Laramie County Highpoint Trip Report
USGS BM Twin in Twin Mountains (8,146 ft)
Date: August 4, 2002
Author: Michael Schwartz
Take exit 342 off I-80, signed for Harriman Road. Zero odometer under the overpass. The road south
shows as WY 218 on maps, but there are virtually no WY 218 signs to be seen. WY 218 and state
maintenance end at 1.6 miles, pavement ends at 2.1, and note ranch #312 at 4.3 miles. At this point the
Twin Mountains are visible to the west, looking more like a couple of buttes (although not flat-topped) than mountains.
I drove up the long driveway and spoke to the rancher, who informed me that there was no
access to the highpoint through his property, that the highpoint was owned by a Helen Willadsen from
Greeley, CO, and that I should contact her. He had been visited previously by highpointers and thought we
were all crazy.
Back on the main road, continue southwest, crossing under a power line at 5.6 miles. At 5.9 miles, turn
right (west) onto Road 202. Zero odometer again. This road is signed as private, and serves several homes.
It runs west, then turns sharply north, passes back under the same power line, passes some driveways, passes
through a gate, and at 3.1 miles bear right onto a two-track road (this is the last fork before the main road
reaches a gate before the house at foot of the mountain). I estimate the fork to be about 0.15 mile south of
the section number 32 on the topo. Take the track road about 0.4 mile to where you are just north of the mountain.
Pick a route to gain the northeast ridge, which is rocky and steep, but doable, and go over a
couple of bumps and small saddles on the summit ridge before reaching the summit at the south end of the ridge.
I found BM Twin 1912, plus two reference marks. I found two black plastic boxes, which I thought
contained registers, but which turned out to have held human ashes, which from the paperwork therein I
assume were strewn from the summit in April, 2001. Hike up 20 minutes, down 18 minutes. Nice views all
the way over to the Snowy Mountains and Medicine Bow Peak. The Twin Mountains are also clearly visible
from the rest area in the center median of I-80 near MP 334.
Notes:
1. I saw no around to ask for permission, once on the private road.
2. About a mile south of I-80, on the east side of Harriman Road, is a paved road leading into the Willadsen Estates.
On my return I drove in there and found a construction worker who let me talk to his boss on his
cell phone. He informed me that the Willadsen family goes way back in this area and owns much of the land.
He said the area near Twin Mountains has had access disputes for a long time and that he avoids the area.
He said he would check with some locals about whom might be asked for permission, but he never got back to me.
3. The ideal permission would be gotten from the owners of the house at the foot of the mountain, but that
property was gated and unoccupied on this date.
4. Some locals refer to the Twin Mountains as the Twin Buttes.
5. This area is shown on two different topos, with some disconnects between the two maps. Road 202 does
not show on the 1:100,000 maps, and the road network shown on the 1:25,000 map is very confusing.
Don't waste your time trying to find or follow the track roads shown on the 1:25,000 map heading west
along Duck Creek almost to the foot of the Twin Mountains.