The White Mountain Wild Horse Herd

White Mountain wild horses graze in front of Pilot Butte

We arrived in the White Mountains and entered the Wild Horse Loop from Rock Springs, Wyoming.  The road was fairly rough from the Rock Springs entrance but not too rutted for a SUV.  Deep ruts in lower areas of the road did, however, indicate that the road was probably impassable when wet.

The White Mountain Horse Management Area encompasses 392,000 acres and has a planned population of 250 wild horses.  We found these horses to be quite elusive and skittish.   Even at 100 yards, most of the horses would begin to trot away once they saw the truck stop.

Shy White Mountain wild horses trot away at the sight of us.

It was getting pretty late in the afternoon.  With few bands near the roadside, we decided to hike over the ridge on the south side of the road to see if horses might be hiding below it.  Unfortunately, they were not.  The wind, however, was blowing so hard that it was impossible to keep my cap on my head.  We figured it would be best to try to find a protected area to set camp.  We took a dirt road that seemed to lead to a lower area.  Even there, however, the wind was easily gusting 30 to 40 miles per hour.  We tucked our chairs close to the truck, but the dust was blowing too badly.  We finally gave up and dove inside the camper.

Campsite in White Mountains

After the sun set, the winds died down substantially, and we had a restful night, drifting to sleep with a coyote lullabye.  We broke camp the next morning, hoping to find more horses.  A small band grazed near Pilot Butte.  At 7,932 feet, Pilot Butte is the highest point in the White Mountains and was used as a landmark for travelers on the Oregon and Overland Trails.

The closer we drove toward Green River, the better the road became.  In fact, a sedan could easily traverse this section of the road.  As we turned the corner towards the end of the White Mountain Wild Horse Loop, we spied a band of about fifteen horses grazing on the hillside.  While cautious of us, they were definitely less skittish than the other bands we had encountered.  They allowed us to walk within about 30 yards of the band before they started moving away.  I was glad to take at least a couple of closer photographs with the long-range lens.

We planned to stop for breakfast in Green River and determine our next route.  With fall colors beginning to show and the Grand Tetons within a day's drive, we had decided to veer from our wild horse tour to make a stop at one of our favorite national parks.

For more information about the White Mountain wild horses and to learn about their advocacy group, please click here:  https://www.facebook.com/whitemountainwildhorses/