Fifteenmile is one of the most unique and stunningly beautiful wild horse lands you may visit.... and although it is not so terribly remote - once you begin the trek into this land it feels distant from all else.

The horses are stunning and incredibly wild... they may see the glint of sun on your vehicle from a mile away - and if you are lucky you will be watching through your binoculars as they raise their heads, gather together, and turn in a wave of wild beauty galloping across grassy flats and deep into their colorful badland hills.

Or you may never see them as they spy you from a distant hill and became ghosts moving into their valleys where no vehicle may travel..... leaving only their hoofprints as proof that they wander this land.

Fifteenmile is also one of the few HMAs that has the distinction of no active cattle or sheep grazing.... there are grazing leases if you look it up in the BLM database, but the ranchers do not actively graze their cattle or sheep in this land.

Why?

I am not really sure.... when I asked years ago I was only told that the ranchers did not use their allotments in the HMA, and I know that on the rare occasions I have found cows out here, the Wild Horse Specialist asks for exact location, so that he can let the ranchers know to come get their cows.

Fifteenmile is not one of the easier visited wild horse lands... as a smaller HMA you might think it would be easy to know every inch of it, but it is one of the more challenging places you may visit, and some parts are really only ever going to be accessed by either an ATV or a good deal of hiking.

When I first learned of this place and started asking questions, the few people that knew the area all had the same exact advice for me - you must have a high clearance 4x4 rig and DO NOT GO when it is wet!!!

Now, after almost 10yrs of exploring in this wild horse territory, I feel that it is fairly easy to get into, and yet incredibly difficult to truly explore, and any adventure taken may end in some kind of not so great day for the inexperienced - and even the experienced traveler can find themselves in a bit of a predicament.

Most of the main roads into the HMA are fairly easy to drive, especially after BLM has had their maintenance crews out to work on the roads - usually in early spring or summer, but... those same roads can get real gnarly really fast - I have gone in on beautifully dry smooth roads and an hour later been nearly trapped by mud on the same road after 15mins of heavy rain.

I have learned to drive these roads in mud, but you have to be able to gauge just how bad the mud is AND have a good 4x4 with aggressive tires.... I remember once a Search & Rescue person telling me of a hunter being stranded and calling for help, only to have the S&R crew also end up stuck in the same mud!

Even the most experienced person with the best of equipment can get into trouble in this land on the wrong day - be cautious!

The other tricky thing is that one must be able to navigate through multiple washes that turn into deep rushing creeks of water after a heavy summer rain or melting winter snows, and there are a couple of washes that are often impassible until BLM is able to send out a dozer to repair the damage done by the rushing flood waters.

I always visit this land with an eye on the sky, if there are rain clouds heading my way I get out.... the one and only time I gambled that I could get through this land before the storm hit I was very VERY wrong - it took me 4+ hours of low 4x4 crawling through thick slimy mud back-tracking what had only taken me an hour to drive before the rains fell - I am more than a little paranoid now about going out when storms are even pretending to head in the direction of this wild horse territory.

I have driven almost every 2-track across this HMA, some scaring my quite a bit with narrow trails over reservoir banks, up incredibly steep sides of a mountain, washed out roads that required straddling deep washed out ruts and tilting at a pretty severe angle - and that is one of the main roads in and out!

My favorite (heavy sarcasm) is the 2-track that started out nicely, driving along a ridge that wild horses wander leaving their wild mark, then going through some really beautiful badland formations, the vistas for miles unmatched.... and then this ridiculously steep downhill curve with a particularly deep washed out rut, that was unavoidable and required some pretty severe tilting of the vehicle to get through - I was standing staring at it really annoyed that I had gotten so far and would now have to turn around because I considered it not safe - and this guy in an old pickup pulls up behind me and tells me - we can do this - just follow me!

I did follow him.... I was really convinced I was gonna die and kill my rig on that damn curve!! But he was terribly kind and patient and got me through it.... and then as I followed him out he took me right through some other really gnarly washes and questionable places that I just straight up would never ever do on my own!!

Definitely an adventure, not one that I recommend you look for on your own unless you have a good 4x4 and excellent 4x4 skills!!! Oh, and not one single horse along the way.... but I did live to tell the tale and it is an adventure I will never forget!

