One enters the Big Horn Basin from the north through Montana. The other enters the southern end of the Big Horn Basin through the Wind River Canyon. The highways from Laurel to Powell are lightly traveled two lane roads. There are no mountain passes or steep grades on this route. Billings is approximately an hour and a half drive from Powell.
Services are readily available in the small towns which line the route.
The highways from Shoshone to Powell are lightly traveled two lane roads. They have wide shoulders and there are no mountain passes or steep grades on this route. The Wind River Canyon is a well-known landmark, but even here the road is flat and fairly straight. This is the primary route Powell residents take to Casper and other destinations lying to the south. Services are available in Meeteetse, the only town in the 90 miles between Cody and Thermopolis.