When you take a look at the Cowboy State from space, you’ll notice that the sage brush flats and rocky peaks of Wyoming are broken up by one large red stripe jutting up from the southern border.
This remarkable sight is Wyoming’s Red Desert - and it’s a fascinating and remote place.
Flickr / NASA Johnson
The desert stretches for more than 9,300 miles across the Great Divide Basin, and if you head into this wasteland, be prepared! There are no services for miles, the road can be rough, and the sun is unforgiving.
Flickr / temorgan
Chances are, you won’t see another soul. This is one of the most barren and remote parts of an already pretty remote state.
Flickr / temorgan
You won’t be completely alone, though. The Red Desert is home to a fascinating ecosystem that includes feral horses, pronghorn, mule deer, and more.
Flickr / lord the air smells good today
These horses are the ancestors of European horses that escaped their human counterparts years ago and have learned to live off the land.
Flickr / Carfull…from Wyoming
Part of the Red Desert extends into the Upper Green River Valley, shown here. Every year, elk, Pronghorn, and mule deer head from the Green River Basin into the Tetons along a Migration Corridor.
Flickr / Gregory Nickerson, Wyoming Migration Initiative/University of Wyoming
This migration path is actually one of the longest-distance deer corridors documented so far! So, even though Wyoming’s Red Desert may look pretty empty to you, it’s an important part of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem.
Flickr / Gregory Nickerson, Wyoming Migration Initiative/University of Wyoming
If the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a desert is a flat wasteland, the Red Desert might blow your mind. You’ll find mountains, canyons and more in this dry desert space.
Flickr / Gregory Nickerson, Wyoming Migration Initiative/University of Wyoming
The Killpecker Sand Dunes are part of the northernmost corner of the Red Desert. These “singing” sand dunes are considered a wonder of the world.
Flickr / Bureau of Land Management
Make plans to explore Wyoming’s Red Desert this year and you’ll discover a corner of the Earth that’s remained unchanged for centuries.
Flickr / temorgan
You can learn more about the remarkable Red Desert on the ArcGIS website, here, where you’ll also find satellite views that showcase just how vast this wild region is when you view it from space.
Flickr / NASA Johnson
Flickr / temorgan
Flickr / lord the air smells good today
Flickr / Carfull…from Wyoming
Flickr / Gregory Nickerson, Wyoming Migration Initiative/University of Wyoming
Flickr / Bureau of Land Management
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Address: Red Desert, WY 82336, USA
