Disclaimer: Both the weather pattern and the altitude can impact a hike in this region. If you plan to hike any part of the Wind River Range, then be prepared with gear for both cold and rain. Also, ensure your hiking plan includes time for altitude acclimation as well as back-out plans if you start to feel ill.

The Wind River Range in Wyoming is a true wilderness. The only way to see this beautiful area is to hike or mount a horse, as no roads lead into the mountain range. We donned our backpacks with our dear friend, Anandhi, and spent a few days on the trail. Most of this post will be pictures from our trip, so if you don’t like mountains, glaciers or clear blue lakes, then you can feel free to skip this one! Otherwise, enjoy!

On Wednesday, September 1st, we met Anandhi at the Jackson Hole Airport. We grabbed lunch in Jackson and secured paper copies of Wind River trail maps before driving to Big Sandy Lodge (near Boulder, Wyoming) to start our trip.

Big Sandy Lodge will forever be on my ‘to visit’ list when we return to this region. We had a small cabin (no electricity, no running water, and heat from a wood burning stove). As part of our accommodations, we received a delicious family-style dinner (pork chops, squash, green beans and cheesecake), breakfast (eggs, bacon and fruit), as well as a packed lunch for the trail. The lodge sits on Mud Lake and the owners keep horses for guided trips as well as to resupply hikers on the trail. It was a comfortable, well-run family business and I would have liked to spend another day here simply to enjoy the view and food. But, alas, we had mountains to explore!

Day 1: Big Sandy Lodge to Marms Lake

Distance: 7.1 miles

Elevation Range: 9,096 feet to 9,977 feet

We started the day will full bellies and loaded backpacks ready for 6 days on the trail! After hiking around Mud Lake and a bit on the Diamond Lake trail, we spent the majority of the day hiking on the Fremont Trail (part of the Continental Divide Trail). The hike was relatively easy with minimal elevation change and we were all excited to head into the mountains!

We had planned to stop for camp at Dads Lake (with a possible side trip to Donalds Lake); however, we heard the trail to Donalds Lake was impassible. Instead, we lunched at Dads Lake and continued forward to Marms Lake for the night. We reached Marms in mid-afternoon and enjoyed the lake views while setting up camp. The wind picked up just before dinner and the storm clouds rolled in. Mark quickly erected our tarp and the 3 of us sat under the shelter on our bear canisters for several hours, eating dinner and chatting, until the rain let up and we scrambled to our tents for the night.

When the rain finally stopped the next morning (around 9:30 AM), we broke camp and headed for our next destination!

(Click on any picture below to open the gallery and read the captions)

Day 2: Marms Lake to Mae’s Lake (with a side trip to Pyramid Lake)

Distance: 8.7 miles

Elevation Range: 9,899 feet to 10,634 feet

Although the sky was cloudy, this hike was beautiful for the entire day. We had planned a short acclimation hiking day with a side trip (dependent on how we were all feeling). During our dinner at Big Sandy Lodge, we spoke with some men (from Atlanta) who recommended hiking past Pyramid Lake and heading west for an exceptional view. They didn’t reveal what we would see – only that we would be delighted.

From Marms Lake, we hiked 5 miles and set up camp at Mae’s Lake. With much lighter packs, we hiked an additional 1.75 miles (give or take) to Pyramid Lake and an overlook of the East Fork River Basin. The sun shone directly on the mountains and resulted in the pictures being a bit washed out. But, the men were right in that the view was mesmerizing and we were thrilled with this side trip!

As we hiked back to camp, a coyote silently ran past us. It was incredible because if Anandhi hadn’t seen the coyote out of the corner of her eye, then we would never have known he was there. He came up from behind and scampered ahead toward Pyramid Lake as we all stood in amazement. We all watched quietly as he ran around the perimeter of the lake scouting for his dinner.

The air cooled considerably once the sun went down and we were snug in our tents by 8:00 to rest up for another great day in the mountains!

Day 3: Mae’s Lake to Grave Lake (with a side hike to Baptiste Lake)

Distance: 9.25 miles

Elevation Range: 9,994 to 11,160 feet

The temperatures had dipped into the 20s and it was our coldest night on the trail. We slept in our hats and jackets, kept our water filters close (to prevent freezing), and woke up to frost. Once we all thawed and had warm coffee, then we hit the trail for another gorgeous day.

We started our day by hiking up and over Hailey Pass (elevation 11,160 feet). The ascent to the pass was long and gradual; however, the trail became quite steep once we crested the pass and headed down the mountain. This was the first time that we saw snow near the trail and we came across some ice from the prior night.

