Washakie Wilderness Trip Advice

[TeamJenkins17]

Just looking for some thoughts/advice on this route for my upcoming trip at the end of July. I originally had planned to start at Bonneville Pass and head out over the Buffalo Plateau to Marston Pass and drop down to Bliss Creek meadows and then up over Pierpont Pass and into Hidden basin, but after a lot of planning and ultimately what we hope to do and see on this trip I wanted to shorten it up a bit and spend more time in just a couple different places.

My thought now is to start out at Double Cabin and head up Frontier Creek and camp the first night near Cougar Creek. On day 2 we will hike up over Cougar Pass and drop down into Hidden Basin where I’m thinking about setting up a base camp for 2-3 days and getting up on the Shoshone Plateau and just explore as much of Hidden Basin as possible. On day 4 or 5 we’ll hike back up over Cougar Pass and set up camp on Frontier creek and then spend the next 1-2 days attempting to get up onto the plateau and find Devils Graveyard and walk the ridge up there over to Emerald lake.

I will be bringing my spotting scope to do some digiscoping in hopes of getting some great wildlife shots. This should be extremely prime grizzly habitat especially at that time of year while they’re searching for moths in the high country. There is also a healthy population of bighorn sheep and elk in that area and possibly the ever elusive mountain lion. Another big reason besides being incredibly beautiful country in there is the wildness factor, not many people get up to the Shoshone Plateau, Devils Graveyard or Hidden Basin for that matter so it should be people free haha.

Thanks for any thoughts you guys may have on this.

 

[Jackson]

I think @scoags and @Absarokanaut may have some experience in that area.

 

[scoags]

Hey @TeamJenkins17

I've never been in this particular area (but thanks for thinking of me @Jackson!), but I was looking around on google earth and it looks really nice! The Couger Creek side looks great. The view from the Shoshone Plateau should be outstanding.

The climb up to Devil's Graveyard looks very challenging. That upper part of that ravine looks burned on the satellite map, and the lower part looks pretty steep and canyon-y. If you can get up though, it looks really awesome and pretty good going to Emerald Lake.

On the other hand, if you were to go up to the head of Frontier Creek, you might be able to get up to the saddle between Emerald and Green Lakes. Once on the saddle you could come back to the Devil's Graveyard. Going down that ravine might be easier than going up, but at the same time it would be no good to get stuck there.

just my 2 cents.

Thanks for sharing your plans, that looks really fun.

 

[TeamJenkins17]

Hey @TeamJenkins17

I've never been in this particular area (but thanks for thinking of me @Jackson!), but I was looking around on google earth and it looks really nice! The Couger Creek side looks great. The view from the Shoshone Plateau should be outstanding.

The climb up to Devil's Graveyard looks very challenging. That upper part of that ravine looks burned on the satellite map, and the lower part looks pretty steep and canyon-y. If you can get up though, it looks really awesome and pretty good going to Emerald Lake.

On the other hand, if you were to go up to the head of Frontier Creek, you might be able to get up to the saddle between Emerald and Green Lakes. Once on the saddle you could come back to the Devil's Graveyard. Going down that ravine might be easier than going up, but at the same time it would be no good to get stuck there.

just my 2 cents.

Thanks for sharing your plans, that looks really fun.

@scoags thanks for the reply I really appreciate the info. I am definitely thinking the same as far as the Shoshone Plateau, I think the views should be spectacular. I’m really hoping to be able to get some good grizzly bear footage (from a distance of course haha) while in that Hidden Basin area.

The 1960 forest service map does show an old outfitters trail going up to Devils Graveyard and I was able to find some info from several years ago where a couple guys did make it up there and actually found portions of that pack trail that was still in good condition surprisingly. Like you mentioned though if it does become any kind of sketchy my plan will be to head up the Frontier Creek drainage and just climb up to Green Lake, I believe there is a semi maintained pack trail up to that point at least. Either way it’ll be brutal to say the least but to me that wildness factor is the draw.

Thanks again and I hope to be posting an absolutely epic trip report come mid August.

Here is a screenshot of that pack trail heading up to Devils Graveyard

 

[TeamJenkins17]

@scoags thanks for the reply I really appreciate the info. I am definitely thinking the same as far as the Shoshone Plateau, I think the views should be spectacular. I’m really hoping to be able to get some good grizzly bear footage (from a distance of course haha) while in that Hidden Basin area.

The 1960 forest service map does show an old outfitters trail going up to Devils Graveyard and I was able to find some info from several years ago where a couple guys did make it up there and actually found portions of that pack trail that was still in good condition surprisingly. Like you mentioned though if it does become any kind of sketchy my plan will be to head up the Frontier Creek drainage and just climb up to Green Lake, I believe there is a semi maintained pack trail up to that point at least. Either way it’ll be brutal to say the least but to me that wildness factor is the draw.

Thanks again and I hope to be posting an absolutely epic trip report come mid August.

Here is a screenshot of that pack trail heading up to Devils Graveyard

 

[TeamJenkins17]

Here is a trip report I found on Summit Post for Devils Graveyard. Pretty spectacular.

Devils Graveyard : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

Devils Graveyard : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering

www.summitpost.org

 

[Bob]

Dont count on "old trails" nowdays with no $$ a lot of trails have disappeared

 

[TeamJenkins17]

Dont count on "old trails" nowdays with no $$ a lot of trails have disappeared

@Bob sadly you are correct.

 

[Georgia Yankee]

Sounds like a great trip. If you could manage a shuttle you could also start by heading up through Five Pockets. It's beautiful up there. It's not too bad of an off-trail route over to Hidden Basin via Hidden Pocket. Then come out at Double Cabin. Or the other way, of course. There's a not-so-well publicized trailhead for Five Pockets I can show you if you send me a personal message.

