Reading Time: 28 minutes Simpson Lake holds a great deal of value: the walk is easy, the fish are plentiful, and the people aren’t to be found. It also has some fantastic history and decent scenery.
Reading Time: 14 minutes What a blessing. The most value/mile of any short hike in the Winds or Cloud Peak Wilderness.
Reading Time: 6 minutes Upper Silas Lake is one of the few hikes in the Winds that can be an honest, easy day-hike. You won’t be rewarded with staggering scenery, but it’s better than being stuck in town, and the fishing is still fun!
Reading Time: 9 minutes Little Sandy Lake is an adventure, but is it a good one? The road to the trailhead doesn’t want you to know the answer to that question.
Reading Time: 16 minutes Pyramid Lake was rumored to have golden trout, so we decided to tackle it and look at the Hooker, too.
Reading Time: 6 minutes Donald Lake has excellent fishing for brookies and is a very low-use area of the Wind River Range. It’s also one of the easiest hikes you can do and only has a low number of miles. Most people looking for a hike of this distance will probably want to do this as an overnight hike in order to maximize time at this picturesque lake.
Reading Time: 7 minutes This short hike is great if you want to be in the Big Sandy area without the Big Sandy crowds. I describe the best way to access it, which is not via trail 116.
Reading Time: 11 minutes Visiting the Cirque of the Towers in the fall is a real pleasure, since all the bugs and instagrammers are gone! I had it all to myself.
Reading Time: 11 minutes Temple Basin is probably the easiest hike in the Winds for an overnight, and it’s also one of the downright prettiest!
Reading Time: 34 minutes This hike features stunning scenery and incredible history, but I have suggestions on how you can make it far more worthwhile. My favorite part is the crashed B24 bomber.
Reading Time: 15 minutes I didn’t like this hike. It’s long, winding, not made for easy walking, exposed to the sun, dusty, arid, and with terrible views. Its only redeeming feature is the fishing (maybe), which went poorly for me. I didn’t HATE it, which implies actively wishing it to never exist, but I’d certainly never do it again, and you shouldn’t do it in the first place.
Reading Time: 7 minutes Green River Lakes Campground is over an hour from Pinedale, Wyoming, on a dirt road, and features semi-improved camping locations both for reservation and for first-come, first serve. It has incredible views of Squaretop Mountain, and many people use the Green River trailhead to hike the Wind River Range. The only hike I recommend out of Green River, however, is Slide Lake. For kayaking to Upper Green River Lake, see…
Reading Time: 45 minutes This hike to Middle Fork and Sonnicant Lake basins features the prettiest scenery I’ve ever encountered. You’ll find numerous lakes, an altiplano, fishing, and rugged mountains, plus an unusual summit.
Reading Time: 20 minutes 15 miles, 6 lakes, and some nice views. Is the hike to Lake Gadsby worth it? This is one where I was left very conflicted.
Reading Time: 8 minutes Reviews of Long Lake Trail, Half Moon Campground, and Soda Lake, Wyoming. All are located near Pinedale, Wyoming.
Reading Time: 9 minutes Blue Lake is an off-trail lake that is mostly ignored by the large crowds that use the Big Sandy trailhead. It’s easy to access and has nice fishing for brook trout. While it has great areas to camp, it can also be done as an easy day hike. ➻ Quick Facts —Date of Visit: 17 Oct 2019 —Notable Features: Big Sandy River, Big Sandy Lake; Blue Lake —Total Miles: ~11.6…
Reading Time: 3 minutes Be careful of who you choose to be your “in-group,” and try to keep folks around who will give you those little nudges in the right ethical direction.