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About Hams Fork Valley
The Hams Fork River has it source in the springs and creeks flowing out of the Tunp Mountains, and the Commissary Ridge. Beginning as a narrow, willow-filled ravine in the Bridger National Forest, the Hams Fork Valley slowly widens as the river flows southward. Where it emerges from the National Forest, the mountains have dropped to a ridge of hills on each side, and the valley has widened to a mile wide. The river meanders in loops along the flat valley floor, surrounded by thickets of willows and the fields of ranchland. It makes a few bends to the east over several miles, and comes to to the city of Kemmerer, where the river passes through a narrow gap through Oyster Ridge. From there it passes through a hilly country and eventually meets the Black's Fork River.
Among the sometimes barren hills of Wyoming, Hams Fork Valley is an oasis of quiet rural scenery. With two reservoirs along the river, and camping and sporting resources in the mountains, moderate numbers of visitors come for recreational pursuits.
Hams Fork Road begins at Kemmerer, and follows the valley deep into the mountains. It is designated Wyoming Highway 233 for several miles, to a point past Lake Viva Naughton, where it turns into County Route 305.