The wild horses of Fifteenmile are.... well, just - different!

They are athletic and agile, they are survivalists, they know the threat of predators as mountain lions live here and wolves and grizzly wander through - and they are curious, playful, and intelligent!

What has always left me most in awe of them is their athletic agility.... to watch a herd of a hundred or more wild horses gallop across a grassy ridge and suddenly veer off and leap through rock formations is a one of a kind experience!

And not just the stallions and mares.... the young foals never miss a beat as they race along with the herd, running and jumping through their incredibly beautiful land that is also potentially deadly with rocks jutting out, a land that the wild horses race across in their wild excursions, a land that is theirs alone.

In summer water may be scarce, and if you know them well enough to know their habits you will know which watering hole to find them at as winter snows melt filling those water holes, and as spring rains turn to summer heat and the water holes dry up, they are left with solar wells that are maintained by the Wild Horse Specialist.

In winter it gets cold here and any water holes that exist freeze completely over, and when the snows do not fall, these horses gather at the frozen water and chip away with their hard hooves until they have enough ice to slake their thirst.

They are survivalists.... left in a land that can sometimes be cruel, and while man does help with water in the worst of dry years, the rest is up to these horse to survive as only a wild horse truly knows how to do.

How to visit the Fifteenmile HMA.... there are a few roads into this HMA with some being a little less friendly with stunning vistas, and others not being quite as spectacular a drive but much easier to travel - but really - there is no ugly views driving in this place so it is all good!

The absolute easiest and least likely to get lost way in is from Worland...... if you are not familiar with the area Worland is a small town that offers you the chance to fill up your gas tank and grab some supplies for yourself before heading out to the range - I can vouch for the BigHorn One Stop gas and store, their deli food is pretty good if you want something to go, especially the breakfast!

You are going to head out of town on W River Rd / Hwy 433, you will almost immediately find the intersection (don't go past the cemetery) with the sign that says 15 Mile Rd - turn left onto that road!

You are going to follow 15 Mile / BLM 1429 for several miles past ranches and through some pretty badland hills. Eventually you will reach an intersection at which you can either turn right to go north on Dorsey Creek Rd, or you can turn left and continue on the 15 Mile Rd - you want to see the horses so turn left and stay on 15 Mile road!

After a few more miles you will reach yet another intersection that requires you turn left or right - you are here to see wild horses so turn right and in a few more miles you will be crossing into the Fifteenmile HMA.... you will know you have arrived because there will be a little sign at the gate by the cattleguard telling you that you have reached your destination!!

Now you are ready to begin your Fifteenmile wild horse adventures - it is much like the McCullough Peaks here in that you will (usually) know you have entered, or are leaving the wild horse land, because there will (usually) be a sign for the HMA.

The next easiest route into Fifteenmile is the Platte Pipeline Rd that you will find off of Hwy 431 / Gooseberry Creek Rd - you can get to this highway either by going south from Worland on Hwy 789/20 or going south from Meeteetse on Hwy 120.

If you are traveling in from the Meeteetse side you will see a sign for the Gooseberry Badlands along Hwy 431 - you can stop at the parking pull-out and take a walk through a small part of the badlands, be aware and watch for snakes, especially in summer!!!

Platte Pipeline Rd is closer to the Worland end of Hwy 431 but sometimes it is just the better road to use no matter if it takes you a little longer to get there from the Meeteetse area... this road tends to be a little bit smoother, there are some really beautiful vistas with beautiful badlands, and as you will see this road allows us two ways into the HMA, and can ultimately allow us to make a complete circle of the HMA if we want to travel into the higher grass pastures, as well as the lower badlands.

You are going to start by turning off of Hwy 431 onto the Platte Pipeline Rd going north and just enjoy the drive for a few miles.... have your camera ready if you enjoy landscape photography!! And be prepared for Pronghorn sightings!!

You are going to drive for several miles along Platte Pipeline Rd, there is a fairly serious wash you have to cross, but BLM has done some pretty major work on it and unless it is flooding most vehicles can cross it with a little bit of caution.

After several miles you will reach the intersection of 15 Mile Rd that comes in from Worland, you will continue on straight and are now on 15 Mile Rd, and in a few more miles will enter into the Fifteenmile wild horse territory!

