The road up Hole-in-the-Wall...
The road up Hole-in-the-Wall Slope requires high clearance.
In the meantime, plenty was going on at Hole-in-the-Wall. In the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were being chased by a lawman named Joe Lafors. In reality, Lafors was a stock detective who led the first group into Hole-in-the-Wall to round up any cattle wearing brands from ranches outside the hideout. They were met by a band of outlaws and a gunfight broke out. Both sides suffered casualties, but the significant thing is that Hole-in-the-Wall had been breached. It was simply a matter of time before the next posse would come in and then the next until the once famous hideout became nothing more than another series of ranches.
The cabins used by the outlaws were actually on the Willow Creek Ranch founded by a sheepherder named Kenneth MacDonald in 1882. That was 15 years prior to the Belle Fourche bank robbery and the Lafors roundup. The outlaws' spread consisted of several cabins and a corral located in a low-lying area beside Buffalo Creek. The hideout is not visible from any distance away; however, anyone staying there could climb a short distance to the hilltop behind it and have a view of all the access routes. In addition, anyone escaping on the access route going west could not be seen by anyone coming in on the access route from the east. The reverse is also true. In other words, it is the perfect location for a hideout.
The ranch is now owned by Gene and Sammye Vieh. You can find them at www.willowcreekranch.com. The ranching experience they offer is unique. Their guests truly experience a step back in time. They have taken extra effort to preserve the way of life from the days of the outlaws. Guests who plan to spend some time on the ranch can participate in roundups and other activities. Cookouts are available at the location of the original outlaw cabins. Any guest who stays overnight receives a key for access to the 10-mile ranch road ending at the base of Hole-in-the-Wall.
We collected one of those keys and drove to the BLM marker for Hole-in-the-Wall. The actual route to the top of Red Wall is a horse trail. Hiking to the rim offers a fantastic view of the surrounding country, but it is a strenuous journey. From the marker, we drove to the site of the outlaw cabins. Nothing is left of them, but Willow Creek Ranch has turned it into a campout and cookout location for those who wish to spend the night there.
From the cabins, we used our key to exit the ranch going up Hole-in-the-Wall Slope. This section is extremely rough and requires good clearance. Although the trail outside the Willow Creek property is open for public access, it is a narrow corridor. All trails branching off that corridor are dead ends. The access does cross property owned by other ranches, so respect the fact that you are being permitted to use that route so long as you obey the postings.
Hazelton Road provides great...
Hazelton Road provides great scenery and wildlife viewing opportunities.
The route up Hole-in-the-Wall Slope connects to Hazelton Road at the 2 Cent Ranch. We turned left and used the road to return the key to Willow Creek, then returned to the intersection and took Hazelton Road going north toward the town of Ten Sleep. The scenery along this route is spectacular. It follows the ridge formed by the foothills of the Big Horn Mountain Range. Wildlife along the way includes a variety of hawks, eagles, deer, and antelope.