Green River Drift

A 58-mile long cattle trail

that has been continuously

used since the 1890s by the

Upper Green River Cattle

Association ranchers to get

cattle from spring pasture on

the desert to summer pasture

in the forest.

Upper Green River Valley, Wyoming

Predating most federal land management agencies, the Green River Drift cattle trail has been continuously used since the 1890s by the Upper Green River Cattle Association ranchers to get cattle from spring pasture on the desert to summer pasture in the forest. Chilly fall weather causes the cattle to “drift” back out of the forest to return to their home ranches. The trail, 58 miles long with 41 miles of spurs, crosses BLM, State of Wyoming, National Forest, and private properties. It has played a pivotal role in the development of ranching in the area as well as in the development of relationships between Federal agencies that manage grazing allotments and private property owners. The Drift was listed on the National Register in November, 2013. Because it is still being used much as it has for more than 100 years, the Drift was listed as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP), the first ranching related TCP in the nation.

Listed on the

National

Register of

Historic

Places in 2014

The Drift is the first ranching related Traditional Cultural Property listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the nation. A dedication ceremony in honor of the 2014 listing of the Green River Drift on the National Register of Historic Places was held in June 2014. 

Green River Drift