As you start north on the Grey’s River Road initially it’s narrow, winding and a little bumpy. But it is spectacular!
In my last post we were traveling the Smiths Fork/Grays River Loop and got as far as LaBarge Pass and the Tri-Basin divide where I turned north on Greys River Road. Once on the Grey’s River Road you go over a slight pass and head down to Alpine. At the top of the pass the Grey’s River is just barely a creek, much less a major river. As I followed the river I could actually watch it grow as the hundreds of little creeks flowed into it and by the end of the drive it was a mighty river! As you look at the photos you can watch it growing.
Here we’ve just started north on Grey’s River. Road That’s the Grey’s River on the right of the road at the bottom of the hill–it starts as just a trickle!
The drive along the Grey’s River road is gorgeous with beautiful mountain ranges on both sides. It’s a very long drive and while it isn’t beautiful the whole way, but overall it is well worth the time!
After just a few miles you are into hills and the creek has grown. You can see the road is narrow but anybody can drive it.
The quality of the Smiths Fork Road had been very good, it was mostly two cars wide and in very good shape. At the very top it was a little bit rutted from the very recent snowmelt, but I’m sure in a few months traffic would smooth it out. For the most part you are easily driving 20-45 MPH depending on how curvy it is in an area.
The creek is growing into a river and is in a gorgeous area.
When I turned on to the Grey’s River Road at the pass the quality of the road dropped dramatically. At first it is in a very narrow valley and the road is only one car width wide and you are driving 10 MPH. I came across an oncoming car and had to pull off the road and let him sneak past me. After a few miles it widens out but even then the road is fairly rocky with fist sized rocks and you are only driving 20 MPH. That lasts for about 15 miles and then all of a sudden the road becomes like a dirt super-highway. If you’re willing to put up with the massive cloud of dust you’re throwing up behind you, it’s easy to comfortably drive 40-50 MPH from then on all the way to Alpine. Every so often it’s wash-boarded but not very often.
Getting Bigger!
It’s turning into a monster!
I highly recommend this trip for you as an extended camping spot, as long as you can do without internet. There is no cell phone or internet on it. All along both roads there are tons of spots where you can pull over and disperse camp, many right on creeks. I camped one night on the Smith’s Fork and one night on the Grey’s River and both times I was within 50 feet of a creek. A car can easily make the whole drive and I believe an RV could do the entire loop as well, but at its narrowest point (which doesn’t last long) it would be very difficult if you came across another car headed the other way. One of you might need to back-up to a pullover.
This is very close to Alpine where it flows into the Snake River. It’s turned into a giant river. I’m on a hill far above it, it’s huge!
The closer you get to Alpine the more campers there are. For probably the last 20 miles there are tents, trailers and 5
th Wheels in most of the nicer campsites. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a campsite close to Alpine. There are dozens of little roads that head off the main road into the valleys of the mountain ranges that parallel the road. If you drive up any of them you will find many more campsites.
At lunchtime we headed up Deadman’s Mine Road. The mine is up on the side of that mountain. It’s at higher elevation so the snow just finished melting off. You can see some pretty good ruts in the road.
The higher we got the rougher the road got. Here you can see it still had water running down the road. We ate lunch just another 100 yards up the road in the shade of a big tree and Cody got to run around and wade in the water.
I only drove up one of them at mid-day because I wanted to find a spot to pull over and eat lunch. There were four reasons I drove up the Deadman Mine Road:
- It was getting hot and I wanted to find shade.
- I didn’t want to eat lunch near the main road because traffic moves fast on it and I would be worried about Cody running free and possibly getting run over.
- I also wanted to get far away from the dust of the main road—who wants to eat lunch and be covered with dust!?
- It also looked like they would be beautiful valleys so I wanted to see if I could get some photos.
This is another one of the many roads leading off of Grey’s River Road into a distant valley. You could easily spend the summer exploring them all.
The drive up towards Deadman Mine exceeded all my expectations! It was a beautiful drive along a creek surrounded by tall and beautiful mountains. The road was rutted from run-off but it wasn’t anything the van couldn’t handle—however, I wouldn’t try to take a car or RV up it. I came to a perfect place for lunch, parked in the shade and had lunch. Cody and I needed to stretch so we walked up the road for a ways to stretch and I took some photos.
I probably have 100 pictures of Cody in the creeks on this trip!
Like everywhere else we had been on the drive, we were parked and walked along a pretty creek. Cody was in heaven on this drive because there was an abundance of squirrels to chase and whenever he got hot there was a creek for him to walk around in and cool off. There was also an abundance of deer on the trip, so many they are actually a risk. Numerous times they crossed the road right in front of me and a few times I was lucky to get stopped to avoid hitting them.
