Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 26

Thread: Wind Rivers

  1. #1
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Tupelo, MS
    Posts
    11,108
    Images
    489

    Wind Rivers

    I am answering this question that came up on Cannibal's thread
    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=8399&page=19

    Thought I'd start a new thread so as not to Hijack.



    Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post

    There are a FEW areas that are less spectacular than others. So unless you are going to cover a good bit of distance along the divide, pick your areas carefully. But really it's all great. It's just that a few spots are less great than the rest.


    Quote Originally Posted by Walking Bear View Post
    What areas are the best? I have had it on my short list of places to hike for about four years now and still have not made it. I might have to find out when you are going in Sept and tag along.
    Wow, there are a lot of choices. But the number one sure fired (IMO) to get to the spectacular country the quickest is to go to Big Sandy trail head about 45 minutes(?) west of Pinedale, WY. Or west of Boulder, WY( even smaller town). Now a rough dirt road gets you to this trail head and from there very quickly into the heart of the range and the Continental Divide. Hence, it is very popular, and in the summertime very crowded at least by Wind River standards. Likely, you will park at a very crowded parking area/camp ground. Don't let that discourage you, you will actually see very few folks on the trail, and almost none after the 1st day of hiking. From where you park at about 9100 feet I think, about 6 miles and 500 feet up the trail you will arrive at Big Sandy Lake, and steep jagged peaks will rise about 2000-3000 feet straight up above you. This ( and nearby lake's like Clear Lake) will normally be the most crowded lake in the range. Often you can find good campsites, often you can't. Don't worry, just go 1/4 - 2 miles back down the river that drains this lake for endless campsites all to yourself.

    Or, last year in early Sept, it was a bit too crowded for us at Big Sandy. We took a chance and went 500 feet higher ( maybe a mile further?) to Clear Lake






    and had it all to ourselves for two days! And it was even more beautiful than Big sandy, and just gets better from there into Temple Basin. And the hanging was better than at Big Sandy.

    The next day hike north from Big Sandy Lake over Jack A*s Pass to the Cirque of the Towers at Lonesome Lake, mind blowing!

    I'll pick this up later, I've got to go eat at Cracker Barrel!
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 07-02-2009 at 22:29.

  2. #2
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Tupelo, MS
    Posts
    11,108
    Images
    489
    So, Walking Bear, that 1st post was a summary of the main hike in from a trailhead that quickly gets you to the high jagged peaks. That hike is along the Big Sandy River most of the way, which is beautiful in it's own right, and has unlimited opportunities for hanging. There are also a couple of un-named lakes that the river flows into before you get to Big Sandy Lake. You will have most of that stretch to yourself, and the river and lakes are all full of trout.

    Alternatively, starting from the same TH, about 1/2 mile down that trail, bear left, get on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and go a total of about 5.2 miles to Dad's lake. This is a beautiful spot, but showed signs of heavy use last time I was there. Or you can go about another 1.5 miles to Marm's Lake. Poor tent sites but fine for a hammock. At a total of about 8.5 miles if you bear right (East) you can go another 4 miles up the spectacular and beautiful Washaki Creek past Shadow and finally Texas Lake ( NO TREES HERE! Above timberline!). Try to time this so that you can then climb over Texas pass(south of Texas lake) and drop down again to the Cirque of the Towers and Lonesome Lake. Spend a day or two in this incredible U-shaped glacial cirque, at the 10000 foot lake surrounded by 13000 foot peaks.( Like Lizard Head, Pingora and WARBONNET!) Peaks rising straight up from the lake. Lot's of trees and nice camp sites from the lake for miles down the river. Then head south again oner that Jack A*s pass mentioned earlier back to Big Sandy Lake( a couple of miles but HARD traveling) and then 6 miles back to your car.

    Or, don't turn off of the CDT at Washaki Creek, but just keep north on the CDT. For 110 miles to the next paved road. You will stay at about 10000 feet with the Continental Divide's jagged 13000 ft. peaks a few miles to your right
    a few miles. It will be hundreds of lakes and streams, lot's of forest and lot's of above timberline, for 110 miles.

    So there you go. If you have never been to the Wind Rivers, the Big Sandy campground TH is a fine place to start, with many options for spectacular and beautiful hikes available. Above are 3 or 4 of many possibilities from this one trail head. But there are many other great trailheads, like Elkhart Park to the north and many eastern THs. But I don't think any of them get you into the heart of it any quicker or easier.

    I hope you get to make this trip someday!



    Last edited by BillyBob58; 07-02-2009 at 22:35.

