120 Forest Service, 44 BLM and 15 National Park Service. 122 take reservations
Winter winds the State Climate Office calls frequent 5
30 to 40 mph
With gusts to 50 or 60
Building a van for Wyoming
A tall van is what WYDOT means by a light, high-profile vehicle, and the State Climate Office describes frequent winter winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour with gusts to 50 or 60. Keep weight low in the build and think before adding height. The chain law matters too: at Level 2 an all-wheel-drive van needs adequate mud and snow or all-weather-rated tires, and anything else needs chains.
What a van does well here: a closed hard-sided vehicle is an approved way to store food on the Shoshone National Forest, and the only kind of camp allowed at three of its campgrounds from March 1 to December 1.
A conversion is a small house on a moving, flexing, weight-limited platform. The builder insulates and lines the shell, installs the electrical system, plumbing, heat and ventilation, builds the bed, galley and storage, and cuts the holes for windows, fans and vents that you do not want to get wrong.
Some shops build complete vans to a set floor plan. Others build to order, and a few will take on partial work such as electrical only.
A typical conversion includes
01Insulation, wall and ceiling panels, and flooring
02House battery, alternator charging, solar, inverter and shore power
03Roof fan, heater, and sometimes air conditioning
04Fresh and gray water, a sink, and sometimes a shower and water heater
05Bed, galley, seating and storage
06Windows, racks, ladders, awnings and exterior lighting
How to choose a van builder
Floor plans are easy to fall for. The questions underneath them matter more.
01Decide between a shop's standard layout and a custom build. Standard layouts are faster, and the shop has already solved their problems.
02Ask what the finished van weighs with water and gear. Sprinters are sold in several gross weight ratings, and a heavy build on the lightest chassis leaves little margin.
03Ask how the electrical system is protected and documented, and whether the components can be serviced on the road.
04Ask how cabinetry is fastened to the van. Furniture that is only screwed to thin wall panels works loose on rough roads.
05Ask how added seats and seat belts are engineered and anchored if anyone rides behind the front row.
06Get the scope, price, payment schedule and delivery date in writing.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
The van you order decides what can be built in it, so it helps to talk to a builder before you buy.
01Model year, 144 or 170 wheelbase, roof height, and two-wheel, all-wheel or four-wheel drive
02How many people sleep in it and how many ride in it
03The seasons and climates you travel in
04Whether you need to work from it
05What goes inside with you: bikes, boards, dogs
06A budget range and the date you want to be traveling
Questions people ask
Do I need to own the van before I contact a builder?
No. Many builders would rather talk first, because the wheelbase, roof height and drivetrain you order decide what can be built. Some shops can also source a van.
How long does a Sprinter conversion take?
A full custom build is usually measured in months, plus whatever wait the shop has before it can start. Standard layouts are quicker. Ask for both numbers.
Should I get the 144 or the 170 wheelbase?
The 144 is easier to park, turn and drive on tight roads. The 170 gives you room for a fixed bed and a real galley without compromise. Think about where you will actually drive it, then about how you want to live in it.
Can these builders work on a Ford Transit or Ram ProMaster?
Many do. If you are on another platform, say so in the form and we will look for shops with that experience.
How high is Wyoming?
From Sheridan at 3,748 feet to Gannett Peak at 13,804.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
2,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
PinedaleSouth end of the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway, on US 191 under the Wind River Range. BLM and Bridger-Teton offices.7,179 ft
LaramieOn I-80. Highway 130 runs 30 miles west to Centennial, where the Snowy Range Scenic Byway enters the forest.7,165 ft
KemmererBLM field office and a Bridger-Teton ranger district. The Big Spring Scenic Backway runs from here to Cokeville.6,955 ft
DuboisNorth end of the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway, on US 26/287 below Togwotee Pass. Shoshone National Forest district office.6,934 ft
RawlinsOn I-80. Its BLM field office manages the Seminoe to Alcova byway, which leaves the interstate at Sinclair, exit 219.6,796 ft
SaratogaWest end of the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. The Forest Service district office here covers the Sierra Madre and the west side of the Snowy Range.6,789 ft
Rock SpringsOn I-80 with a BLM field office. The road to the Killpecker Sand Dunes leaves US 191 to the north, and the BLM’s 24-mile Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Tour starts here.6,388 ft
JacksonBase for Grand Teton. The highway north to Flagg Ranch is plowed all winter. The Forest Service says camping nearby often fills by late morning in summer.6,238 ft
CheyenneState capital, where I-25 crosses I-80. The BLM’s Wyoming State Office is here.6,092 ft
LanderAt the foot of the east slope of the Wind River Range. Shoshone National Forest district office and a BLM field office.5,356 ft
CasperBLM field office. The South Bighorn/Red Wall byway starts 13 miles northwest on US 20/26, and Alcova is 30 miles out on Highway 220.5,105 ft
CodyShoshone National Forest headquarters, about 50 miles from Yellowstone’s East Entrance. The Chief Joseph byway leaves Highway 120 sixteen miles north.5,000 ft
BuffaloEast end of the Cloud Peak Skyway, US 16, over Powder River Pass. Full services and a BLM field office.4,640 ft
WorlandHome of the BLM field office that manages Red Gulch/Alkali. Full services west of the Cloud Peak Skyway.4,065 ft
GreybullAll services for the Red Gulch/Alkali byway. The turnoff is 11 miles east on US 14.3,794 ft
SheridanFull services for the Big Horn Scenic Byway, US 14, which climbs west from Dayton to Granite Pass.3,748 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Gannett PeakThe highest point in Wyoming, in the Wind River Range. No road to the top13,804 ft
Cloud PeakThe highest point in the Bighorn National Forest, by the forest’s figure13,167 ft
Medicine Bow PeakAbove Snowy Range Pass on Highway 13012,013 ft
Beartooth PassBeartooth Highway (US 212): Red Lodge, Montana, to Cooke City and Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance, across the northwest corner of Wyoming10,947 ft
Snowy Range PassSnowy Range Scenic Byway (WYO 130): Centennial to Saratoga, across the Medicine Bow Mountains10,847 ft
Powder River PassCloud Peak Skyway (US 16): Buffalo to Ten Sleep, across the southern Bighorns9,666 ft
Togwotee PassUS 26/287 between Dubois and Moran Junction, on the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway9,658 ft
Granite PassTop of the Big Horn Scenic Byway, US 14 between Shell and Dayton9,033 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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