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A gravel road curving into a high mountain valley at first light, the peaks catching the sun.

The Overland Directory

Tires in Wyoming

Tire and wheel shops that understand load ratings, airing down and what a loaded overland vehicle asks of its tires.

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Wyoming by the numbers

Acres of federal land 1
29.7M
47.7 percent of the state
Acres of BLM public land 6
18M
About 30 percent of Wyoming, by the BLM’s own count
Mean elevation, second only to Colorado 2
6,700 ft
An approximate figure from the USGS
Gannett Peak, the highest point in Wyoming 3
13,804 ft
Fremont County. The lowest point is 3,099 feet, on the Belle Fourche River
Miles of national forest road open to motor vehicles 8
6,500+
Plus about 850 miles of motorized trail
The Shoshone is set aside, the first national forest in the nation 11
1891
As the Forest Service tells it. Today the forest covers 2.4 million acres
Federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach 10
179
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

Tires for gravel, mud and the chain law

Tire choice is partly a legal matter here. Under Level 1 of Wyoming’s chain law, travel can be limited to vehicles with chains, adequate snow tires or all-wheel drive. Under Level 2 it is limited to vehicles with chains, or all-wheel-drive vehicles on adequate mud and snow or all-weather-rated tires.

Off the highway the problems are sharp gravel and sudden mud: WYDOT says even light precipitation can make the Red Gulch/Alkali byway impassable. Check the spare before you leave pavement, as WYDOT advises, make it a full-size one, and ask a tire shop about load rating for the weight you really carry.

The full guide to overlanding Wyoming

What a good tire shop does

Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.

Expect help with

  1. 01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
  2. 02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
  3. 03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
  4. 04A matching full-size spare
  5. 05Alignment, rotation and repairs

How to choose tires for overland travel

Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.

  1. 01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
  2. 02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
  3. 03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
  4. 04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
  5. 05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.

What to have ready before you ask for a quote

A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.

  1. 01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
  2. 02Lift height, if any
  3. 03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
  4. 04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
  5. 05A budget range for five tires

Questions people ask

What does load range mean?

It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.

How big can I go?

Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.

Should I air down?

On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.

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.

Towns

  1. Pinedale South end of the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway, on US 191 under the Wind River Range. BLM and Bridger-Teton offices. 7,179 ft
  2. Laramie On I-80. Highway 130 runs 30 miles west to Centennial, where the Snowy Range Scenic Byway enters the forest. 7,165 ft
  3. Kemmerer BLM field office and a Bridger-Teton ranger district. The Big Spring Scenic Backway runs from here to Cokeville. 6,955 ft
  4. Dubois North end of the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway, on US 26/287 below Togwotee Pass. Shoshone National Forest district office. 6,934 ft
  5. Rawlins On I-80. Its BLM field office manages the Seminoe to Alcova byway, which leaves the interstate at Sinclair, exit 219. 6,796 ft
  6. Saratoga West 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
  7. Rock Springs On 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
  8. Jackson Base 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
  9. Cheyenne State capital, where I-25 crosses I-80. The BLM’s Wyoming State Office is here. 6,092 ft
  10. Lander At the foot of the east slope of the Wind River Range. Shoshone National Forest district office and a BLM field office. 5,356 ft
  11. Casper BLM 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
  12. Cody Shoshone National Forest headquarters, about 50 miles from Yellowstone’s East Entrance. The Chief Joseph byway leaves Highway 120 sixteen miles north. 5,000 ft
  13. Buffalo East end of the Cloud Peak Skyway, US 16, over Powder River Pass. Full services and a BLM field office. 4,640 ft
  14. Worland Home of the BLM field office that manages Red Gulch/Alkali. Full services west of the Cloud Peak Skyway. 4,065 ft
  15. Greybull All services for the Red Gulch/Alkali byway. The turnoff is 11 miles east on US 14. 3,794 ft
  16. Sheridan Full 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

  1. Gannett Peak The highest point in Wyoming, in the Wind River Range. No road to the top 13,804 ft
  2. Cloud Peak The highest point in the Bighorn National Forest, by the forest’s figure 13,167 ft
  3. Medicine Bow Peak Above Snowy Range Pass on Highway 130 12,013 ft
  4. Beartooth Pass Beartooth Highway (US 212): Red Lodge, Montana, to Cooke City and Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance, across the northwest corner of Wyoming 10,947 ft
  5. Snowy Range Pass Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WYO 130): Centennial to Saratoga, across the Medicine Bow Mountains 10,847 ft
  6. Powder River Pass Cloud Peak Skyway (US 16): Buffalo to Ten Sleep, across the southern Bighorns 9,666 ft
  7. Togwotee Pass US 26/287 between Dubois and Moran Junction, on the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway 9,658 ft
  8. Granite Pass Top of the Big Horn Scenic Byway, US 14 between Shell and Dayton 9,033 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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Sources for this page