 

[TeamJenkins17]

Sounds like a great trip. If you could manage a shuttle you could also start by heading up through Five Pockets. It's beautiful up there. It's not too bad of an off-trail route over to Hidden Basin via Hidden Pocket. Then come out at Double Cabin. Or the other way, of course. There's a not-so-well publicized trailhead for Five Pockets I can show you if you send me a personal message.

@Georgia Yankee thank you, I will PM you now. I have looked pretty extensively at the Five Pockets area as well and have considered that as a great option.

 

[OldBill]

Five Pockets is one of the most spectacular meadows I've seen. Used to reach it by horseback from the old T-Cross Ranch. Close to where Osborne Russell describes an account of his mountain man brigade being a bit lost and finally crossing over to the Shoshone R. Tried to hike into it a few years ago but Parque Ck Rd was closed to all but ATVs. TH at Horse Ck was too far for a day hike. Sounds like there may be a better entry point. At the same time, 2 trails out of Double Cabin CG had warnings of bears on carcasses. Picture from the web. All mine are still on 35mm slides

 

[TeamJenkins17]

Five Pockets is one of the most spectacular meadows I've seen. Used to reach it by horseback from the old T-Cross Ranch. Close to where Osborne Russell describes an account of his mountain man brigade being a bit lost and finally crossing over to the Shoshone R. Tried to hike into it a few years ago but Parque Ck Rd was closed to all but ATVs. TH at Horse Ck was too far for a day hike. Sounds like there may be a better entry point. At the same time, 2 trails out of Double Cabin CG had warnings of bears on carcasses. Picture from the web. All mine are still on 35mm slides
View attachment 109108

Parque was open last August, I was up there in the truck. Frontier Creek trail had a sign up 2 years ago for bear activity, but was only closed for about 6 days. There’s a free range cattle herd up there and a cow had fallen and died and there was a grizzly on the carcass, but once he ate his fill he was back to traveling haha. We spend a few weeks a year up at Double Cabin in both the summer and get up that way in the winters some as well on snow machine, it’s an incredible place.

We will be starting this trip from the Frontier Creek TH at Double Cabin and hike up to the confluence of Cougar Creek and Frontier and camp there for night 1, day 2 we will be heading over Cougar Pass and dropping down into Hidden Basin, we will spend at least 2 nights in Hidden Basin taking one day to hike up onto the Shoshone Plateau and another to hike up to the pass between Hidden Basin and Hidden Pocket, day 4 or 5 will be heading back to Frontier Creek to where we camped on night one for two days to first climb to Devils Graveyard and the next day to the upper Frontier Creek basin and up to the pass for Emerald Lake and possibly peak 12025, then another night on Frontier and back to Double Cabin.

 

[Absarokanaut]

Say hi to the petrified forest for me!

I have seen several grizzlies on Frontier Creek. If you're fishing make sure you stay aware. Pierpont is SCARY on a horse.

 

[TeamJenkins17]

Say hi to the petrified forest for me!

I have seen several grizzlies on Frontier Creek. If you're fishing make sure you stay aware. Pierpont is SCARY on a horse.

@Absarokanaut last year we had some friends meet us at Double Cabin that wanted to do some fishing and hiking and I saw the largest grizzly track I’d ever seen before in the meadows below Coffman Butte. There’s definitely some big boys back in there, great habitat and tons of fish, vegetation, roots and most definitely moths up high. I’ve found though that as long as you’re not hiking like a ninja, keep a clean camp and store food properly etc. you’ll never have problems. We carry bear spray and a sidearm just to be safe and know how to use both very well. My wife is a police officer so she doesn’t leave home without it haha. This year we’re bringing our German Shepherd, he loves hiking and though we’ve never had him on a trip of this caliber his keen awareness will help at least me get some sleep at night, I’m usually up all night in grizzly country listening to every noise lol.

 

[TeamJenkins17]

Say hi to the petrified forest for me!

I have seen several grizzlies on Frontier Creek. If you're fishing make sure you stay aware. Pierpont is SCARY on a horse.

@Absarokanaut i couldn’t even imagine Pierpont on a horse Pacific Creek and Mink Creek were enough for me haha.

 

[TheMountainRabbit]

I swear I could slather myself in elk blood and not find a grizzly out there... maybe I'll have better luck this year.

 

[TeamJenkins17]

I swear I could slather myself in elk blood and not find a grizzly out there... maybe I'll have better luck this year.

@TheMountainRabbit lol spot on!! I have seen sign everywhere but they’re so elusive and the fact they don’t want to see us anymore than we do them and the country out there is just so enormous it’s just pure luck running into them. Once we’re in Hidden Basin I plan to get up early with the spotting scope to set up and hopefully see some bears and other wildlife. If the weather stays good and there’s no storms I may sit up on the Shoshone Plateau with the scope as I’m sure from there I’d certainly see some rock flipping for moths in the afternoons.

 

[Georgia Yankee]

Five Pockets is one of the most spectacular meadows I've seen. Used to reach it by horseback from the old T-Cross Ranch. Close to where Osborne Russell describes an account of his mountain man brigade being a bit lost and finally crossing over to the Shoshone R. Tried to hike into it a few years ago but Parque Ck Rd was closed to all but ATVs. TH at Horse Ck was too far for a day hike. Sounds like there may be a better entry point. At the same time, 2 trails out of Double Cabin CG had warnings of bears on carcasses. Picture from the web. All mine are still on 35mm slides
View attachment 109108

Parque Creek was the trailhead I was thinking of. It's great as long as the road is passable...