Big Lakes and Big Sky: Day Hikes in the Wind River Range, Wyoming

The Trip

Giant, glistening, deep blue lakes at the base of the Wind River Mountains in western Wyoming were carved by massive glaciers many years ago. Today, these lakes are bordered by towering ridges that offer vast views of water, mountains, and sky.  If you enjoy hiking up to a ridge to take in a 360-degree view of the surrounding peaks, valleys, and wildlife, this is the trip for you.  We will hike several ridges far above Fremont Lake and walk the shores of New Fork Lake and Boulder Lake into boulder-strewn canyons where falling water roars around every turn in the trail.  Midweek, we will take a break from hiking to tour the Museum of the Mountain Man, visit sites of mountain man rendezvous, tour migration routes of antelope and mule deer, see firsthand the impact of gas and oil exploration on wildlife habitat, tour a llama ranch, and enjoy a Western-style chuck wagon dinner. Optional activities include fly fishing in local streams or renting bikes to explore the Pinedale area. 

Day 1: Participants will be picked up at the Jackson Hole Airport on Sunday, July 31.  We will stop in downtown Jackson, WY to explore the city for an hour. Then we will drive south along the Snake River and through historic Hoback Canyon, the mountain hamlet of Bondurant, and the open plains leading to Pinedale, WY, the host city on our adventure.  Pinedale is approximately 80 miles south of Jackson, WY and sits at the western base of the towering granite spires of the Wind River Mountains.  After check in and some time to relax, the group will meet for an opening dinner at a local restaurant. 

Day 2: We will drive to a trailhead at 9,400 feet.  Our trail will take us to an amazing viewpoint high above Fremont Lake where we’ll feel surrounded by the jagged granite spires of the Wind River Mountains. We will continue hiking through a meadow splashed with wildflowers to a mountain lake where we will have lunch. 

Day 3: A drive northeast through classic western, wide-open, rolling hills takes us to a lakeside trailhead.  This trail hugs the shores of another deep blue glacial lake and then climbs to an elevated perch that reveals the walls and peaks of this canyon in all of its splendor. 

Day 4: A tour of the award-winning Museum of the Mountain Man will give everyone a fascinating look into the history of the area.  At the peak of the fur trade in the early 1800s, mountain men, Native Americans, and explorers and miners met for several big parties known as rendezvous.  This museum displays an amazing collection of what life was like on the Western frontier during the heyday of the Mountain Man.  We will also drive out to visit migration routes of antelope and mule deer and visit a working llama ranch that raises pack llamas.  Fly fishing and bike rental are also optional activities this afternoon.  For dinner, an authentic chuck wagon dinner will be served for us.  After dinner, local wildlife experts will talk about their work in tracking mule deer and antelope to better understand and protect their annual age-old migration routes that may extend several hundred miles from summer range to winter habitat southwest of Pinedale.  

Day 5: We will drive south of Pinedale to another large glacial lake and hike up into its roaring glacial-carved canyon.  We will have lunch along this white water river and look for water ouzels dancing in the flashing water. 

Day 6: A challenging drive into a meadow trailhead will get us started on our last hiking day.  We will hike through unique stands of quaking aspen to reach a ridge high above Fremont Lake.  We will ride the ridgeline to Glimpse Lake to have lunch and be enchanted by the magic of lake, mountain, and sky.  

Day 7: We will depart for Jackson Hole airport by 9:30 a.m.

Getting There

The starting and ending point for this trip will be the Jackson Hole, WY International Airport. The cost of transportation from the airport to Pinedale and return back to the airport is included in the trip price. Pinedale is about 80 miles from Jackson. The leader will furnish roster information so participants may contact each other to arrange carpools if they decide to drive to the lodge. Each participant is responsible for arriving at the starting point at the specified time. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

The group will be staying in quaint, cozy, historic log cabins. Each updated cabin has its own covered front porch with hanging baskets of flowers. These cabins are mostly double occupancy, but several single rooms will be available.  All cabins have their own private bathrooms with showers.  Each cabin has a full kitchen where participants will make their own breakfasts each morning. All organic breakfast food, coffee, and juice is included in the trip price. Each day, lunch will be provided on the trail. These backcountry meals are included in the trip price.  The group will have dinner at a different local restaurant each evening. One evening we will have an authentic Western, cowboy-style chuck wagon dinner prepared for us.  Participants will pay for their dinner expenses, which are not included in the trip price. The opening dinner will be included in the trip price.

Trip Difficulty

The four day hikes are rated as moderate in difficulty.  Each participant should be able to carry a day pack and walk on rocky trails for 7-12 miles for 6-7 hours each day. All hikes start at near 9,000 feet elevation.  Each trail starts out relatively flat but increases in incline as the hike continues. Some portions of these trials may be steep for short sections.  It is expected that each participant engage in an aerobic training program before the trip. It is best to hike in the boots or shoes you will wear on the trip and walk some hills with a full day pack to simulate hiking conditions as much as possible.

Equipment and Clothing

All participants must bring their own well-broken-in hiking boots, raingear, clothing layers, hiking poles, water bottles, and day packs. A more complete list of what to bring will be sent by the leaders after you have been approved for the trip. Fishing licenses must be bought in Pinedale prior to the day hikes.

References

• Hiking Map and Guide to the Northern Wind River Range, Earthwalk Press, Eureka, CA.
• Wind River Range Outdoor Recreation Map, Beartooth Publishing, Bozeman.

Conservation

The Bridger Wilderness runs along the center of these mountains and draws people to its solitude. We will discuss threats to this and other wilderness areas.  Evidence of the presence of the mountain pine bark beetle is all over the West, and in the Wind River Mountains, too.  We will discuss the biology and reasons for the spread of this endemic insect. Several large glaciers have been present in the Winds for many years. Like other places, these are melting quickly due to global warming. What are the long- and short-term effects of their reduced water supply for areas downstream? The leader encourages each participant to bring information about important conservation issues in his/her local or regional area to discuss with the group. We all face new challenges including electric cars, new sources of electricity, alternatives to coal, fracking, and living on the land more harmoniously with less. The leader will set aside time for group discussion of these and other conservation issues.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and will operate under a permit from Bridger-Teton National Forest.