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
Suspension for long gravel
Wyoming’s mileage is washboard and graded dirt taken for hours at a time: 102 miles around the South Bighorn/Red Wall byway, almost 60 up the Greys River, 950 if you follow the Backcountry Discovery Route. A loaded truck working all day puts heat into the shocks, so damping that holds up and springs matched to what you actually carry matter more than ride height.
WYDOT warns that the byways can be bumpy and rutted, and slick when wet. Give the shop your real loaded weight and the distance you travel off pavement.
A suspension shop matches spring rates and shock valving to the vehicle's real loaded weight, corrects the geometry that a lift changes, and aligns it afterward. On an overland vehicle the goal is control and durability under constant load, not maximum height.
The work usually includes
01Coil and leaf springs rated for the load
02Shocks: monotube, remote reservoir or adjustable
03Control arms, track bars, driveline and brake line corrections
04Air bags or helper springs for heavy rear loads
05Alignment after the work
06Advice on gearing when tire size goes up
How to choose a suspension shop
The right shop asks about weight before it asks about height.
01Weigh the vehicle loaded, or ask the shop to. Choosing springs without a weight is a guess.
02Ask what else the lift changes on your platform: alignment range, driveline angles, brake lines, headlight aim and driver-assistance sensors.
03Ask whether they align in house.
04Ask for the least height that clears your tires and keeps the geometry happy. More lift is not better.
05Ask how it will ride at both ends of your use: empty around town and loaded on washboard.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Weight is the number that matters.
01Year, model and drivetrain
02Current tire size and the size you want to run
03Everything bolted on: bumper, winch, rack, tent, drawers, water
04Loaded weight, if you have been across a scale
05How you use it, and a budget range
Questions people ask
How much lift do I need?
Less than you think. Most overland travel is dirt roads, washboard and the occasional ledge, and the vehicle spends its life loaded. Enough lift to clear a sensible all-terrain tire, with springs rated for your weight, usually drives better and breaks less than a tall kit.
Why does my truck sag in the back?
Because the factory springs were chosen for an empty truck. Drawers, a fridge, water, a tent and a rear bumper add constant weight. The fix is springs rated for that constant load, sometimes with air bags for the occasional heavy trip.
Do bigger tires mean I need new gears?
Larger tires make the engine and transmission work harder and change the speedometer reading. Whether re-gearing is worth it depends on the tire size, the vehicle and how much weight you carry. A shop that knows your platform can tell you where the line is.
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.
Free build quotes
Looking for suspension shops in Wyoming? Tell us about the project and get free quotes.
