Back
Cloud Peak Skyway: US-16, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming
Photo: Martin Kraft · CC BY-SA 3.0

Drives Wyoming Cody, the Bighorns and Northern Wyoming

Cloud Peak Skyway: US-16

US 16 · Buffalo → Ten Sleep

Leisurely63 mi1 hr 30 min6,600 ft climbHigh point ≈ 9,700 ftOne way
Scan to drive it in CarvePoint a phone's camera here. It opens ready to drive.
Drive it in Carve, free

Opens this route in the app, or where to get it.

Drive this road
in the appOpen

The drive

The Cloud Peak Skyway is the southernmost route across Bighorn National Forest, following US 16 for 47 designated miles. It is a State Byway and Forest Service Byway, designated in 1989. This drive goes west from Buffalo, the end nearer I-25 and I-90, to Ten Sleep.

The paved two-lane highway crests at 9,666 feet at Powder River Pass. Meadowlark Lake, a 325-acre lake that allows only wake-less boating, is on the way, and the descent toward Ten Sleep is steep, with hairpins. The drive is 63.0 miles and takes about 1 hr 30 min.

Along the way

  1. Buffalo
  2. Powder River Pass
  3. Ten Sleep
Elevation
6,600 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 9,700 ft
BuffaloTen Sleep
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
BuffaloTen Sleep
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Weather can be extreme at these elevations, and snow can fall in any month.
  • The Wyoming Highway Patrol describes steep downhill grades, long climbs, hairpin turns and blind corners near Ten Sleep, and says US 16 is not advisable for over-length or oversize loads.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check WYDOT road conditions and closures.

Questions about this drive

How long does the Cloud Peak Skyway take?

US 16 from Buffalo to Ten Sleep is 63.0 miles and takes about 1 hr 30 min.

How high is Powder River Pass on US 16?

Powder River Pass on the Cloud Peak Skyway is 9,666 feet.

Is the Cloud Peak Skyway steep?

The Wyoming Highway Patrol describes steep downhill grades, long climbs, hairpin turns and blind corners on US 16, especially near Ten Sleep.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
Drive it with no signalAPEXDownload the map and every turn before you go.
Live Group TrackingAPEXEveryone on the route, on the map, by name.
Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
Record your drivesAPEXRecord a drive and turn it into a route to drive again or share.

Free on iPhone and Android. CarPlay and Android Auto come with Apex.

Download on theApp StoreEarly access onGoogle Play

More drives near here

All 24 drives in Wyoming ›

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

+ Plan a new route
Map of Cloud Peak Skyway: US-16, from Buffalo to Ten Sleep