Crookston Ranch - Level 1
Crookston Ranch is a short backcountry drive on public land in the Greater Sand Dunes area northeast of Rock Springs, in southwest Wyoming's high desert basin country. The route leads to a historic homestead on the edge of the Killpecker Sand Dune Field, where the dunes sit beside the old buildings.
The ranch is managed by the BLM Rock Springs Field Office as a cultural site. It makes an easy side trip for anyone visiting the dunes, or a quiet stop on its own.
Trail Summary
- LocationSweetwater County, Wyoming
- Distance1.6 miles
- DifficultyLevel 1
- Elevation6,847 ft to 6,981 ft with a 134 ft change
- Travel Time13 minutes
Difficulty
Suitable for high clearance 2WD
This is an Easy, Level 1 route. It is suitable for high clearance 2WD, and stock equipment is sufficient. Expect dirt or rocky road with gentle grades, and any rocks, dips or ruts should be smaller than about 5 inches. The road is typically two vehicles wide and is safe for most 4WD and high-clearance 2WD vehicles. The driver's log did not call out any obstacles or sections needing special attention.
Terrain
The route runs across open sagebrush basin country at the foot of the Killpecker Sand Dune Field. The ranch sits on the banks of Nitchie Creek, and the drive is on dirt and gravel BLM roads. Elevation changes very little. Sand from the dunes shifts constantly nearby, so the surface close to the dunes can change with wind and season.
History
Joe Crookston homesteaded the ranch around 1887 at the edge of the Killpecker dunes. He registered his brand and filed his homestead papers that year, when he was 22. He later ran large sheep operations with his brother-in-law, Tim Kinney. Crookston also kept a second ranch at 14 Mile, a stop and saloon on the Rock Springs-Lander-South Pass Road. He died in 1915, and his half-brother Richard Matthews later bought back both ranches. The BLM says the ranch is on public land because of an error in the filing of the homestead papers. Local history claims Butch Cassidy used the ranch to rest and re-horse while running from federal marshals.
Highlights
The homestead has five buildings, two corrals, a well, a trash dump and a privy. They were built from whatever Crookston had on hand, including sandstone, milled lumber, logs and adobe. The spring at the ranch is fed by ice cells in the adjacent sand dunes. The BLM is stabilizing the buildings, but the dunes keep creeping closer to them. The ranch is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a good place for photos with the dunes behind the corrals.
Trail GPS File
Map
The interactive map needs JavaScript. Every waypoint is also listed below.