in really great shape now.
Bob
Looks as if those dirt roads are much better maintained than in Arizona. At least the Arizona dirt roads I have been on recently.
Douglas, you’re right about that, it’s a very good road.
Bob
Hi,
Your blog is very interesting and informative for rv destinations, routes, photos, and how-to info. Is there a way to link to your blog so that notices of new entries are automatically sent to my email?
Regards,
Tom
Hi Tom, yes there is. Go to the website and on the right hand side-bar if you scroll down a bit there is a place to sign up get my blog posts by email. You might also want to join the forum and take part in the tribe. At the top of the website are menu buttons, just click on the one that says “Forums”.
Bob