Continental Divide Through the Wind River Range, Wyoming

The Trip

“I think the best inspired painter that ever drew would fail in attempting to describe these mighty mountains. He may convey correctly enough an impression of their shape, their vast extent and sublime beauty. But there is something always left out which escapes all his colours and all his skill. Their aspects shift and vary continually. Their very shapes seem to undergo a perpetual transformation like the clouds above them. There is a mystery like the mystery of the sea -- a silence not of death but of eternity.” - James Chisholm

The Wind River Range extends for more than 100 miles, the crest forming part of the Continental Divide. Granite peaks -- 40 of them over 13,000 feet high -- dominate the landscape. Glaciers have left their mark in the form of U-shaped valleys, serrated peaks and ridges, and alpine cirques. In fact, seven of the 10 largest glaciers in the Lower 48 are in the range. More than 1,000 lakes are sprinkled across the land, providing some of the finest backcountry fishing in the country. The Continental Divide Trail lies on a terraced shelf running the length of the range between 9,500 feet and 10,500 feet.  

This epic adventure begins weaving in and out of the woodlands and meadows of Big Sandy Opening, offering glimpses of the spectacular mountains ahead. The route passes from one paradisiacal scene to the next, winding its way through rock-strewn, glacier-carved meadows surrounded by snow-capped peaks. The trail has one dazzling lake after another. Tundra meadows and boulder fields cross several passes over 10,700 feet. At 11,120 feet, Lester Pass is the highest point on the Continental Divide Trail in Wyoming. The range's highest peaks tower above us on our way to the canyon of the Green River, one of the major tributaries of the Colorado. Squaretop Mountain, the most identifiable peak in the Winds, is our sentinel as we descend the aquamarine Green River to finish at Green River Lakes.

Day 1: We'll meet early morning in Pinedale for a ride to Big Sandy Trailhead at 9,100 feet elevation. Climb through meadows and trees up to Fish Creek Park. We'll hike eight miles and pass one lake after another to camp at an unnamed lake at 10,000 feet. 

Day 2: The trail stays above 9,700 feet and rises to a 10,500-foot plateau with panoramic views. You may hear bleating sheep while we pass several lakes to camp at stunningly beautiful Sandpoint Lake, located at 9,810 feet. 

Day 3: We'll embark on a challenging but rewarding steep climb over Hat Pass at 10,848 feet before our gentle descent through a wildflower paradise to camp at Lake Sequa Creek at 10,200 feet. Total distance for the day will be 11 miles. 

Day 4: We'll climb two high passes today: one at 10,800 feet before the wet crossing of Pole Creek, and 11,120-foot Lester Pass, the highest point on our route and the highest on the CDT in Wyoming. We'll camp in the Little Seneca Lake area at 10,400 feet. This will be our camp for two nights. 

Day 5: This is our layover day to explore the grandeur of relatively flat Titcomb Basin containing over a dozen lakes backed by sheer walls, slender spires, bold crags, and some of the highest peaks in the range. 

Day 6: Today we'll hike 10.5 miles, and pass beneath a circle of 13,000-foot rugged peaks hiding the largest glaciers in the contiguous U.S. from view. We'll climb to 11,040 feet before dropping into a lake-dotted basin and descending to camp at Pine Creek at 10,200 feet. 

Day 7: We leave the rarefied heights to descend 8.5 miles to granite-lined Green River at 8,100 feet. We may see moose near camp in the flower-carpeted meadows across from Squaretop Mountain. 

Day 8: We'll continue winding along the Green River and shores of Green River Lakes along nine flat miles to finish at Green River Lakes Trailhead at 8,040 feet. We will be picked up and taken back to Pinedale.

Getting There

You will need to arrive in Pinedale, Wyoming by 5 p.m. the day before the start of the trip. Pinedale is at 7,000 feet, our beginning trailhead is at 9,100 feet, and our first camp is at 10,000 feet. Arriving a day or two before the trip will help you acclimatize. The nearest airport is Jackson, Wyoming, about 75 miles and a 90-minute drive from Pinedale. Salt Lake City, Utah, with more flights at lower cost, is about 235 miles and a 4.5-hour drive. In either case a rental car is necessary. Ride-sharing is strongly encouraged and a roster of trip members with their travel plans, driving directions, and a list of local accommodations will be sent well enough ahead of time to facilitate this.

