Telephone Draw

Telephone Draw spans 21,122 acres of montane and subalpine country in the Absaroka Range on the Shoshone National Forest, taking in a landscape of cut drainages, open meadows, and high passes. The named ground includes Red Gulch, Hough Meadow, Waynes Hole, Bull Elk Pass, Button Draw, Bear Pass, Telephone Draw itself, Finley Ridge, Indian Point, Windy Gap, Indian Ridge, Bear Creek Canyon, and Elk Ridge. The area drains into the Bear Creek system: Bear Creek headwaters form within the area and gather Waynes Creek, Bain Creek, Charlie Creek, Cave Creek, and Cartridge Creek; Wiggins Fork flows along the southern reach. Green Lake and Mud Lake hold standing water at altitude.

Forest communities sort by elevation and aspect. The high country carries Rocky Mountain Dry and Wet Subalpine Spruce-Fir Forest with stands of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) at exposed treelines. Rocky Mountain Limber and Bristlecone Pine Woodland clings to wind-cut ridges along Indian Ridge and Elk Ridge. Below the spruce-fir, Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest fills middle slopes, and Central Rockies Douglas-fir Forest holds the warmer aspects. Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest opens disturbance-shaped patches near meadow margins. At and above treeline, Rocky Mountain Alpine Meadow, Rocky Mountain Alpine Dwarf-Shrubland, and Rocky Mountain Alpine Rocky Terrain replace forest cover. Open Northern Rockies Subalpine Grassland and Rocky Mountain Subalpine Meadow fill the high parks at Hough Meadow and Waynes Hole, while Rocky Mountain Subalpine Streamside Woodland and Streamside Shrubland trace Bear Creek, Wiggins Fork, and the smaller tributaries. Lower benches carry Intermountain Mountain Sagebrush Steppe, Wyoming Basin Dwarf Sagebrush, and Intermountain Mountain Mahogany Woodland. Showy green-gentian (Frasera speciosa) and sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum) appear in the open meadows; hare's-foot point-vetch (Oxytropis lagopus), Hood's phlox (Phlox hoodii), and oval-leaf buckwheat (Eriogonum ovalifolium) hold the dry, rocky benches.

Wildlife uses the area in vertical bands. Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) move through the lodgepole and spruce-fir, working with the seasonal habits of elk and other prey. North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) occupy the alpine and high subalpine ground. Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) hunt across the meadows and ridges; red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) range over the lower benches. The mature conifer holds Cassin's finch (Haemorhous cassinii), olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus cooperi), and Williamson's sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus), the last working dead-and-dying lodgepole. Broad-tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) feed at sticky geranium and showy green-gentian in the meadows. Portions of this area fall within the potential range of several federally listed species; see the Conservation section for details.

A walker moves up Bear Creek Canyon through sagebrush steppe into the cool shade of Douglas-fir, then into the wider lodgepole and spruce-fir on the way to Bear Pass. Hough Meadow opens at altitude as a long park where Wiggins Fork drainage feels open and exposed, the ground crossed by elk trails. Climbing onto Indian Ridge or up to Bull Elk Pass, the trees thin into whitebark pine and limber pine, and the rock-and-meadow texture of the Absaroka high country takes over. From Windy Gap, the country drops away toward Green Lake and Mud Lake in the high basins below.

Telephone Draw is a 21,122-acre Inventoried Roadless Area within the Shoshone National Forest in Fremont and Park counties, Wyoming, administered by the Wind River Ranger District in the USFS Rocky Mountain Region and protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

The country around Telephone Draw is among the longest-occupied human ground on the continent. "People have lived in the area now known as the Shoshone National Forest for at least 10,000 years" [1]. The forest takes its name from its Shoshone-speaking inhabitants: "The Shoshone takes its name from the Shoshoni Indians living in the area" [1]. "The Eastern Shoshone Tribe, now living on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, has been living, some say, in the Wind River mountain range" for a comparably deep span [2]. They were not alone on the landscape. "The Arapahoe, Blackfeet, Comanche, Crow, Nez Perce, Northern Cheyenne and Sioux tribes used the Shoshone for traditional cultural practices and subsistence living" [1].

