Reading Time: 43 minutes Although Turquoise Lake looks beautiful on the maps, I found this hike fairly mundane. I was happy to be out and about, but I have no plans to return.
Reading Time: 51 minutes This hike is one for those who like solitude, stunning views, and horrible deadfall. Not for the easily lost, but I found one on it.
Reading Time: 11 minutes This has some of my favorite memories ever. It was my first overnight hike with my little daughter!
Reading Time: 20 minutes Jim Creek Lake avoids all the attention that the rest of the Wind River Range receives. Should it? And can you even get to the trailhead given the terrible roads in the area?
Reading Time: 32 minutes Hiking to Granite Lake! I liked this trip enough that I changed plans during it to save some lakes as leftovers for another time. That said, I think if I’d taken any friends with me, they would no longer be my friends. The good news is that I have like 0 friends, so it wasn’t a problem. I wonder why that is?
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Mill Iron Ranch has exceptional food and company. We’ll be back.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cheyenne, WY—John McCaye forgot for the second year in a row to change his profile picture on Veteran’s Day, and now he’s not getting the recognition that he deserves.
Reading Time: 7 minutes Paintbrush Pass is an easy hike for people who get lost easily but are in shape, and it offers stunning views of the Cathedral Group. Being in the Tetons, it’s always going to come with crowds.
Reading Time: 13 minutes Grizzly Lake offers some nice fall colors, but isn’t worth the hike in any season. A trip to the first pond on the hike might be worth it.
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: 16 minutes Jade Lakes, Rainbow Lake, and Upper and Lower Brooks Lakes are easily accessed and quite tame as a day or overnight hike. There are some important downsides to the area, however.
Reading Time: 11 minutes Lost Lake is a very short hike to a picturesque, colorful lake. It’s good for people who aren’t in shape, or for families with little children.
Reading Time: 2 minutes A lesser-used lake that’s a bit out of the way, but it still has nice views of the mountains.
Reading Time: 14 minutes What a blessing. The most value/mile of any short hike in the Winds or Cloud Peak Wilderness.
Reading Time: 4 minutes A quiet place with beautiful views in Grand Teton National Park? We were shocked to find out that such a thing exists.
Reading Time: 3 minutes The wreckage of United Flight 409 is an easy nature walk that most everyone should do!
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: 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: 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: 15 minutes 7 Brothers Lakes is what I’d consider an “average” hike, on par with Blue Lake in the Wind River Range. It’s a nice little walk if you’ve only got one evening to spend away from work.
Reading Time: 13 minutes This is a high-use trail to Lost Twin Lakes, but I had it all to myself for 2 days thanks to bad weather. I loved the fishing!
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: < 1 minute It’s estimated that roughly 30% of Montana’s population will die in the next two weeks from delirium tremens (DTs).