Penrose Trail

Dogs Off-leash

E-Bikes Allowed

Features Views

The trail is only open to "wheeled" traffic from June 16 - November 15.

This is a highly trafficked trail, so be careful and watch out for ATV riders and hikers. Even though the trail is considered doubletrack, it is quite narrow at times, leading to the occasional "traffic jam."

Penrose is one of a rare breed of trails developed for ATV/OHV/ORV use in the Big Horn Mountains. Start at the Penrose trailhead in Story, Wyoming. The parking area is often busy and may be full. Alternatively, you can start at the city park and simply ride to the trailhead as it is only adds about half a mile to the ride.

The first few miles of this trail consist of a brutal and sustained climb accented by roots, rock gardens and baby heads. The trail eventually levels off a bit but you'll still have to negotiate several steep pitches. If there has been recent precipitation, you can also expect several mud puddles as well. Most of the technical features can be walked but you'll still be challenged for most of the ride up.

The Penrose trail will eventually end when it intersects an old forest service jeep road. From here, you may as well take a left on the jeep road and bike a few more miles to Penrose Park. At Penrose Park, the tree line pulls back to reveal amazing vistas of the surrounding peaks and the Cloud Peak Wilderness. You can go even further if you want to bike pack in order to access the many alpine reservoirs (Kearney, Cloud Peak, Willow Park) in the area that offer fine fishing.

Either way, when you turn around, you can expect a rugged, sustained, technical descent. Be careful, but have fun as you cash in all the climbing for an amazing downhill session.