We will meet at 5 p.m. the day before the official start of the trip to have an orientation, review packing suggestions, and eat dinner at a local restaurant. The outing begins at 8 a.m. on day one at the Great Outdoor Shop in Pinedale. We will be shuttled from here to the trailhead at Big Sandy Opening, and picked up on the final day at Green River Lakes and shuttled back to Pinedale. Participants should not book return flights until the day following the end of the trip.

Accommodations and Food

The trip price includes all meals from lunch on day one through lunch on the day eight, as well as use of group camping gear. We will prepare simple, lightweight, easy-to-prepare, good-tasting meals from dried and freeze-dried ingredients, using recipes tested on previous Sierra Club trips.  Vegetarian options are possible.  Any food allergies or limitations should be indicated to the leader as far in advance of the trip as possible. Participants will share cooking and clean-up activities with guidance as necessary from the trip staff.

Accommodations in Pinedale are not included in the trip.  Pinedale has numerous motels; the leaders will provide information and recommendations.

Trip Difficulty

This trip is rated strenuous. Expect daily hiking distances of 8-11 miles with up to 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Most of our route will be above 10,000 feet with our highest elevation at 11,120 feet and our highest camp around 10,400 feet. In addition, afternoon thunderstorms, all-day rain, and even snow can occur anytime in the Winds so good-quality raingear is essential. There are few bridges over streams and high elevation tundra and meadows tend to be soggy bogs, so expect to have wet boots. You will need to sustain a program of physical conditioning to carry a 40-pound pack under these conditions and the leader will provide suggestions for this. Proper preparation will enhance your wilderness experience. 

Expect daytime highs in the 70s and nights as low as freezing. Hiking poles are strongly recommended for difficult stream crossings and rough, steep, boulder-strewn terrain. 

Equipment and Clothing

A detailed equipment list will be provided. Participants must furnish their own personal camping equipment, including a backpack, a lightweight tent (should be shared), a sleeping bag rated to at least 20 degrees, sleeping pad, reliable raingear (including pack cover), layers of clothing comfortable between 30-75 degrees, and medium-weight (preferably leather), well-broken-in, waterproofed, lug-soled boots. Hiking poles are strongly recommended. Your personal backpack gear should be less than 25 pounds, and you are expected to carry up to 15 pounds of central commissary. Group commissary equipment will be provided.

References

• Beartooth Publishing: Wind River Range South &Wind River Range North Wind River Range. 
• USGS 7.5-Minute Topographic Maps: Big Sandy Opening; Mount Bonneville; Raid Lake; Halls Mountain; Horseshoe Lake; Fremont Peak South; Bridger Lakes; Gannett Peak; Squaretop Mountain; and Green River Lakes.

• Adkison, Ron, Hiking Wyoming's Wind River Range.
• Davis, Lora, Wyoming's Continental Divide Trail.
• Mitchell, Finis, Wind River Trails.

• Alliance for the Wild Rockies: www.wildrockiesalliance.org 

• The Wilderness Society:
  www.wilderness.org
  http://wilderness.org/blog/these-5-wilderness-areas-have-some-clearest-skies-america

• Sierra Club: www.sierraclub.org

• Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: https://y2y.net/work/where-by-region/greater-yellowstone-ecosystem

Conservation

While our trip will be in an area "permanently" protected by Congress, most of the wild lands in the West have no such legal protection. As a result, they are threatened by logging, oil and gas drilling, and off-road-vehicle use.  

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act will give wilderness protection to 18 million acres of wild land, from the Yellowstone area up through Montana and Idaho. The bill's primary objective is to protect this land from fragmentation and thereby allow plants and wildlife to migrate between the area's five ecosystems in patterns essential to maintain biodiversity. 

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem includes Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Park, the Wind River Range and the Gros Ventre Wilderness. The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a joint Canada-U.S.organization that connects and protects habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon, by a collaborative approach to large-landscape conservation. Y2Y unified vision is connecting and protecting habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon so people and nature can thrive. 

See what progress looks like -- protected land: https://y2y.net/vision/our-progress

We will have several evening discussions to provide you with some background on the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act and the Y2Y.