The closer I got to Alpine the more campers there were. This 5th Wheel was typical of the many campsites along the road. If you want to camp there it’s easy to be within 10 miles of Alpine and you can run in there for internet access and supplies. The river is just on the other side of the trees, and it has very good fishing.
Overall I have to say this is a magnificent drive that I highly recommend to everyone, especially in late June when the wildflowers are in bloom. The longer you can stay the more you’ll love it! The main road is great and worth the trip but when you add the dozens of side-trips you can make up into the many mountain valleys, it becomes truly remarkable.
It doesn’t get any better than this!
You’re are an inspiration! I’ve been following your adventures for nearly a year. I’m most ready to make the plunge. My house is on the market, got my truck and 19 foot trailer, my Dog “Chance” and my parrot “Baby” Thanks for the great ideas and wonderful pictures.
Safe Journeys,
Tom Ross
Tom, there are so many beautiful and wonderful places in this country you can spend the rest of your life exploring it! Bliss is just ahead of you!
Bob
Cody is looking more like Homers lately, isn’t he, or is just me that see him that way ??
Glad U 2 are having fun. Lucy.
Lucy, there is a resemblance, but I know for sure he fills my heart just as well!
Bob
That’s so sweet of you, Bob !!
My regards, Lucy.
Thanks Lucy!
Bob
Wow! Speechless. Its paradise. I wonder if there are bears/mountain lions in the area? I still plan on make the trip one day even if they are there. I would rather take my chances in that beautiful splendor than die at my desk in the city surrounded by people who don’t care if I live or die.
Hotrod, I’m sorry I have no idea if there are or not. Neither would be an issue unless you get out and walk further back into the backcountry.
Bob
Spectacular! Many thanks for giving such a detailed review and as always, your pictures speak at least 1,000 words as to the beauty of nature. Next visit to Wyoming this will definitely be on the “to do” list!
Lightfoot, I don’t know why it isn’t more well known, it was my favorite spot in Wyoming!
Bob
Great looking areas, and they look like our new to us 2005 Class A would handle much of the drive. I almost have my wife convinced that we could take the RV onto the occasional dirt road, something I never convinced her of with our fifth wheel.
Walt an RV would have no problem with the first 20 miles of the road. Keep working on her!
Bob
That is a beautiful drive, and I believe it would fit my mode of van-dwelling very well. I have one advantage, I guess. In this part of Ohio we are very used to watching for deer. We have whitetail in abundance here.
That’s a very good thing Calvin!
Bob
Gorgeous photos, Bob
make me wish I could paint
you have a gift with the light…
watching Cody adventure and dip is fun, too.
Happy trails
Thanks so much green!
Bob
Hi Bob, spectacular area and I hope to make it up there someday, added to bucket list for sure!
You’ll be glad you did Don!
Bob
Hi Bob,
Is this area BLM land? Looks like a good place to stay while visiting the Tetons. Nice writeup on this and Beartooth Hwy. Thanks for sharing.
Jim, no, BLM land is isially desert almost never has many trees, if it has trees it’s National Forest. This is the Bridger Teton NF.
Bob
Such beautiful country! Thank you for sharing!
You’re very welcome Shawna!
Bob
Beautiful area! I am envious. Enjoying my stay in the UP at the free camps. Took a drive to a nearby indian casino (I dont gamble) and camped there overnite for 15.00. Had water ,electric and use of their pool sauna hot tubs and shower.and a 9.95 all you can eat fish fry. It was like staying at the Hilton on a budget! Fifteen dollars went a long way. Jeff the Nomad.
Sounds good Jeff!
Bob
Beautiful country. Thanks for sharing. We’ll be heading over to Ouray, Co. at the end of the month. Newly retired but still have one foot in getting rid of stuff mode. Smith Fork, Grey’s River and Bear Tooth are now all on the list.
Ed, the area around Ouray is one of the most beautiful places in the country and in September it can just explode with color as the Aspens turn colors. Every year is different but hopefully this will be a good fall color year.
I’m in Steamboat Springs, CO now and there is a good chance I will be in Ouray about then also. If so, my camp is always open to you!
Bob
Bob, I’ve been through Alpine but had no idea these back country roads existed. Guess I was in too much of a hurry to get to Jackson. My question is: where do you start from if you end up in Alpine? Is it La Barge or Cokeville? If so, I have been looking at my Atlas map thinking that it could be a good road to check out.