shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMontana

south of Dell, in the Beaverhead high desert

Big Sheep Creek Backcountry Byway

Name: Big Sheep Creek Backcountry Byway — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — a road that doesn't ask to be remembered.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“A fifty-mile dirt road that leaves Interstate 15 at Dell, climbs into a limestone canyon along Big Sheep Creek, and crosses sagebrush benches toward the Medicine Lodge valley. The Bureau of Land Management posts a single sign at the turnoff. Pronghorn move in small groups on the upper benches. Most days the only traffic is a rancher's pickup and the wind.

from the studio

— bring it home

Big Sheep Creek Backcountry Byway, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Big Sheep Creek Backcountry Byway

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Big Sheep Creek Backcountry Byway runs roughly fifty miles through Beaverhead County in the high desert of southwestern Montana. The byway leaves Interstate 15 at Dell, climbs west along Big Sheep Creek through a narrow limestone canyon, then crosses sagebrush benches and aspen draws toward the Medicine Lodge valley. The Bureau of Land Management administers the route as one of Montana's designated Back Country Byways. Elevations range from about 6,500 feet at Dell to over 7,500 feet on the upper benches above the canyon.

— informed by BLM — Big Sheep Creek Back Country Byway

— the stone

The canyon walls are Madison limestone, the same Mississippian formation that built the Gates of the Mountains farther north. Spires and shoulders rise three hundred to six hundred feet above the creek. The rock is pale grey and warm ochre, streaked with desert varnish where the run-off has cut. Bighorn sheep gave the creek and the byway their names; a small herd still moves through the upper canyon. Golden eagles nest on the south-facing cliffs above the road most years.

— informed by BLM — Wildlife of the Dillon Field Office

— the visit

The road is dirt and gravel the entire length. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended; passenger cars handle the lower canyon in dry weather but struggle above the Forest Service boundary. The byway is generally passable from Memorial Day through October; spring run-off and winter snow close the upper sections. There is no gas, no water, no cell coverage past Dell. The town of Dell has a café in a converted schoolhouse and the last fuel for forty miles in any direction.

— informed by BLM Dillon Field Office

— where

United States · Beaverhead County, Montana

— within

BLM Dillon Field Office

— position

44.7339° N · 112.7166° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

at the lake

Dell

town

25 km NE

Lima

town

15 km W

Tendoy Mountains

mountain range

40 km SW

Medicine Lodge Valley

valley

Big Sheep Creek Backcountry Byway

Dell

Lima

Tendoy Mountains

Medicine Lodge Valley

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Big Sheep Creek Backcountry Byway — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

It begins at Dell on Interstate 15, Exit 23, and runs roughly fifty miles southwest through Big Sheep Creek canyon and the upper benches to the Medicine Lodge road south of Lima.

The Bureau of Land Management's Dillon Field Office, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service on the upper sections inside the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

No. The entire byway is dirt and gravel. The lower canyon is generally passable for passenger cars in dry weather; the upper benches need a high-clearance vehicle.

Generally Memorial Day through October. The upper sections close with the first heavy snow and reopen as the high benches dry out, usually in late May or early June.

Bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, golden eagles, and prairie falcons. Sage grouse use the upper benches in spring. The creek holds small westslope cutthroat trout in its upper reaches.

— about the piece in your home

It has been for many of our southwest Montana customers. The byway is one of the quieter roads in the county. A Small carries the canyon well; a Medium fits a hallway or office wall.

The pale limestone, sage, and warm ochre of the artwork settle into Western-quiet, Desert-modern, and Mountain-traditional palettes. The piece sits well against unbleached linen and natural wood.

Yes. The high-desert palette fits the desert-modern direction that has held through the late 2020s. The Medium works as a single anchor; the Mural opens the canyon as a window.

A single Large covers most sofas. Above a long console, a 4-tile Mural extends the canyon composition; the 9-tile Mural is the room-defining option for a great room.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate steam and splash. Glossy is for dry-wall display only.

A soft microfibre cloth, lightly dampened with plain water. No solvents, no abrasive pads. The colour lives in the surface, not on it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in our own studio language and is not licensed from any outside source.

— if this one stayed with you