This next entrance is Murphy Draw Rd, you will find it along Hwy 431 as well, but this road is closer to Hwy 120 and the towns of Meeteetse or Thermopolis.

Murphy Draw is a pretty good road, it can be rutted out sometimes after a rain or winter snows, but in general it is a pretty easy road to travel.... and you are probably thinking well why did she not lead with this road then!?!?!

Well.... because, this road will bring you up to the high grassy ridges of the HMA, rather than into the heart of the HMA, and there are no roads that will easily take you from the high ridges down into the heart - there are roads, they just are not quick and they require you to leave the HMA to circle around and down back into it.

And it is not always the best bet for finding mustangs - don't get me wrong, the horses do travel along these places, but rarely do they allow themselves to be found near any of the 2-tracks along here.

But sometimes, especially in winter or mud season, this is the best way you can get out to the HMA and see the wild horses, even if only through your binoculars!

So... driving north on Murphy Draw Rd you are going to travel for several miles, slowly climbing the hills, driving through grassy pastures and maybe spotting an elk or two along the way.

Eventually your are going to reach an intersection that you will recognize for the twin peaks that will be in front of you, these little peaks have historically had a really not so great name of Squaw Teats - I often refer to them as Mare Teats or Mustang Teats because, well - just ask most any First Nations woman how she feels about the term squaw, and you will understand!

They were renamed to Crow Woman Buttes recently, however, given the current political climate it is unclear if that name has been changed back, as some maps still say the other name - so for now I am going to go with Mustang Teats!

So.... you are at this intersection (see 3-D map below) and you can keep going straight, which will get you to the Fifteenmile horses (eventually) but that road is not your goal at the moment - we will come back to it in a bit.

Right now you are going to take a right turn and head down the hill and across to the more accessible upper ridges of Fifteenmile HMA.

As you are traveling down and around the peaks and back up the other side, you will see a fence on the left (north) side of the road - this is the HMA border, any horses you see on that side of the fence are wild horses... once you have come back up out onto the flats you will see a few 2-tracks that cross through the fence into the HMA, if you decide to take any of those trails just make sure to close the gates behind you!!

I usually stick to the main dirt road that travels near the fence line, there is going to be another intersection where you can go straight or hang a right, for now keep going straight until you reach a cattle guard - caution - there are some fairly serious potholes here that will destroy the bottom of any vehicle if taken too fast!

Once you cross the cattle guard you are in wild horse lands.... and you will likely see sign of the horses as they like to wander around up here, there is wonderful grasses for them to enjoy and they can see in all directions for miles any incoming visitor, there is not much water here though, so they may travel back down into the lower badlands once or twice a day for water.

There are several 2-tracks to explore, most will take you to the end of a ridge and you can see below, most of the 2-tracks dead end, some at one point in time did go all the way down to where they get water, but over time have washed out and are no longer drivable - and Fifteenmile horses are exceptional at knowing exactly how to be on the ridge too far to walk and with not even the worst of 2-track trails to drive.

I love this place especially, and it is difficult for me to share details with you how to visit because it is such a place of peace for me, you are surrounded by mountain vistas, in spring the beauty is almost surreal with wildflowers scattered through the sage, and if you happen to catch the wild horses heading into water it is absolutely magnificent to watch them galloping down the hills, through the deep valley, and disappear into the colorful badlands.

When you visit I hope that you find that same sacred peace to fill your soul.

When you come back out across that cattle guard entrance and to the 2-track intersection, you can go straight and back out the same way you came in here, or.... you can take the 2-track going left (south) - this is leaving the HMA for a little while, and you will have to open and close a couple of gates as you pass through private property - you can pass through this property as you are traveling on a well known and established public road.

Along the way here you will see the road split off again and the name Dutch Nick - please be careful about taking the Dutch Nick Rd out to Hwy 431 - it is an option, but I don't recommend it as it does not go through the HMA and it can be quite the extra adventure - I drove it once when I was still figuring out all the roads in and out of the HMA, it was mostly dry that day, but this road goes through some spots that look dry until you are axle deep in the mud, and it is an unpleasant mud! And as this road is used mostly by ranchers checking on their cows, or hunters maybe, it is not well kept and had some real interesting stretches that scared the heck out of me at the time.

