Snowbound Sand Hill

The route used by Hanna and Elk Mountain residents to travel between the two towns has always had some challenges to travel in the winter time. Parts of the 11 mile stretch can drift up but, until this year, nothing has compared to the drifts that have accumulated on the area known as Sand Hill.

This incline is about two miles from the Hanna Junction of US 30 and WY 72.

The reason for drifts can be attributed to the lack of plant life that had always been present until the RR 316 Fire the first weekend of September 2020. The fire came within yards of structures in the town of Hanna and burned 14,201 acres (See "Fighting the RR 316 Fire" on page 1 of the September 9, 2020 Saratoga Sun).

In the 14,000 plus acres burned, the section known to locals as Sand Hill was heavily fire dosed. The result has been drifts that have made the road almost insurmountable after each snow storm. The strong winds also contribute to the constant drifts in this area.

On February 24, Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) shut WY 72 to all vehicles except local traffic. This corridor allows US 30 to access I-80 and is often used by semis. That was not happening on this Wednesday.

WYDOT spent several hours getting the snow off the road and piling it up on the side. once they were done, it was a solid wall of snow on each side.

Residents of these northern communities are hopeful that this spring will bring life to the scorched area and that the monster drifts will not be as bad in the future.