WAPITI, WYO. — A deadly trend is emerging on Wyoming's most scenic roads this summer.
As the 86th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally wrapped up Sunday in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Wyoming Highway Patrol says motorcycle crashes and deaths have surged across northern Wyoming, including along popular routes like U.S. 212, the Beartooth Highway, and Wyoming Highway 296, or Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, where troopers have already responded to roughly twice the yearly average in crashes.
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Just this week, a crash near Wapiti killed one person and left several others with serious injuries and is one of a growing number of deadly incidents troopers have responded to across the state in 2026.
Wyoming Highway Patrol Senior Public Relations Specialist Aaron Brown said the agency recorded four motorcycle deaths in a five-day span, from Aug. 8 through Aug. 13.
Brown said troopers had recorded about seven motorcycle deaths through the middle of July. Since late July, he said, the state has seen five or six more motorcycle fatalities in a short period.
“It's simply that we're catching up much faster this year,” Brown said. “It's definitely an increase.”
Brown said the state has recorded 90 motorcycle deaths since 2022. August is historically the deadliest month, accounting for 22 of those deaths, followed by July and June with 15 each. Since 2022, troopers have seen 8 fatalities in the corridor stretching from Highway 14/16/20 north to the Wyoming border.
On Wednesday, a group of motorcyclists was traveling toward Yellowstone near Wapiti on Highway 14/16/20 when a Ford pickup drifted across the center line and struck two motorcycles traveling in the opposite direction. Two more motorcycles crashed as a result. One person died, two suffered serious injuries, and several others were taken to the hospital, according to Wyoming Highway Patrol.
"With that kind of collision, it was absolutely horrendous," Brown said.
The crash occurred just miles from a 2016 incident in which a truck attempting to turn struck a group of German tourists on motorcycles, killing three instantly.
Brad Wagler, owner of Mountain View Resort and Lodging in Wapiti, which is located 27 miles from the east gate of Yellowstone and 27 miles from Cody, witnessed the aftermath of that 2016 crash firsthand when it unfolded right outside his business.
"Unfortunately, it was a pretty bad scene. One of the worst scenes up here,” said Wagler, a retired firefighter. "One of the things is it's kind of a blind corner right here."
A motorcycle memorial was installed just a year later outside the business by one of Wagler's friends. A plaque on the memorial reads: "1994-2017, 360 Fatalities."
"There's just a lot, a lot of bikes on the highway. It's always bad around Sturgis," Wagler said.
Brown said troopers have responded to an estimated 12 to 15 motorcycle crashes on the scenic highways this year, up from the average of 6 to 7 typically seen in an entire season. One motorcycle crash resulted in a death at the end of July, according to Cowboy State Daily.
"Last time I checked with my troopers, they had already seen 12 to 15. And we weren't even through July yet," Brown said. "We're seeing a lot of missed curves, people running off curves. They're tight on the roads up there. They have no shoulders to speak of really."
Brown said Wyoming's position as a travel corridor to Sturgis contributes to the volume of riders on these roads.
"Wyoming is one of the places everyone goes to get somewhere else, specifically Sturgis," Brown said.
The danger is not limited to motorcyclists. Brown said driver inattention has become a significant factor across all crashes in Wyoming this year.
Brown said a preliminary review of 2026 numbers suggests distracted driving was a factor in 40% of all vehicle crashes in July. Brown said 25% of all fatal crashes on Wyoming roads in 2026 have involved driver inattention, compared to the typical annual rate of 5% to 6%.
"Inattention seems to be a very big factor this year," Brown said. "And it's not just motorcycles — that's for all crashes."
For Tami and Dennis Stevenson, the mountain roads are part of why they return to Wyoming.
The couple have traveled from LaGrange, Kentucky, to the Sturgis rally 9 times and planned to ride the Beartooth Pass and Chief Joseph Highway during their trip this year.
“The scenery for riding is stunning. The roads are just perfect as far as sweeping curves,” Tami Stevenson said.
They said they also noticed more riders making dangerous mistakes on the road this year, and riders unfamiliar with the mountain roads may misjudge when to brake or fail to recognize how sharply some curves turn.
"There's just a lot of people going way too fast. They can't judge the curves. They don't understand it as far as when to start braking or that they're actually really sharp, sharper than you think," Tami said. "And it's not always young ones. We've had some older people come flying past us in a curve, and we're thinking, 'Wow, that's really bold.'"
Stevenson said she has seen riders and passengers looking at the scenery instead of keeping their attention on the road. Instead, the couple said they have a plan for staying safe, including keeping their eyes on the road even when the scenery tempts them to look away.
"(Dennis) says, 'Wow, that's really pretty.' And I say, 'You go that way. I'll film it for you,'" Tami said.
"So it keeps us on the asphalt, not off the asphalt," Dennis added.
Brown said riders and drivers ultimately have the most control over whether a trip ends safely.
“The best prevention is you,” Brown said. “At the end of the day, you are the best option when it comes to preventing deadly crashes."
He recommends that riders slow down for unfamiliar curves, stay focused on the road, and recognize when a road exceeds their skill level.
“It's not about the speed or the race,” Tami Stevenson said. “It's about enjoying the journey and the scenery.”
“Life's too short to blow by it,” said Wagler. "Comes down to human common sense."