54
  1. Congressional Research Service. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Tables 1 and 2, data as of September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, from U.S. Geological Survey data. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012, Table 366. Extreme and Mean Elevations by State. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey. Elevations and Distances in the United States, online edition. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  4. U.S. Census Bureau. 2020 Census Apportionment Results, Table 2. Resident Population for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  5. Wyoming State Climate Office and Water Resources Data System, University of Wyoming. Wyoming Climate. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  6. Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming. BLM Wyoming Recreation Guide (BLM/WY/GI-20/007+1120). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  7. Bureau of Land Management. Wyoming Recreation Opportunities. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  8. USDA Forest Service. Motor Vehicle Use Map: Roads and Trails. Sum of gis_miles for MVUM road and trail segments that lie entirely inside the state boundary box (Colorado and Wyoming are bounded by lines of latitude and longitude). Segments that cross the state line are left out, so the figures are floors.. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  9. Bureau of Land Management. Ground Transportation Linear Features, public display. Sum of GIS_MILES by administrative state for routes managed for public or limited public motorized use.. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  10. Recreation.gov. Recreation Information Database (RIDB) full export. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  11. USDA Forest Service, Shoshone National Forest. Discover History: The First National Forest. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  12. USDA Forest Service. Shoshone National Forest: First among forests. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  13. USDA Forest Service, Bridger-Teton National Forest. About the Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  14. USDA Forest Service, Bighorn National Forest. About the Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  15. USDA Forest Service, Bighorn National Forest. Frequently asked questions. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  16. USDA Forest Service, Bighorn National Forest. Woodrock and Penrose Recreation Region. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  17. National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park. Park Facts. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  18. National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park. Park Roads, including roads outside the Northeast Entrance. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  19. National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park. Laws and Policies. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  20. National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park. Campgrounds. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  21. National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park. Park Roads. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  22. National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park. Camping, including Grassy Lake Road in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  23. Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments. Frequently Asked Questions: What access does the public have to state trust lands?. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  24. Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments. Recreation, with the Board of Land Commissioners’ rules, Chapter 13: Public Hunting, Fishing and General Recreational Use. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  25. Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails. ORV Permits. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  26. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Chain Law. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  27. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Snow Plow Priority Plan. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  28. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Wyoming Wind: weight-based wind closures. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  29. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Mountain Driving. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  30. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Wyoming Scenic Byways and Backways Program. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  31. Wyoming Department of Transportation. The Wyoming Scenic Byways Program Book 2009, Appendix A: List of Scenic Byways and Backways. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  32. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Adventures on Wyoming’s Scenic Backways: Seminoe/Alcova, South Big Horn/Red Wall and Red Gulch/Alkali (brochure). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  33. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Snowy Range Scenic Byway (brochure). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  34. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Big Horn Mountain Country: Cloud Peak Skyway, Big Horn Scenic Byway and Medicine Wheel Passage (brochure). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  35. Wyoming Department of Transportation. Centennial Scenic Byway (brochure). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  36. Wyoming State Forestry Division. Fire Restrictions. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  37. Bureau of Land Management. Wyoming Fire Restrictions. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  38. USDA Forest Service, Shoshone National Forest. Restrictions to Camping, Food and Attractant Storage (Order SHO-23-002). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  39. USDA Forest Service, Shoshone National Forest. Single Location Occupancy Limited to Sixteen (16) Days (Order 98-001). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  40. USDA Forest Service, Shoshone National Forest. Hard-Sided Camping Equipment Requirement (Order SHO-24-002). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  41. USDA Forest Service, Bridger-Teton National Forest. Camping and Cabins: camping regulations, food storage. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  42. USDA Forest Service, Bridger-Teton National Forest. Jackson Ranger District. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  43. USDA Forest Service, Bighorn National Forest. Forest Special Order 02-02-24-02: Occupancy and Use, Camping Regulations. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  44. USDA Forest Service, Custer Gallatin National Forest. US Hwy 212 Corridor - Beartooth Highway. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  45. Federal Highway Administration, National Scenic Byways Program. Beartooth Highway, All-American Road. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  46. Bureau of Land Management. Red Gulch/Alkali Back Country Byway. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  47. Bureau of Land Management. South Bighorn/Red Wall Back Country Byway. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  48. Bureau of Land Management. Seminoe to Alcova Back Country Byway. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  49. Bureau of Land Management. Killpecker Sand Dunes Open Play Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  50. Bureau of Land Management. Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Tour. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  51. USDA Forest Service, Bridger-Teton National Forest. Big Spring Scenic Backway. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  52. USDA Forest Service, Bridger-Teton National Forest. Greys River Corridor. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  53. Backcountry Discovery Routes. Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  54. U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System and 3D Elevation Program point query. Elevation of the 3DEP surface at the GNIS coordinates of the named place, rounded to the nearest foot.. Retrieved September 19, 2026.

Reviewed September 19, 2026. Conditions, closures and rules change; check with the managing agency before you travel.

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