View Full Version : Wind River Range Suggestions
I am started to plan next year's adventure. One option is the Wind River Range in Wyoming. Anyway here have suggestions to check out while there? All options are on the table right now. Backpacking, day hikes, trail running, you name it. Places to stay, eat. Mountains to check out, etc. Looking for any and all tips and tricks! Thanks for the input in advance!
I guess I should note that I am looking at 1 to 2 weeks.
LongTrailRufus
11-08-2015, 18:03
In August we did a 70-mile north-to-south traverse. We recommend it.
Pinedale is a fine base of operations. We warmed up with a couple of day hikes from Elkhart Park then were shuttled to Green River Lakes and hiked south to Big Sandy Opening, where our shuttler had parked our car. The Great Outdoor Shop has everything you could need. Check out the Wind River Brewing Company.
We stayed on the CDT/Highline/Fremont route but we could have easily travelled cross-country. Once we left the fisher people at Green River Lakes we were mostly alone. At that time of year, the CDT through-hikers are heading north. The folks headed to Titcomb Basin cross the CDT and the Cirque hikers take a different route from Big Sandy.
The only nuisance was 4 fords near Pole Creek. They weren't hazardous but you might as well keep your crocs or sandals on until you passed the final ford.
The shuttle was easy: the shuttler met us in Pinedale; we handed over our keys; we were driven to the start; and when we got to BSO our car was waiting. The road to BSO is long, bumpy, and dusty and we were glad we only had to drive it once..
We liked the people we met in Pinedale (in contrast to folks we met later in Jackson Hole) and found the local horse riders quite friendly.
garlic08
11-08-2015, 18:21
If you hike the CDT route, consider going off trail over Texas Pass and into Cirque of the Towers. As noted above, lots of options on and off trail in the Winds. If you come in from the north, along the Wind River, I hear you'll need a permit to hike on the Reservation.
The Sweetwater River country and Great Divide Basin (Red Desert), though hot in summer and very dry, are interesting areas, geographically and historically. The towns of Rawlins and Lander have interesting stuff, too.
Just south of there in Utah is the Uinta Range. Mags, a frequent poster here, wrote up something here (http://www.pmags.com/east-to-west-uinta-highline-trail)on the Uinta Highline Trail.
Join this forum:
http://backcountrypost.com/
Read and enjoy the trip reports from the Wind River Range.
Prepare to be forever spoiled.
Enjoy.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
The first Wind River trip report I found.
http://backcountrypost.com/threads/titcomb-basin-fremont-peak-indian-basin-knifepoint-glacier-island-lake.5109/
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
Awesome! Thanks for the suggestions so far!
Mountain climbers love Cirque of the Towers but my favorite place in the Winds from my 8 days hiking there a few years ago is the Titcomb Basin/Indian Basin area. The vistas are spectacular. Here is a link to a photo from Titcomb Basin:
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=48218&catid=member&imageuser=7623
The hiking is great in that area, either on or off trail, and you can do a nontechnical, but challenging, scramble to the top of Fremont Peak from either of the two basins. Elkhart Park trailhead, near Pinedale, is a good place to access that part of the Winds.
But really it's hard to go wrong almost anywhere you go in the Winds -- particularly anywhere above tree line.
lonehiker
11-10-2015, 01:08
Would second Green River lakes to Big Sandy. You could do a number of side trips to extend it to two weeks.
What time of year is best? From what I have read, it looks like maybe late August or early September as the bugs will be gone by then. How bad are skeeters there compared to say Maine in July?
In my limited experience, Rocky Mountains, including Wyoming, - Late August thru early October, non-existent insect problem.
That's because you'll need a reliable 20 degree bag and good ground insulation. Good insulation for you too. It can get cold.
I just found a trip report for Big Sandy to Green River Lakes at Backcountrypost.com.
Summary: 80 miles. Elevations between 10,000' & 12,000'. Cross country, off trail travel. Most of those 80 miles at or above treeline. Good stuff.
Wayne
Ahh, Wind River Range sucks. You don't want to go there. Crowded, mosquitos, lots of rocks, no Starbucks, etc. ;)
Ahh, Wind River Range sucks. You don't want to go there. Crowded, mosquitos, lots of rocks, no Starbucks, etc. ;)
I guess I should go to SNP then...I hear that area is quite remote :)
DuneElliot
01-12-2016, 10:39
Yeah, bugs really aren't a problem in most places here. However, at the end of June last year I was camping at the top of Bear Tooth Pass and the skeeters were bad...although probably no where near as bad as back east...just bad for Wyoming/MT.
Andrew Skurka did the Wind River Range High Route a couple of years back and made some great recommendations on his website.
Avoid the Jackson area, although it might be the easiest to fly into. Dubois is a neat little town just to the west of the Wind River Range, down in the valley.
If you had a little longer I would also suggest a short 65 mile loop through the Bighorn Mountains on the Solitude Trail