Anglo-American contact came through the fur trade. "Famous mountain men such as John Colter and Jim Bridger were early visitors, as well as miners who sought their fortunes in the area's mountains" [1]. Their successors left durable marks. "The ghost town of Kirwin, an early-day mining town, is a window to the past, recalling one of the colorful eras in Wyoming's history" [1]. The railroad reshaped the southern reach of the forest. "The remains of tie hack flumes and cabins on the southern end of the forest are reminders of another era during which millions of railroad ties were produced" [1]. The broader industry began nearby: "The railroad tie industry began in the 1860s to support construction of the first transcontinental railroad across southern Wyoming" [3], and "Wyoming's tie hacking industry was developed in four regions around the state" [3], including the Wind River drainage.

Federal protection began at the same point in Wyoming history. "The Shoshone National Forest was first created in 1891 as part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve" [1]. "The Shoshone was established in 1891, making it the first federally protected National Forest in the United States" [4]. Administration in the field followed quickly. "The Wapiti Ranger Station, located on U S Highway 14/16/20 about 30 miles west of Cody, was built in 1903" [1]; "It was the first ranger station constructed at federal expense in the United States" [1]. The new agency learned to manage fire on this ground at heavy cost. The Blackwater Creek fire, "the fourth deadliest wildfire in the nation's history," was "started by a lightning strike in the pine-filled Shoshone National Forest on Aug. 18, 1937" [1]. By 1937 the framework that still governs Telephone Draw — federal ownership under the Forest Service, with established ranger districts, fire response, and grazing allotments — was in place. Today the Wind River Ranger District manages the area; the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule holds it as undeveloped backcountry.

Telephone Draw protects 21,122 acres of Absaroka Range high country in the Shoshone National Forest. Bear Creek, Wiggins Fork, Waynes Creek, Bain Creek, Charlie Creek, Cave Creek, and Cartridge Creek rise within its boundaries, alongside the standing water of Green Lake and Mud Lake. The roadless condition holds a continuous gradient from sagebrush steppe up through Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine into spruce-fir, whitebark pine, alpine meadow, and alpine rocky terrain, with no permanent road network breaking the watershed or the elevational mosaic.

Vital Resources Protected

• Cold Headwater Stream Integrity: Bear Creek headwaters and the cluster of small tributaries — Waynes, Bain, Charlie, Cave, and Cartridge Creeks — and the Wiggins Fork drainage flow through undisturbed Rocky Mountain Subalpine Streamside Woodland and Streamside Shrubland. Without road cuts, culverts, or fill on these steep slopes, the system delivers cold, sediment-poor water and stable streambank conditions to downstream aquatic communities.

• Climate Refugia in Whitebark and Subalpine Forest: The area protects intact Rocky Mountain Dry and Wet Subalpine Spruce-Fir Forest, Northern Rockies Subalpine Woodland and Parkland, and Rocky Mountain Limber and Bristlecone Pine Woodland on the high ground around Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge, and Windy Gap. Roadless terrain keeps stand structure intact and limits the disturbance corridors that accelerate white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle spread, preserving whitebark pine seed-bearing stands that cold-adapted species depend on.

• Elevational Gradient Connectivity: The unbroken band of habitat — sagebrush steppe, mountain mahogany, Douglas-fir, lodgepole, spruce-fir, and alpine meadow — runs continuously across Bear Creek Canyon, Hough Meadow, Waynes Hole, and the Absaroka ridges and passes. Roadless condition allows grizzly bear, Canada lynx, wolverine, and elk to track seasonal habitat upslope and downslope without road-edge mortality or behavioral avoidance fragmenting the population.

Potential Effects of Road Construction

• Sedimentation of Bear Creek and Wiggins Fork Headwaters: Road construction on the steep slopes feeding Bear Creek, Charlie Creek, and Wiggins Fork cuts into unstable soils and exposes mineral subgrade. The resulting chronic surface erosion and culvert undercutting deliver fine sediment into headwater channels, smothering spawning substrate and degrading the cold-water conditions on which downstream populations rely. The road prism remains a sediment source for decades regardless of decommissioning.

