2024 Route – Tour de Wyoming

PEDAL THE PASSES – Four Mountain Passes in 6 days

The 2024 Tour de Wyoming gathers in Laramie, Wyoming on July 13.

Day 1, July 14, we head into the Medicine Bow Mountains for our first mountain pass of the Tour. It tops out at 9,174 feet, so only a baby pass with no name. We then enter Colorado to spend the night in Walden.

Day 2 We backtrack on a portion of the route from Day 1 to return to Wyoming. We spend the route with long and sometimes challenging rollers as preparation for the upcoming mountain passes. We enjoy the evening along the Encampment River in the small town of Riverside.

On Day 3, we climb into the Sierra Madre Mountains, topping out at mile 13.1 at Bridger Pass (elevation 9,947 feet). The descent, with some rollers, is 45 miles following the Little Snake River into the town of Baggs.

For Day 4 we prove that the direction of travel over a mountain pass makes a difference. We turn around out of Baggs and head back into the Sierra Madre Mountains. While the route is the same as the day before, the direction change makes it feel and appear completely different. We return to Riverside for another evening along the river.

On Day 5, is our fourth pass of the Tour as we leave Riverside and make a turn to the east, heading up and over Snowy Range Pass. This pass is stunning where the vistas could take your breath away just as much as the we prove that the 10,847 ft elevation at the pass. We then cruise back off the mountain to spend the night in the wonderful small town of Centennial.

Our final day, Day 6, is a cruiser unless, of course, the wind is in our faces. Typically it comes out of the west, though, making for a nice cruise back to our starting point in Laramie.

Daily Routes

Touring Wyoming from the seat of a bicycle

Day 1 – July 14

Laramie to Walden

64.3 Miles

We head out from the Wyoming National Guard Readiness Center and pedal in to Laramie. We immediately head back out when Highway 130 meets Highway 230. We head out across the prairie, and along the Laramie River and into the Medicine Bow Mountains. We cross into Colorado and drop into North Park to end the day at the North Park School in Walden.

Day 2 – July 15

Walden to Riverside

58 Miles

From Walden, we backtrack 13 miles on the route from Day 1, and then turn at Three-Way to return to Wyoming and into the Upper North Platte River Valley. We follow the rolling, sometimes hilly, terrain with the Sierra Madre Mountains rising to the west and the Medicine Bow Mountains to the east. We end the day in the charming small town of Riverside, next to the town of Encampment.

Day 3 – July 16

Riverside to Baggs

58 Miles

We head out from Riverside, through the adjacent town of Encampment to head up into the Sierra Madre Mountains. The climb continues for 13 miles to reach Battle Pass at an elevation of 9,955 feet. From there it is rolling terrain through the mountain pass before dropping into Little Snake River Valley. We briefly cross into Colorado for about a mile, then back into Wyoming. We continue to the town of Baggs where we stay for the night at their school.

Day 4 – July 17

Baggs to Riverside

58 Miles

This day we reverse the route from Day 3, proving that the direction over a mountain pass makes the route completely different. Coming from this direction, the climb is longer but not as steep. The descent into Encampment is a fast one as we, once again, end our day in Riverside at the Lazy Acres Campground.

Day 6 – July 18

Riverside to Centennial

51 Miles

We head out from Riverside, turning east to head up and over the Snowy Range. The view at Snowy Range Pass is stunning, with an elevation of 10,847 feet where the view is to the top of Medicine Bow Peak at an elevation of 12,013 feet. From Libby Flats, the terrain is mostly downhill all the way to our end destination in the charming town of Centennial.

Day 6 – July 19

Centennial to Laramie

26 Miles

Our final day could be a fast one if breezes pick up form the west, as is typical for this stretch of highway. We pedal across the prairie and then pull in at the Wyoming National Guard Readiness Center – where we began.