  3. #3
    Senior Member pgibson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    SW Idaho
    Hammock
    AHE 1.1 dbl
    Tarp
    AHE Shangi La
    Insulation
    KAQ Prototype
    Suspension
    AHE Whoopie Slings
    Posts
    6,955
    Wow, Being only a hop and a skip from the winds my self, I have heard lots about them, talked with people I know that have been there to hike and climb, seen some pics, but never made the trip my self. BillyBob your pics are great. Now you have me wanting to make a trip out that way for a hike and some scrambling.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Paul

  4. #4
    Senior Member Walking Bear's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Fairbury NE
    Hammock
    DIY Bridge
    Tarp
    DIY 11x10
    Insulation
    DIY UQ & down bag
    Posts
    811
    Thanks for the great information. I will print this out and put it in the hiking file so that I can find it. Great photos and description.
    Do you fish when you are in the Wind Rivers area?

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Tupelo, MS
    Posts
    11,108
    Images
    489
    Quote Originally Posted by pgibson View Post
    Wow, Being only a hop and a skip from the winds my self, I have heard lots about them, talked with people I know that have been there to hike and climb, seen some pics, but never made the trip my self. BillyBob your pics are great. Now you have me wanting to make a trip out that way for a hike and some scrambling.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Paul
    You're welcome! But, close to you are those fantastic Sawtooth Mtns and, is it the Whiteclouds? Not to forget the Tetons right on the Idaho border. Still, the Winds are kind of unique!

  6. #6
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Tupelo, MS
    Posts
    11,108
    Images
    489
    Quote Originally Posted by Walking Bear View Post
    .....................................
    Do you fish when you are in the Wind Rivers area?
    Most times ( not all) trout fishing has been a big part of the trip. There is just something about wading one of those rivers or being on one of those lakes, pulling out a fat Cutthroat or Rainbow trout or other types of fish. While simultaneously being overwhelmed by a jagged peak, maybe with a little glacier on it, rising 3000 feet straight up from the shore line.

    And, it can make for a delicious break from boiled water food!

    I've got a couple of 30 sec videos that really tell the tale, but I can't figure out how to upload them. ( .MOV ). Even if I figure that out, one of them has the barely audible common word for Arse or buttocks in it, I believe. The text censor won't allow that, but in a video?

    Oh, I later figureed out how to pitch that tarp much tighter. But when this HH pic was taken, I was still suffering from severe altitude sickness and could just not figure the whole hammock/tarp thing out. None the less, I slept blissfully!
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 07-04-2009 at 16:14.

  7. #7
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Tupelo, MS
    Posts
    11,108
    Images
    489
    BTW, Brandon (WBG), that peak on the far left in the last pic is War Bonnet Peak! Rising above Lonesome Lake( in the pic) and Arrowhead lake.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    fort collins, co
    Posts
    4,648
    Images
    47
    Quote Originally Posted by BillyBob58 View Post
    BTW, Brandon (WBG), that peak on the far left in the last pic is War Bonnet Peak! Rising above Lonesome Lake( in the pic) and Arrowhead lake.
    ok, cool, i can see why they call it that, lonesome lake, i think that's where or near the place i wanted to check out, cirque of the towers: http://www.waltonsmountains.com/mtns/cot.html


    here's the warbonnet peak (in the idaho sawtooth) i got my name from
    http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/r...nnet-peak.html
    Last edited by warbonnetguy; 07-04-2009 at 10:15.

  9. #9
    Senior Member pgibson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    SW Idaho
    Hammock
    AHE 1.1 dbl
    Tarp
    AHE Shangi La
    Insulation
    KAQ Prototype
    Suspension
    AHE Whoopie Slings
    Posts
    6,955
    Yah The Sawtooths and the White Clouds are both only a little over an hour or two away from me (depends on traffic through Sun Valley) I am actually hopping to be able to make a trip into the Sawtooths in the next couple weeks. It has finally started to warm up here and some of the snow might finally be melting up there. BillyBob have you been able to hike up there before? It really is a great place and it is nice to have it so close but there are so many places that I would love to hike this thread has got me wanting to add the Winds to that list.

    Paul

  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    fort collins, co
    Posts
    4,648
    Images
    47
    paul, are you in Boise?

    my wife's family lives in Hailey, just south of sun valley, so i'm there a couple times a year

    the sawtooth's are pretty awesome. you should really get back to the warbonnet lakes area. you have to hike up and over a saddle (actually 2 adjacent saddles) (there's a faint climber trail) and the descent on the other side is basically sliding down a 200' scree slope, but it's friggin' awesome. a series of tiny cascading lakes starting at the top of a narrow cirque with big steep walls on both sides. very highly recomended. going up and over that saddle can be dangerous till after the snow melts (maybe later in july) unless you have some crampons and maybe an axe. it's just a short section, but if you fell, you'd slide untill you ran out of snow.

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. So who's hanging in the Wind Rivers WY tonight ?
      By BillyBob58 in forum General Hammock Talk
      Replies: 1
      Last Post: 11-16-2014, 23:30
    2. Wind vs Tarp/Hammock. Wind wins.
      By StumpJumper in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 42
      Last Post: 04-24-2014, 02:22
    3. JRB Hudson Rivers ...
      By d-p in forum [SOLD/WITHDRAWN] Items no longer available
      Replies: 2
      Last Post: 05-07-2011, 12:10

    Tags for this Thread

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •