Trip Info
Date: Sep 2, 2024
Distance: ~40 miles of hiking
3 days / 2 nights
I have dreamed about making it out to Wyoming’s Wind River Range for many years and finally made it happen. On this trip I had 3 days to explore a tiny part of this range and chose to enter via Big Sandy Trailhead near Pinedale for this first visit. After much research I felt this section of the Winds had a bit of everything and would also let me scope out some peaks like Gannet I plan on climbing on future trips.
The Trip
The wind rivers did not disappoint and this first trek into this range left me enamored and ready to make a pilgrimage every year. The towering rugged peaks, glaciated terrain, and rugged and remote feelings checked all my boxes for what I want in a backcountry destination.
These mountains do take a decent amount of hiking through wooded terrain to get to the alpine majesty that makes this place so special. This extra distance and commitment to spending the night or doing marathon length day trips kept the crowds at bay and led to a more remote and pristine feeling than more accessible destinations.
I entered from what I believe is the most popular trailhead and stayed and explored one of the most popular areas so did see my fair share of people but by starting my trip in the middle of the week I still had my pick of campsites at the lake I used as my home base.
Day 1
This was my hike to my main camp/lake day and after an early start in the middle of the week I had the trails to myself until close to this lake. This day was about 12-13 miles and went smoothly and quickly. I will never forget breaking out of the trees and getting my first proper glimpse of the granite carved peaks and massive lakes I traveled all this way to find.
I wound up finding an incredible campsite where no one could camp near me that had amazing access to fishing and a perfect flat granite slab for enjoying my meals and some sunset views.
Day 2
This was my main exploring day and originally I was planning on climbing Wyoming’s third tallest peak but some picky golden trout distracted me from that goal as I neared the bottom of the climb. In retrospect the fishing was hard so I did miss standing atop one of the tallest peaks in Wyoming and seeing the Winds from above but the main lesson is that next trip I need more time so I don’t have to choose between peaks and fishing.
I wound up hiking around 14 miles around the Titcomb basin area and pretty thoroughly exploring this zone. I fished in each body of water I passed, scrambled up little hills and prominent rock formations to get new views and perspectives, and circumnavigated one lake to get off the main trail.
After a good amount of fishing on my way back to camp I arrived just in time to enjoy a well earned meal and some sunset views.
Day 3
This was supposed to be my second exploration day with moving camp back closer to the car for the next morning but I decided to head back out to the car on this day as I wanted to get home at a decent hour Sunday and any lake or place to camp within close striking distance of the parking lot didn't speak to me enough to warrant this extra night vs. just powering back to my waiting car equipped with comfy mattress and multiple pillows.
In retrospect I did lose a half day Saturday exploring the alpine and chasing golden trout which is a bummer but in the end this worked out as I was able to power home late Saturday night and have Sunday to unpack and get my life back together after such an incredible experience.
Driving home tonight was made easier by my unexpectedly fast descent, which allowed me to run many sections with my pack. With this newfound speed, I can camp farther away in the future and still reach the car at a reasonable hour. That’s great to know!
Fishing
This trip was meant as an introduction to the Winds but quickly became a fly-fishing focused trip as I was looking to catch a famous Wind River golden trout and also find some pristine cutthroat waters. Overall the fishing on this trip was incredible and I found everything I was after and more. I had on a 16-18” golden trout that would have been one of the most memorable fish of my life (I will be back for him), caught some smaller pure goldens, caught some large golden-rainbow hybrids that fought as well as any trout I’ve seen, and caught enough big cutthroat and cutbows to make any angler gush.
There was a lot of water in this area I still want to explore but for a first trip I found the lakes and locations that were best in this area and can’t wait to get back and put that knowledge to good use.
Gear
I got to try out some new gear on this trip and wanted to highlight some favorites
REI Flash Air 50L pack
This was a brand new pack for me and my first ever ultralight inspired pack. After a ton of research I wanted to buy the REI flash 55L but they were sold out so went with the more ultralight leaning cousin of this pack instead. I was loaded with around 30 pounds of gear that pushed this pack to its weight limit but even with this I was impressed with the performance of this pack.
I did wind up selling it as with my camera and fishing gear tend to have heavier pack weights than recommended for this pack and also somehow wound up buying the womens version (they are the same color and style) so it was a bit small for me.
Even with these issues pack carried well and the design and organization was great. If someone was more ultralight than me I would for sure recommend this when at sale price.
REI Magma quilt
I broke my quilt cherry on this trip with The REI Magma and loved the less constrictive feel and packability.
This is a 30F rated quilt and with lows in the 40s was a perfect temperature but the mornings got a bit chilly so think 30F would be pushing things with this quilt without extra layers
