Wender·Vista
Sunlight Basin Chief Joseph Highway
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileWyoming
northwest of Cody, climbing toward the Beartooths

Sunlight Basin Chief Joseph Highway

— — the road that remembers a flight.

— 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
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— 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

“Wyoming Highway 296 turns north out of Cody and climbs a switchbacked wall to Dead Indian Pass, where the country opens onto Sunlight Basin and the Absaroka peaks line up to the west. The route follows the path the Nez Perce took in 1877. It is quiet country. Cattle, sage, granite, the occasional pull-off, and a long view that does not flinch. from the studio

from the studio
Sunlight Basin Chief Joseph Highway
— bring it home

Sunlight Basin Chief Joseph Highway, 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 Sunlight Basin Chief Joseph Highway

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 Chief Joseph Scenic Byway runs 46 miles along Wyoming Highway 296, from a junction with US 212 near the Montana line down to US 14/16/20 north of Cody. The road climbs over Dead Indian Pass at 8,071 feet, where a paved overlook frames the Clarks Fork canyon and Sunlight Basin to the west. The byway is named for the Nez Perce leader whose band crossed this country in September 1877 during their flight toward Canada. It is administered through Shoshone National Forest.

— the air

At Dead Indian Pass the wind comes off the Absarokas and the Beartooth Plateau without anything to slow it. The pass tops out at 8,071 feet; Sunlight Creek runs in a gorge 1,200 feet below the bridge that carries the highway. The air is thin, dry, and smells of sage and Douglas fir. Snow closes the road's higher reaches some winters. In late June the basin holds wildflowers and the long evening light common to high country east of Yellowstone.

— the visit

Most travellers drive the byway as a loop with the Beartooth Highway, entering Yellowstone's northeast gate at Silver Gate. The Sunlight Creek bridge, the tallest in Wyoming at 280 feet above the gorge, has a small pull-off. The Dead Indian overlook has interpretive panels on the 1877 Nez Perce crossing. There are no services between Cooke City and Cody, a distance of roughly 80 miles. The road is generally open mid-May through October, subject to snow.

— where
United States · Park County, Wyoming
— within
Shoshone National Forest
— elevation
2,460 m · 8,071 ft
— position
44.7561° N · 109.4356° 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.
40 km N
Beartooth Highway
scenic byway
55 km SE
Cody, Wyoming
town
60 km NW
Yellowstone Northeast Entrance
park gate
N
Sunlight Basin Chief Joseph Highway
Beartooth Highway
Cody, Wyoming
Yellowstone Northeast Entrance
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Sunlight Basin Chief Joseph Highway — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Wyoming Highway 296 connects US 14/16/20 north of Cody with US 212 near the Montana line, running 46 miles through Sunlight Basin and over Dead Indian Pass. It is a common approach to Yellowstone's northeast gate.

The pass tops out at 8,071 feet. A paved overlook near the summit has interpretive signage and a long view west into Sunlight Basin and the Absaroka Range.

In September 1877 the Nez Perce band led by Chief Joseph crossed this country during their flight toward Canada, slipping past US Army units in the Clarks Fork drainage. The byway commemorates that route.

The byway is plowed and generally open year-round, but it can close for storms and high wind. The neighbouring Beartooth Highway closes seasonally, usually from October through late May.

The Sunlight Creek bridge rises about 280 feet above the gorge, making it the tallest bridge in Wyoming. A small pull-off on the south side gives a view down into the canyon.

Sunlight Basin is a high valley west of Cody, drained by Sunlight Creek into the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone. It lies within Shoshone National Forest and is ringed by the Absaroka peaks.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for people who know the drive. The byway is a landmark route out of Cody. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio is the common gift size.

The piece sits well with mountain-modern interiors, leather-and-wood western rooms, and warm minimalist spaces. The sage and granite tones read as quiet rather than loud.

Yes. The understated palette and the recognisable subject fit current western-modern and ranch-revival rooms without sliding into kitsch. It reads as a real place, not a motif.

Above a sofa, a single Large or a four-tile Mural. Above a console, a Medium centred, or three Smalls run in a horizontal line.

Yes. Order in Dura Satin for a soft sheen and scratch resistance, or Matte for no sheen. Both finishes handle steam and routine wiping.

A dry or barely-damp microfibre cloth handles dust and fingerprints. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure and lives beneath a thin glossy finish; no special care is needed.

Yes. The piece is original to Wender Studios, painted by Reid Wender. We do not license or resell other artists' work, and no two vistas leave the studio identical.

— if this one stayed with you

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