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
Riverside
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...
. 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
Savery Savery is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Constance Savery (1897-1999), English author
* Gil Savery (1917-2018), American journalist
* Henry Savery (1791–1842), Australian novelist
* Jan Savery (1589–1654), Flemish paint ...
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
Moffat
Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town.
...
CR 1. Thereafter the highway travels through very scenic
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 ...
(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
Riverside
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...
, 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](_blank)
/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.[
]
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 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. 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 Battle Pass
In the video game industry, a battle pass is a type of monetization approach that provides additional content for a game usually through a tiered system, rewarding the player with in-game items for playing the game and completing specific chal ...
. Resupply is available in the nearby Town of 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 ...
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
See also
*
*
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
WYO 70 - WYO 789 to Colorado State Line
WYO 70 - Colorado State Line to Colorado State Line
WYO 70 - Colorado State Line to WYO 230
Transportation in Carbon County, Wyoming
070