The Long & Beautiful Drive To Muddy Gap Wyoming

There really is no reason for most people to drive out to or past Muddy Gap, Wyoming. But you should. It is one of the most beautiful drives in the state.

Muddy Gap is a small unincorporated community. Yes, a few people live way out there. You won't see much in the way of homes, but keep looking. It is said that there is a population of just three, and it's hard to find them.

It is also an important rural crossroads and a geographic gap located in Carbon County, Wyoming. It sits at an elevation of 6,296 feet where major regional highways intersect, serving as a gateway to central and western Wyoming history and public lands.

When you get to Muddy Gap, you'll find a junction of back highways and the only fuel stop for many long miles. It is just one store. Can we call that downtown? Anyone who works at the store has to live there because they are so far removed from any local town.

Jeffrey City is located about 24.1 miles northwest via US-287 N (a 21-minute drive). Other nearby surrounding communities include Lamont, Bairoil, and Alcova. But there is really nothing in those nearby towns, so they are not worth the trip. Rawlins is about 43.1 miles south. That's the best there is for actual civilization.

Long before settlers and their wagons arrived, or the Mormons with their pull cars, the region was home to the Ute, Eastern Shoshone, Cheyenne, and Arapaho nations.

The area is surrounded by history. The Oregon and Mormon Trails passed nearby, bringing hundreds of thousands of travelers through central Wyoming near landmarks like Split Rock and Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, and Martin's Cove: Mormon Trail Site. There is more, including what is left of Jeffrey City, just to the west.

It is a beautiful place and well worth the drive just to see it.