5 Fast Facts About Greater Adobe Town
One of Southwest Wyoming’s High Desert Wonders
The high desert of southwest Wyoming offers wide open spaces, wild and diverse landscapes, and unique geological formations providing endless opportunities for adventure and solitude. Why Greater Adobe Town is one high desert area in need of protection:
1. One of the most iconic Wild West landscapes in Wyoming’s Red Desert, awe-inspiring geologic features and stunning views make Greater Adobe Town an exceptional place for backcountry recreation.
2. The Powder Rim is a known migration corridor for big game, and also provides crucial winter ranges for elk, mule deer, and pronghorn. This area is also home to a rare resident desert elk herd.
3. Greater Adobe Town also provides important habitat for other wildlife, including birds of prey that concentrate in the cliffs along the Adobe Town and Skull Creek Rims, as well as the Haystacks and Powder Rim.
4. The Washakie Formation, comprised of Kinney Rim and Adobe Town, is incredibly rich in fossil resources ranging from petrified wood to large mammals and turtles.
5. The ruins of several cabins with links to Butch Cassidy and his Powder Wash Gang are to be found along the Powder Rim. Archaeological resources spanning 12,000 years can also be found in the region.
Southwest Wyoming’s high desert is currently facing tough challenges about where industrial development should or should not happen—and how to balance wildlife habitats, open space, and wild lands with energy and mining interests. Fortunately, we all have a voice in how our public lands are managed. Please tell the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to preserve the wild character of Greater Adobe Town and southwest Wyoming’s other high desert wonders!
Photo credits (beginning with 2nd photo): Greater Adobe Town, credit Chris Merrill. Skull Rim, credit Ken Driese. Mexican Hat Valley, credit Paul Ng. Pronghorn in Greater Adobe Town, credit Matt Skroch.