If you keep to the main 2-track (and it is just a 2-track at this point) kind of veering to the left when you see any kind of major intersections (this is a judgement call as there are some 2-tracks going to the left that are dead ends - just assess how well used the track is and keep to the more well used one), there is a section that has washed and rutted out pretty good and you have to straddle the ruts, but if you have a 4x4 with clearance and good tires you should be fine.

The 2-track is taking you down the hills, after a few miles you will see a cattleguard and fence-line with the sign telling you that you are back in wild horse territory, as you head down into the badlands below.

As you continue down through this bottom corner of the HMA the 2-track turns into a road, BUT - as that road curves down around to the bottom of the hill it is badland dirt, and has washed out pretty good after winter or rain storms - so approach slowly and just avoid altogether if it is muddy!

If you make it down to the bottom of the hill you will stay on that main road all the way out to the Platte Pipeline Rd, which we talked about earlier, and you can either go north and into the heart of Fifteenmile, or you can go south and back out to civilization!

You are not in the HMA for very long through here, and typically I do not see a lot of wild horses out along this stretch of road, and there are not any 2-tracks to take deeper into this part of the HMA, but there are some horses that like to be here in winter, and sometimes they are right along the fence-line.

I often see elk, pronghorn, and deer - and really I just love the beauty of the drive along here as the badland formations are amazing.

So, now lets go back to the intersection where you turned right to go down the hill at Mustang Teats..... but this time let's go straight!

As you are traveling along you are going past the peaks on your right (east) and you will see a fence - this fence is your HMA boundary, I personally have never seen any mustangs up by the peaks, but that means nothing since I am not there 24/7 and mustangs can and will go anywhere without telling us about it!

There is one or two 2-tracks that you can take through the fence - remember to close those gates - the 2-tracks do not go all that far, but sometimes it is fun just to take them out to see where they go, and maybe you will find one of the loner wild horses wandering around down the trails.

After a while you will leave the HMA fence and be a distance from the HMA itself, the drive here is very pretty, you can see for miles in all directions and there is not one ugly thing to see.

At this point you are either getting ready to leave for the day and you can stay on the main road and follow it all the way out to Hwy 120 and be about 15mins south of Meeteetse - the road out is pretty good, it can get rutted pretty badly but the BLM fixed it up nicely last year and I have not had to straddle ruts for the last couple of summers through here - there are a couple of spots that get slick but for the most part this road is your best bet getting out in a rain storm.

But.... if you have a good high clearance 4x4 rig, at least some experience on 4x4 roads, a sense of adventure, and want to circle down into the heart of the HMA, you are going to turn right at Whistleberry Hill road!

Why do you need a 4x4 high clearance rig.... because while this road starts out really nice and easy, well used even, there are several different washes you have to pass through just to reach the HMA boundary.

You are going to travel this road for a few miles and it does not run along the HMA boundary, it does travel through private property and there are a lot of cows.... if you stick to the main 2-track road it will take you to the HMA though!

The first wash you are going to cross is deceptive, it is in the middle of a flat stretch of road and you won't see it until you are tilting into it, so do not drive fast!

The second wash is pretty easy peasy, so long as there is no water in it, and there usually is not - the rest of the area could be having a total monsoon of moisture and this area oddly enough will often be dry.... the third wash is the challenge!

You are going to drive past what is an old homestead, this is private property so stay on the road and keep going.... but slowly - a couple of things to watch out for, the road travels right next to a major wash that has been eroding the road out for a few years now, the road has been repaired and moved but still be cautious because if there have been recent major storms you could find yourself tumbling into the very deep wash - I have been stopping and walking the road before driving, better safe than sorry!

And then there is the part of the road that goes through the wash.... it is deep!! As in your rig has to go all the way in and then back up the other side to get out - and because it washes a little bit with every rain storm, one side of the wash is usually heavily tilted and rutty - if you are not in a 4x4 with clearance you are asking for trouble here, especially if you are not experienced!!!!

Once you clear this wash the drive is pretty easy, the 2-track tends to be grassy in the summer, but you are not far now from the cattle guard that is the HMA boundary!