• Fragmentation of the Subalpine–Alpine Mosaic: Linear road corridors cut through Rocky Mountain Dry Subalpine Spruce-Fir Forest and Subalpine Woodland and Parkland fragment whitebark pine and lodgepole stands, opening canopy gaps that change microclimate and alter snowpack persistence. Roads concentrate human disturbance in wolverine, lynx, and grizzly habitat, increasing animal-vehicle mortality and creating persistent edge effects in interior forest. These behavioral and demographic changes outlast the road surface itself.

• Invasive Species Spread along Disturbed Corridors: Construction-disturbed ground in Intermountain Mountain Sagebrush Steppe, Wyoming Basin Dwarf Sagebrush, and foothill grassland is the primary entry point for cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and other annual exotics already documented in the area. Once established along a road, invasive cover spreads outward into adjacent Mountain Mahogany Woodland and aspen forest, altering fire regimes and displacing native understory. Reversal requires sustained treatment with uncertain success.

Telephone Draw covers 21,122 acres of Absaroka Range high country in the Shoshone National Forest, with named landmarks including Bear Creek Canyon, Hough Meadow, Waynes Hole, Bull Elk Pass, Bear Pass, Finley Ridge, Indian Point, Indian Ridge, Windy Gap, and Elk Ridge. The area is reached by foot and horse travel along the Indian Point Trail and adjacent unsignaled backcountry routes. There are no developed trailheads or campgrounds within the area boundary itself, so dispersed backcountry use is the primary recreation mode.

The documented trail network within the area is the Indian Point Trail (848), a 10.8-mile native-surface route open to hiker and horse use. The trail climbs through the lower forested benches into the higher country toward Indian Point and Indian Ridge, where the canopy thins into whitebark and limber pine and the rock-and-meadow texture of the high Absarokas takes over. The trail surface and grade make this a multi-day pack trip rather than a casual day hike, and most use comes from horse packers and experienced foot travelers prepared for long water-and-camp distances. Snow lingers high on the trail well into summer.

Big-game hunting is a central use of the area. The interleaved Douglas-fir forest, lodgepole pine, spruce-fir, and aspen, broken by sagebrush steppe on lower benches and open subalpine meadow at Hough Meadow and Waynes Hole, holds elk and the predators that follow them. Bear Pass and Bull Elk Pass are recognized travel corridors for elk moving between summer and winter range. Hunters typically pack in from outside the area, set camp on a benched meadow, and work the timber and edges on foot or horseback. Wyoming Game and Fish hunting regulations and area-specific seasons apply.

The streams within the area — Bear Creek headwaters, Waynes Creek, Bain Creek, Charlie Creek, Cave Creek, Cartridge Creek, and Wiggins Fork — are small, high-gradient headwater channels typical of subalpine streamside habitat. Green Lake and Mud Lake hold standing water at altitude. Anglers fishing these waters work small pools, runs, and the lake shorelines, all reached on foot or horseback from outside the area. Wyoming Game and Fish fishing regulations apply.

Wildlife viewing and photography reward visitors willing to climb. Open subalpine meadow at Hough Meadow, the long pass crossings at Bull Elk Pass and Bear Pass, and the ridge view from Indian Point provide consistent subjects: open parks at first light, the alpine grade above treeline, and the ridgelines of Indian Ridge and Elk Ridge. Red-tailed hawk range over the open ground. Birders working the access drainages outside the area can use the Dubois Town Park and Petes Pond eBird hotspots, which between them have documented 108 and 107 species respectively across hundreds of checklists.

Each of these uses depends on the area's roadless condition. The 10.8-mile Indian Point Trail offers a backcountry experience precisely because no road corridor competes with it. Hunting success on elk depends on intact forest cover and the unbroken elevational mosaic that allows animals to move freely across Bear Pass and Bull Elk Pass with the seasons. Headwater stream fishing on Bear Creek and Wiggins Fork relies on the low sediment and stable bank conditions only intact forested watersheds produce. Without roads cutting the slopes between Bear Creek Canyon, Hough Meadow, and the Indian Ridge country, this section of the Absaroka Range works as a single connected backcountry unit reachable only on foot, horse, or ski.