What Red Grade Road Management Means for your Bighorns Trip

One of the main access roads to the eastern Bighorn Mountains, Red Grade Road, will be under construction for 2026 and 2027.

That means, if you are looking to get into the northern alpine areas from Sheridan, or if you are hoping to ride the mountain bike trail system on this road, you are going to need to plan ahead. The road will only be open on weekends and during certain hours of the work week while construction crews grade it and improve its infrastructure.

The road will be closed from 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays, with an opening during the noon hour to allow passage of local traffic.

It also sounds like trailheads along the mountain bike trail system there will be impacted, and potentially closed, since crews will likely store equipment there.

This means, if you are going backpacking along the solitude loop trail during the week, and parking off Red Grade, you have to be through the construction area (the first 2.5 miles from the base extending SW) by 8 a.m. And you shouldn’t plan on arriving back at your vehicle before 6 p.m. Otherwise you are going to be stuck watching road construction until quitting time.

Here is what the Wyoming Department of Transportation has to say about it:

“Red Grade Road will be temporarily closed Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 6 pm for two construction seasons, approximately May 2026 through October 2026 and May 2027 through October 2027.”

“Local residential access will be allowed during the morning, noon, and afternoon/evening commutes.”

“Due to the closure, access to the Base Trailhead, the Springs Trailhead, the Aspens Trailhead, and the trail system between these trailheads on Red Grade Road would also be closed during construction (Monday – Friday, 8 am to 6 pm). Access to the trailheads and trail system would be allowed on weekends, holidays, and outside construction hours. During construction, portions of the parking lots at the Base Trailhead, the Springs Trailhead, and the Aspens Trailhead would be used for construction staging and not accessible to the public. Trails accessible outside the project limits would remain open during construction (e.g., trails on USFS land or trails accessible by a trailhead not listed above).”

“Improvements to Red Grade Road begin at the Base trailhead and continue southeast and west for approximately 2.5 miles. The proposed improvements end before Red Grade Road enters the Big Horn National Forest, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The project consists of the following activities:

• Widening Red Grade Road to a mostly 22-foot section with a gravel surface;

• Adding pullouts at various locations;

• Adding graded drainage ditches;

• Improving drainage by adding culverts at new locations, replacing culverts that are damaged or near the end of their service life, and up-sizing culverts that are undersized.

• Optional improvements include raising the grade of the Aspens trailhead parking lot by adding dirt and rock material to the surface and adding a ditch around the premier to improve drainage.”