Follow it 7.1 miles, turn left at a fork. Indepth News about Wyoming People, Places & Policy. True happiness in the Cirque of the Towers. From Hall's Lake, travel west under the shadow of Horseshoe Ridge and north of Medina Mountain to Lake 10,542 (EC Lake) in Europe Canyon. “I’m not going to tell you where Flying Monkey is,” he said at the outset — and then went on to confirm the lake’s five-star qualities. This July, we had planned to explore the area around a backcountry lake that has stunning views of some of the biggest peaks and glaciers in the Winds, and a couple of cached canoes. I found myself envying her gig. _The Smith Creek Lakes and Cathedral Lake are accessed by either traveling directly east off-trail to Mendarrin Lake from the Lizard Head trail, or by wrapping east and north around the Lizard Head Plateau on trails from the Cirque of the Towers. You end up where Palister calls "Shangri-La." Go south up the glacier to the top of Indian Pass. Also, this section is described in Pallister's book. Got a chance to visit the western fringes of the range in 1980 which was great but it only served to whet my appetite. I saw maybe five people on my way to the Cirque from the Big Sandy Lake (Big Sandy Trailhead to Big Sandy Lake is a different story). He only had 24 days left. _Bonneville Basin can be reached by two different ways. Each side has only a handful of access points, towns with amenities and major trailheads. The Wind River Mountains stretch for 100 miles north to south and are dotted with hundreds of alpine lakes and miles of tumbling mountain streams, all teeming with fish. We played rock, paper, scissors to see who got the first cast. From the peak, descend west to the saddle, and northeast down the valley (cirque) to a group of lakes, one of which is Windy Lake. Goldens are brilliantly colored, discerning to the point of being maddening, and one of the very few sub-species of trout with enough fight to leave your biceps sore. The route down the glacier is detailed in Pallister's book, and unless you are slightly crazy, you should plan to carry some form of light crampons and an ice axe. But once the boxes were out of the U-Haul, they sat around for awhile: I left for a weeklong trip in the Winds the next day. We were on a mission to get to this lake just after ice-out, when the enormous but often-evasive goldens allegedly rise from the lake’s depths. In a range renowned for its incredible peaks-to-people ratio, we’ve scouted the loneliest route of all, in a swath of wild country where lakes sparkle in deep, granite-walled valleys hard up against the rock and ice of the Continental Divide. Kapow! This mountain setting delivers an array of activities, including horseback riding, snowmobiling and hiking. However, for the most scenic, most direct and aesthetic route, walk on trail down Indian Basin and to Upper Titcomb Basin. … Walker River. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports. Atlantic Peak is the southernmost 12er in the Wind Rivers (and really the southernmost mountain of any note): the perfect place to start a comprehensive south-north traverse of the range. Although they are imports from California, golden trout are among Wyoming’s wildlife gems. We have reviews of the best places to see in Lake Havasu City. On Lizard Head Plateau. The Wind River Range Traverse (WRRT) is the finest non-technical alpine backpacking route in the lower 48 states. Everest!! It follows the crest of the Wind River Range in Wyoming, both off-trail and on-trail, for approximately 135 miles, giving special emphasis on staying close to the Continental Divide in the most scenic alpine areas. Indeed, the time where one can write a guidebook without ever leaving home is upon us! We soon realized that … He stopped suddenly, turning back toward us with wild eyes. When Roger and I weren’t on the phone talking about lakes in the deepest reaches of the Winds, Susan and I were often sitting on the deck of a rental house we shared with two other people, grappling with a more-pedestrian question: what to do with our lives. I noticed that most routes follow the lower highline trail, or skip the many magnificent areas including Stough Creek Lakes, Deep Lake Cirque, Grave Lake Cirque, North Fork Cirque (on the Wind River Indian Reservation), the Brown Cliffs, Scott Lake, and Bear Basin. View Wind River Range Traverse Image Gallery - 1 Images. 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