Once you enter into Fifteenmile from this side you will have a few more washes to navigate, not terribly difficult ones, there are some 2-tracks you can explore here but be cautious and aware as there is also some private property you will want to avoid trespassing onto.... which can sometimes be frustrating as the horses may be across the way on the private property.

If you stay on the main dirt road, which is the actual 15 Mile road, it will take you through the heart of the HMA and back out to the eastern end of the HMA, at which point you can choose which ever way you want to head back out to civilization.

My favorite way into Fifteenmile is via the entrance on the above map - mostly because it was the fastest way for me to visit the horses when I was living in Cody.... and because I know this road is the least likely to leave me stuck in axle deep mud - once in a while it gets deep snows, but usually only when it is the kind of winter where all things are buried in deep snows.

This entrance is just about 15mins (maybe) south of Meeteetse and about 45mins or so north of Thermopolis - there is a BLM sign along the highway at the entrance that tells you this is the way to the 15 Mile road, but you will probably see the Little Buffalo Basin sign first (on the west side of hwy), and I always notice the county line signs as my alert to slow down for the turn.

You are turning onto the road opposite of Buffalo Basin on the east side of Hwy 20, and following the dirt road up into the hills.... I trek this road pretty quickly because I have driven it so often my rig knows it by heart, you will want to enjoy the ride and take your time, it is truly a beautiful drive on your way into the HMA.

You have a couple of options into the HMA from this entrance..... you follow the road until you reach the Whistleberry Hill turn and you can then follow my directions from earlier through the washes and down into the heart of Fifteenmile.

Or, you can keep going along the main road until you reach the turn on the south side of Mustang Teats, and then find your adventure in those places we talked about earlier.

I try to find a place where I can see for miles and use binoculars to try and spy the horses.... and if you do spy them, then begins the game of trying to find a road to them - they have confused me more than once or twice, and I have definitely learned much about the HMA in those treks, but not always gotten very close to those wild horses.

If I do not spy them anywhere I randomly choose one of the roads to follow around and down into the heart of the HMA, whether it is down Whistleberry Hill or across the ridges and down to the Platte Pipeline, either way I circle down into the HMA and then wander through and out the opposite end of the HMA, making one big loop - even if it is one of those days the horses keep hidden, there is so much beauty surrounding you, a sacred silence to hear your own thoughts in, rocks to be admired and kept as treasures - it is a land where you can simply breathe and connect deeply with the earth, and I have never had a bad day in this land!

And one more way to go.... Dorsey Creek Road into Fifteenmile is probably the most stunning road to travel - it does take a little longer than the other ways we have talked about, but it is well worth it if you have the time to drive it - and you will want to have a little extra time to stop and admire the badlands!

So, to start you are going to head to the teeny tiny little town of Burlington WY, kind of in the middle between Cody and Greybull, you turn from Hwy 14 (Greybull Hwy) onto the lesser used Hwy 30 going south to drive through Burlington - there is no fuel here so make sure to top off your tanks before leaving Cody or Greybull!

Fun little side fact - if you have not already realized it, from here you are also within a few minutes of the McCullough Peaks HMA - me and a friend sometimes visit both HMAs on the same day as it is pretty easy to travel from one to the other along this route, or from the road coming in from Hwy 120 just south of Meeteetse.

Back to our plan for the day.... you are driving through Burlington and will follow Hwy 30 until it curves to the east - you want to keep going straight onto Road 8!

It will feel a little weird as it turns into a gravel road and crosses the river, taking you through the family farms, and the road name is going to change to Lane 42, you are going to stay on the main road as it takes a big curve to the left (east), and just follow it through a couple more big curves, you are looking for a wooden BLM sign on the right (south) that says Dorsey Creek - that is your road!

The first couple of miles of Dorsey Creek Rd are kinda boring.... or at least not extraordinary, just keep driving and you will soon find those incredible badland hills! And take it slow once you are in them.... the road is a little tricky, narrow in some places, and sudden curves, or steep hills up and down that can surprise you and has almost landed me in a ditch once or twice - so just slow down and enjoy the drive!

Eventually you come out of the lovely badland hills and up into the grassy flats..... you are not to the HMA yet, you will probably see a lot of cows, and will keep traveling for several more miles - along this trek you are going to find the intersection that is the 15 Mile road going to Worland - that was the first entrance road we talked about.

