Escape To Wyoming's Hidden Desert To See The Most Unique Landscape In The West
By Kim Magaraci|Published February 06, 2019
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Kim Magaraci
Author
Kim Magaraci graduated Rutgers University with a degree in Geography and has spent the last seven years as a freelance travel writer. Contact: kmagaraci@onlyinyourstate.com
Between Rawlins and Rock Springs, you'll find the most unique ecosystem in the West. Wyoming's high desert sits 6,000 feet above sea level and is fascinating.
It truly is a desert here. The area known as the Great Divide Basin sits on the Continental Divide, but drains into neither ocean. Luckily, it rarely rains here, and the water is drained right back into the ground.
Despite the initial impression of being a vast, barren landscape, once you take a closer look you'll see an impressive variety of flora and fauna. Elk, mule deer, and antelope are common here.
Hawks, eagles, bobcats, coyotes and the occasional mountain lions love to hunt here. The large herds of wild horses thrive in the sandy, brushy environment.
The Killpecker Sand Dunes stretch across more than 100,000 acres of the Wyoming Red Desert. These whistling sand dunes are one of the largest dune fields in North America.
Adobe Town is one section of the high desert is where conservationists and the natural gas industry are in conflict. While preserving the land is important to sustainability and the delicate ecosystem, there are valuable natural resources below the ground that the large corporations want to explore.
Throughout the high desert, you'll find thousands of acres of public land and the occasional private ranch. The area is remote, but cattle and horses are easy to raise out here.
It's easy to explore the Wyoming Red Desert, thanks to the BLM opening up enormous "play areas" for dune buggies, hiking, camping, and horseback riding.
