Robber’s Roost Loop

Boasting 15 saloons in the late 1800s, Green River was once a vibrant backdrop for Wild West outlaws. Most famously, Butch Cassidy and his sidekicks would stock up on supplies in between no-good activities like stealing cattle and horses, holding up trains, and robbing banks.

Cassidy was an outlaw of the 1880s to early 1900s, and the leader of the Wild Bunch — a gang of hell-raisin’ ranch hands and stick-up men named for their rowdy, trigger-happy visits to local bars. The surrounding landscape provided this gang with a seemingly impenetrable hideout: Robbers Roost.

According to legend, Robbers Roost was so isolated, so riddled with surprise cliffs or smaller canyons that it was unreachable by lawmen who didn’t know the area. The Wild Bunch gang would rob a train or bank and escape into a labyrinth that only they knew the way out of, where fresh horses and natural springs were waiting for them. 

Local opinions on these outlaws are surprisingly favorable. One Green River resident recalled, “The Roosters was the finest people you ever saw. They wouldn’t harm a hair on your head — if you don’t have anything.” Of course, if you were trotting around on a fancy saddle horse or throwing money around, there’s a good chance they’d take it from you. But, anyone with too fine a horse or money didn’t belong in this sort of country anyways.

Want to Visit Robbers Roost Country‭?‬

There’s no better place to start your journey to Robbers Roost than Pearl Baker Park in Green River! Pearl Baker famously authored “The Wild Bunch at Robbers Roost” largely based on her family’s personal encounters with cattle ranchers who had ridden with Butch Cassidy and his gang. However, a journey to these lonesome parts is not for the ill-prepared. It requires planning ahead, a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle, comfort navigating without cell phone coverage, and knowledge of camping with Leave No Trace principles.