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Run the Red Desert, Protect the Red Desert

A vital race to protect one of the last great high-elevation deserts remaining in the United States.

By: Josiah Roe + Save to a List

Wyoming's Red Desert is one of the last remaining high-elevation deserts, home to one of the planet's seven "singing dunes", where the Continental Divide splits creating an endorheic drainage basin where water flows neither to the Pacific or the Atlantic, where the same aggressive winds that tormented weary travelers along the Oregon Trail 150 years ago bullies the endless train of semi-trucks on Interstate 80 today.

And it is home to a fierce debate over the use of our public lands, with some 84% of the land being "industrialized" due to its rich deposits of uranium, coal, trona and of course: oil and gas.

Each year the Wyoming Outdoor Council, The Wyoming Wilderness Association, and the National Outdoor Leadership School hosts "Run the Red", in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the 30th anniversary of the Wyoming Wilderness Act.

Learn more about Run the Red. Learn more about The Red Desert.

 Cover photo Dave Showalter

We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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