Wyoming Highway 70 (WYO 70) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in southern

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

. The route travels from an intersection with WYO 789 in Baggs eastward to WYO 230 in

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. WYO 70 over Battle Pass is closed during winter (November to April). The section of the route within

Medicine Bow National Forest Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...

is designated the Battle Pass Scenic Byway.

Route description

Wyoming Highway 70 begins in Baggs at Wyoming Highway 789 and heads east through southern Carbon County near the

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

state line. Highway 70 travels through the communities of Dixon and

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before dipping across the state line, where a short section passes through

Slater, Colorado Slater is an unincorporated community and a U.S. Post Office located in both Moffat County, and Routt County, Colorado, United States. The Slater Post Office has the ZIP Code 81653. Slater is unusual in that, while it lies within Colorado, the ...

(between mileposts 15.34 and 16.24). This short section through

Moffat County, Colorado Moffat County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,292. The county seat is Craig. With an area of 4,751 square miles, it is the 2nd largest county by area in Colorado, behind Las An ...

is not part of the Colorado State Highway System, and is maintained by the

Wyoming Department of Transportation The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is a government agency charged with overseeing transportation infrastructure for the U.S. state of Wyoming. WYDOT's stated mission is “to provide a safe, high quality, and efficient transportatio ...

. At 16.7 miles, Wyoming 70 intersects with former Colorado State Highway 129, which used to connect

US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

with Wyoming 70. It is now

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CR 1. Thereafter the highway travels through very scenic

(between mileposts 21.25 and 51.10) and passes over Battle Pass at an elevation of . After leaving the national forest, Highway 70 passes through

Encampment Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

and then on to

, where it ends at its junction with WYO 230. During the spring of 2011, a landslide occurred on WYO 70 near milepost 31, about halfway between Baggs and Encampment. The slide destroyed a 1,000-foot length of the highway, and the road was closed to through traffic for several weeks. As a result, a temporary one-lane detour was constructed.WYDOT - Wyoming Highway 70 slide & realignment
/ref> Reconstruction of the road where the slide occurred was ruled out after geologic investigations found the slide is likely to continue moving in the future. Work to realign WYO 70 around to the north of the slide area is being done. WYDOT anticipates the realignment project would require two construction seasons, during which time the existing detour would be maintained. Wyoming Highway 70

On November 15, 2012, The Wyoming Highway Commission designated Wyoming State Highway 70 as the Battle Pass Scenic Byway. A local support group, Battle Pass Scenic Byway Alliance, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is coordinating the interpretive signage along this unique roadway across the Continental Divide.

History

Between the 1940s and 1960s, Wyoming Highway 70 connected with former Colorado State Highway 129, which used to connect

with Wyoming 70. During the time Highway 129 existed, WY 70 didn't exist as it does now. Only the western part from SH 129 to Baggs was designated as Highway 70. Former Colorado State Highway 129 is now Routt County Route 129.

Recreation

The

Continental Divide Trail The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail (CDT)) is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of between the U.S. border with Chihuahua, Mexico a ...

traverses

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. Resupply is available in the nearby Town of

to the east. Local camping is available just north of the highway. In 2010 a small trailer was parked just off the highway on private property for the use of thru-hikers.

http://www.yogisbooks.com/continental-divide-trail/yogis-continental-divide-trail-handbook>

Major intersections

References

External links