CR505 Casper Mountain Road - Circle Drive s(u)
Casper Mountain makes a great out and back paved climb.
But the Non - Casper side is paved to less than 300ft down
from the summit. So I am putting this with the unpaved
climbs.
This plateau is a kind of retreat area for Casper, retreat
from heat, dessert and the endless horizon - retreat into
a dense forest, a ski area and camping with trees.
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1.(mile00.0,5120ft)
START-END NORTH: near North Platte River, downtown
Casper
2.(mile06.5,5560ft)jct Wyoming Blvd - Casper Mtn Rd
3.(mile08.5,6510ft)jct Garden Creek Rd/Wy252 - Wy251
4.(mile12.4,7790ft)jct with Hogadon Rd to ski area
on right
5.(mile14.3,7990ft)TOP
6.(mile17.4,7280ft)jct with Muddy Mtn Rd. Profile
turns left onto Circle Dr
7.(mile24.8,6160ft)jct with Coal Mtn Rd on right
8.(mile25.6,5660ft)START-END SOUTH: jct Circle Dr -
Wy487
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above: paved approach from Casper
below: Mud Mtn Road from unpaved approach on Circle
Drive
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Approaches
From North. Looking for a low place to
start the profile, the North Platte River suggests itself for
such a purpose. There is even a bike path along its shores,
passing a curious piece of art resembling a cowboy, engaged in
some mysterious, but non identifiable activity in the middle
of the river.
No matter which road you take in a northerly direction, it
climbs steadily. I think the best way to get to the northern
outskirts is just to make use of the spacious residential
streets in this town. They are so wide, they resemble mormon
towns, which are designed to biblical proportions.
Somehow you arrive at Wyoming Drive or Outer Drive, same
road, different names (point 2), and Mount Casper looms above,
rather shapelessly. It doesn't look like much from down here.
It's definitely not a wall. It is more of a lump. It will seem
much bigger from the top.
Both Wy251 and Wy252 climb towards it. The profile uses the
more direct Wy251. The last houses quickly thin out. This is
one of the few occasions in Wyoming, where you can see a road
far ahead - but it's not heading for the horizon in straight
line. Instead it cuts across the loaf ahead in a straight
traverse.
It takes a while to get there. The road has a uniform
slope. a good shoulder, and even a "share the road with
bicycles" road sign, though I didn't see another bicycle.
Before the road heads back into the interior of the narrow
plateau, there is a gigantic parking lot, from which to survey
the incredible, vast treeless spaces below. And there is also
the wide North Platte River, meandering through the dessert,
where the ride started. With the road now safely in the trees,
a home appears next to the road. The sign reads "Shangrila"
(spelled that way). It consists of a double garage at street
level and the living level below that, facing the other way,
safely out of the wind.
This profile stays left at the next junction. A right goes
to the Hogadon Ski area. You drive to the top of this one,
then after the ski run, let the lift carry you back up to the
car. This reduces the theoretical maximum number of ski runs
you can get into a day by one, compared with a ski area where
you drive to the bottom and a equal lift closing time. A note:
From the map it looks like there is a primitive road down the
south side of the mountain, so that this could also be made
into a summit point.
But this profile, as already said, stays left at the
previous junction. This option climbs a little more, less than
300 ft and then traverses the forested top between parks,
campgrounds and retreats. This could be the middle of Indiana
or Minnesota, if you forget the climb. Meanwhile the road
designation has changed from Wy251 Casper Mtn Road to CR505
Circle Drive.
From South. (described downwards)
But the Wyoming wide spaces return quickie. After only
descending a little less than 300ft, the surrounding forest
disappears - so does the pavement - an the wind returns just
as quickly. At the next major superwide rocky dirt road
boulevard intersection, there are options for climbing east up
Mud Mountain, or
heading east for Wy253. But this profile descends further on
CR505.
This road stays on top of a small grassy ridge, which
itself is in the valley of Big Red Creek. (Many of the names
here seem to include "Big" and "Mud"). The
view is terrific, a ribbed red cliff leading the eye to the
horizon and the distant, from here small lumps of the Pedro
Range. The road passes a Cheney Ranch and makes one more small
climb before descending through state land on a smooth road to
Wy487, or alternatively, the unpaved but smooth Coal Mountain
Road.
Dayride with this point as highest summit:
PARTIALLY PAVED / UNPAVED:
( < CR409
Pathfinder Rd s(u) | Muddy
Mtn Rd s(u) > )
CR505 Casper Mountain Road - Circle Dr s(u) : near jct
Coal Mtn Rd - Circle Dr > Circle Dr west > Coal Mtn Road
west > Wy220 north > CR310 north > back onto Wy220
north > several miles of sightseeing around Casper with
detours > Wy251 north > Cr505 Casper Mtn Rd - Circle Dr
s(u) > Circle Dr south > back to starting point on
Circle Dr: 55.1miles with 4970ft of climbing in 5:27hrs
(Garmin etrex30 m5:15.7.27)
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