Area 62 covers the heart of the Sierra Madre around Battle Pass and the Continental Divide on WY-70 between Encampment and Baggs—dense, wet, high-timber country that produces excellent elk for hunters who do their homework. Elevations run from about 7,000 feet on the lower forest fringes to over 11,000 feet on Bridger Peak and the high crest. The forest is mature lodgepole pine and aspen on the lower slopes, transitioning into Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and lodgepole through the mid-elevations, with alpine parks and meadows above. The Huston Park Wilderness covers a chunk of the high country. The Sierra Madre catches Pacific moisture year-round and the timber here is dense, the deadfall is thick, and the elk find the kind of cover that lets them die of old age. Medicine Bow National Forest dominates with the Huston Park and Encampment River Wilderness areas as protected cores. WY-70 (Battle Highway) is the paved access; closes seasonally with snow. Forest roads off WY-70 thread into the timber. Encampment and Riverside are the local towns; Baggs is on the west; Saratoga is the larger supply hub. Cell service drops past town. Quality elk is the headline and low pressure relative to the Snowies is the reason—most hunters drive past the Sierra Madre on their way somewhere with a bigger reputation. Mule deer use the aspens and meadow edges. Snow comes early to the Sierra Madre crest.