Togwotee Pass (Continental Divide Trail)
The section of the Continental Divide Trail running from Togwotee Pass on US Highway 26 to Jade Lake might just be one of the best high alpine mountain bike rides in Wyoming. Also known as "Sublette Pass," this singletrack crosses an alpine pass below 10,391-foot Sublette Peak, delivering the kind of high-mountain riding that makes the Western USA legendary. The 6-mile one-way stretch packs about 850 feet of climbing and descending in each direction, but once at Jade Lake, riders can connect to several other bike-legal singletrack trails for even longer shuttle-served descents or pedal a gorgeous 14-mile lollipop loop.
This is "very old school singletrack" with a narrow trail tread that flows well despite being rockyish without being overly technical. While it's rated blue intermediate, there might be a couple of sections you'd have trouble cleaning going uphill, but there's certainly nothing bermed or flow-trail about it. The terrain is formidable—you'll ride next to a massive wall of rock that goes on for maybe a little over a mile, and the trail features recently built switchbacks that make the grade manageable on what used to be eroded fall line sections.
More than the trail itself, the environment is the true appeal here. The views are spectacular as you pedal through what might be the prettiest part of Wyoming—that Sublette Pass/Brooks Lake area. It's high alpine, it's grizzly bear country, and it's primitive in the best possible way. The Brooks Lake area offers several campgrounds for those looking to soak in the alpine grandeur, making this an ideal basecamp for exploring one of Wyoming's most underrated alpine epics.