As you keep traveling towards the HMA you will find the next intersection that is the Platte Pipeline Rd that we also talked about as a way in.... hang another right (north) from this intersection, keep going until you find that cattle guard and the sign that tells you that you are now in the wild horse territory of Fifteenmile!

There is one more way that I know into the HMA, on a 'main' road - there are a few others that are 2-tracks only that I will leave you to find on your adventures.... this last way in is one that I have only ever taken out - for a couple of reasons.

Fenton Pass road is most easily found from within the HMA, you will see a sign for it just a few miles in from the entrance on the eastern side of the HMA, to find the way in from the outside is in a maze of dirt roads that wander through farm fields by the Greybull River, I have never tried finding my way into the HMA from this road because I always have gotten a little bit lost when leaving!

I also have not wanted to attempt entering into the HMA across Fenton Pass because there is a good chunk of the road that is a steep climb and is deeply rutted and washed out, which requires the willingness to have your vehicle tilted at about 15-20% angle - and I am that girl that believes she will die at a 10% tilt!

So the idea of crawling down a steep incline while also navigating a washed and rutted out road, well that is really just more adventure than I prefer, what can I say, sometimes I am kinda wimpy!

But I do enjoy (most) of the trek along Fenton Pass Rd, it takes you through the HMA and along to the northern border, it is pretty, and there is a water hole that you might get lucky and catch some horses visiting..... one of the weird things about this part of the HMA is that at the top of Fenton Pass there is really amazing grasses, like thick and chest deep on a horse - but the horses really don't spend any time up there.

I have talked with the Wild Horse Specialist about it and he has said more than once that the horses do not go there, and I have never found anything but ancient sign of horses wandering there , so if you want to go for the adventure - it is a fun place to explore! But don't go if your only goal is to see the horses.... you might see them along the way, but it is not a certainty along this road.

Which is true of any of the roads you travel along in Fifteenmile, but I only go this way once in a while, when I want to do something different, and usually after I have spent time with mustangs somewhere else in the HMA.

As you are exploring out in this land you are going to be crossing mostly BLM public lands, however, there are patches of private land out here, including in the HMA itself - the private land in the HMA is mostly well-signed warning you that you need permission to cross into the private land.

It can be a bit frustrating, at least one of the favored water holes is surrounded by private land - and that particular area is not signed so it is up to you to know on your own that it is private land, I was able to get permission to cross the private land but am not going to put the ranch managers phone # out here for all the world as that would be unfair to them - but if you contact the BLM Wild Horse Specialist in the Worland office he can help you get the contact info for the ranch manager.

Please be respectful and do not trespass!! It only takes a few minutes of time to get permission and saves you looking like a bad character, and giving other wild horse advocates a bad look, by getting permission.

I also know that the BLM Ranger does drive around out in these places and he might just ask if you bothered to get permission before crossing the private land.... I can tell you from personal experience that the BLM Rangers out here are pretty cool guys, we have sat and chatted about things on the side of the road or on the phone, but they do expect us to be respectful of the legal things.

The wild horse guy for Fifteenmile (Cam Henrichsen) is one of my favorite people, he loves these horses in a way you do not often see from BLM staff, and he loves talking about them to anyone who calls him about them. He is one of the few that I know to detest the roundups, and while I do not agree with all of his management practices, I respect and trust him to always want the best for these wild horses.

And now you know how to begin exploring the wild horse lands of Fifteenmile.... there are many secrets this land holds, I have not shared all the things I know because, well it would be a MUCH longer blog!!

But also.... part of the excitement and joy of exploring these places is discovering your own secrets, I am quite sure you will learn things I do not know, it is not possible for any one of us to know all of the secrets, and that is okay, because then each of us has our own amazing adventure!

This land is a sacred land... it holds something that is different than any other place I know - the colorful badland formations, the tall grasses swaying in a cool breeze, the sparkly rocks scattered across the hills, the distant mountain skylines, the wildest of wild horses galloping across the land in such a way that leaves no doubt they are one with the land - all of it is spectacular!

I hope that your adventures are full of the magic of this land and its horses - and that when you leave the sacredness of it all stays with your soul for a very long time!