After hiking a bit over 3 miles, we arrived at a trail junction to Baptiste Lake. The hike to Baptiste Lake was 1.5 miles and the area was stunning. Again, we had a tip from other hikers to look around, enjoy the view and expect a surprise. The ground was covered with blueberry plants (with ripe blueberries!) and the lake was bright blue and clear. To the east of the lake was a trail which led to an overlook of Mount Hooker and the Hooker Glacier! Truly a surprise!

We continued on the Hailey Pass trail to Grave Lake, where we pitched camp and stayed for the night.

Day 4: Grave Lake to Valentine Lake (with a side trip to South Fork Lake)

Distance: 7.5 miles

Elevation Range: 9,927 to 10,700 feet

We hiked along the Bears Ears Trail to Valentine Lake. The trail was beautiful and we saw some nice waterfalls. Once we reached Valentine Lake, we set up camp and headed off for another epic side trip. The South Forks Lake Trail was relatively flat and ended at South Forks Lake with a view of Camels Hump and the Camels Hump Glacier.

Day 5: Valentine Lake to Lonesome Lake

Distance: 9.85 miles

Elevation Range: 10,010 to 11,862 feet

We continued to follow the Bears Ears Trail east until we hit the Lizard Head Trail. The Lizard Head Trail was 5.5 miles hiking across a mountain ridge over 11,000 feet. It was dry, hot and windy and we were all sunburned coming off of the mountain. It was a long slog, but highlights of the day included seeing an ice field up close and several pika scurrying in the rocks!

Once at camp, we talked about other possible trail names and came up with: ‘Best. Trail. Ever.’, ‘The Windy Trail’, and the ‘Bring Your Sunscreen Trail’! I think they named the trail ‘Lizard Head’ because my face felt dry enough to develop scales!

When we arrived at a creek east of Lonesome Lake to camp for the night, we were surrounded by mountains. The morning of Day 6 will have us standing in the Cirque of the Towers. Both the sunset and the sunrise were beautiful and we listened to bugling elk all night. You can watch Mark’s time-lapse of the sunrise here.

Day 6: Cirque of the Towers to Big Sandy

Distance: 9.7 miles

Elevation Range: 9,088 to 10,790 feet

After watching sunrise, we hurriedly hiked to Lonesome Lake, which sits in the heart of the Cirque of the Towers within the Wind River Range. When standing at Lonesome Lake, we were surrounded by fifteen 12,000′ mountain peaks. It was beautiful and dizzying at the same time. We spent a lot of time absorbing the view in this magical space.

Our morning hike took us over Jackass Pass (elevation 10,790′), which offered beautiful views of the mountains.

We had anticipated a relatively easy, downhill day but were met with a few surprises. After Jackass Pass, we came to an overlook of Arrowhead Lake. There was visibly a path that went up and around the lake as well as a path that followed the lake. Both our electronic and paper maps showed that the trails connected at the other end of the lake, so we decided to take the ‘low route’. We scrambled over boulders and questioned our decision for the next .5 miles. At the end of the boulders was a sign reading ‘Climbers Route’; apparently the hikers route was high road! Whoops! A solid reminder that, when given a choice, always take the high road!

After the boulder scramble, we all thought things were sure to get easier. We were less than 3 miles from the end of the trail when we encountered serious tree blow downs. The downed trees were worse than what we encountered on our High Country Pathway trip! The trail was covered with debris and marked by pink plastic ties in the remaining trees.

The last day was full of adventure but we were all still smiling and happy and ready for more time on the trail! After returning to Big Sandy Lodge, we drove to Pinedale, Wyoming to enjoy a few days in the Titcomb Basin (post coming soon!).

I would be remiss if I didn’t provide credit to both Anandhi and Mark for their amazing pictures! The scenery was vast and beautiful and they both documented our trip wonderfully.

In total, we hiked over 52 miles with an elevation change of over 2,700 feet. We slept two nights above 10,000 feet in elevation. We were fortunate to have picture-perfect weather and we all avoided adverse reaction to the high altitude on this adventure.

To summarize our route and the trails we took:

• Start at Big Sandy Lodge in Boulder, Wyoming
• Mud Lake Trail to
• Diamond Lake Trail (also known as the V Lake Trail) to
• Fremont Trail (Continental Divide Trail) to
• Pyramid Lake Trail to
• Hailey Pass Trail to
  • Baptiste Lake (side trip)
• Bears Ears Trail to
  • South Fork Lake Trail (side trip)
• Lizard Head Trail (also know as the ‘Bring Your Sunscreen’ Trail) to
• North Fork Trail to
• Big Sandy Pass Trail (also known as the Jackass Pass Trail) to
• Diamond Lake Trail (V Lake Trail) to
• Mud Lake Trail to
• Big Sandy Lodge

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