Wind River Loop Backpacking Info

Doobie

Doobie

Member
Joined
May 21, 2024
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21
Hey everyone!
I’m planning a backpacking loop through the Wind River Range next week and would really appreciate your advice.

Looking for input on:
- Campsite recommendations (especially scenic or sheltered spots)
- Current trail and water crossing conditions (particularly above treeline)
- Wildlife concerns (bears, bugs, livestock, etc.)
- Weather expectations and gear prep (weather is looking perfect, but it will be my first time in the range)
- Any suggestions to improve or my itinerary

Thanks in advance for any insights you can share, I’m excited to get into the mountains and want to make sure I do it right!

I’ve mapped out my intended route here:
Click here to view on CalTopo
 
I would not camp at Dads Lake (too crowded), Marms Lake is pretty and seemed to have fewer people. This might not matter as much if it is not a weekend
Same for Lonesome Lake are in the Cirque
For your night 2 camp, you technically need a Reservation Permit if you camp where your marker is

I've only been in that area once, so I can't add much more.
 
wsp_scott said:
I would not camp at Dads Lake (too crowded), Marms Lake is pretty and seemed to have fewer people. This might not matter as much if it is not a weekend
Same for Lonesome Lake are in the Cirque
For your night 2 camp, you technically need a Reservation Permit if you camp where your marker is

I've only been in that area once, so I can't add much more.
Click to expand...
Thanks @wsp_scott for pointing out that I'd need a permit, must have map blindness as is see the note about the reservation line now. I'm assuming camping south of that line would be okay, right?

Also we'll be headed out midweek, so hopefully that will help with the crowds.
 
Nights 1,3-alt and 4 are overused. Dad's is ok for night 1 but don't camp where 90% do. Go on the far side. Skull can be reached on day 1, but that's getting overused too. Same with Valentine. Dutch Oven is a much better choice. Camp at the far end of Lizard Head Meadows. It's getting to be poop city where #4 is.

Weather is hot and dry. Need some rain. Need a good freeze to kill off bugs. Make sure you are acclimated.

Enjoy. Usually your first trip won't be your last. Headed out there myself next week. Year #30.
 
@OldBill, sounds like the crowds might be unavoidable. Still, after driving all that way, we don’t want to miss out on the Cirque. I like your suggestion of camping at the end of Lizard Head, definitely concerned about the water quality surrounding the Bowl.

Since we’ll be starting a bit later in the day, I’ve also been told we could camp at Meeks or V Lake the first night, then move on to Pyramid Lake the next day. From there, we could meet up with Hailey Pass on the north side of Pyramid Peak and head toward Dutch Oven Lake.
 
I just hiked out Big Sandy yesterday.
The area got a little smattering of storms yesterday and probably today, it looked like some storms moving down from the northern Winds, but they could have been weak.
It is really dry, especially showing down low.

Bugs were minimal. Down low, almost none. Middle altitudes, maybe 10-20 mosquitoes over 2 nights. At/near tree line, a little bit more bug pressure, but compared to last year and three years before that, it was heaven. Of course, it depends on area.

I would say 80% of the people we talked to on the way in and out were doing the shorter variation of that loop- Into Dad's/Marms, over Texas Pass and a night at the Cirque. Even on a Wednesday morning there were a few dozen groups going in. For sure, do not end up in the Cirque on a Friday-Sunday. Or stay over by Bear Lake and have a long day out, just pass through the Cirque.
I also say "Jackass pass is for Jackasses", your path west of Arrowhead is the right one.

Saturday, a lady we spoke to said she had counted over 100 tents in the Cirque, assumedly along the bench and in the rocks above Lonesome. Lonesome Lake is also reportedly unsafe, read the Article- Full of Poop .

Mt Hooker plunging into Baptiste is impressive. You might also want to consider East Fork or South Forks or Spearpoint.
Your first two days, until you get near Hailey pass might leave you less than impressed. If you can hike farther in the first day, maybe even to the meadows just before the Washakie creek crossing, you will have more time to enjoy some of the better goods. On the east of the meadow where Hailey and Shadow junction, there are some camping spots there among the white pines and the rocks.
Of course a late start makes it more difficult, but the days are still pretty long.
 
Sorry, the entire area you plotted is heavily used as far as the winds go. Number of people you will see can vary. Cirque is overrated and usually the most crowded.

Is is great country tho.
 
@Ugly, I really appreciate you sharing info on the recent storms, dryness, and bug pressure. I'm definitely looking into some of those other spots you recommended. Glad to hear the bugs aren’t bad this year compared to previous seasons.

@Jorey, I could be wrong, but from the way I’ve got my route mapped, I don’t believe I’ll be traveling through the reservation. I’ll double-check the map just to be sure. Appreciate the heads-up though, let me know if I'm missing something!

@Bob, I totally hear you, and I know it’s going to be busy, but I feel like it’s one of those places you’ve got to see at least once, right? I’m going in with realistic expectations and trying to make the most of it. :D
 
I agree, the very southern bay of Lake Baptiste is not on the reservation, there is a sign, or used to be, where the reservation starts. There is camping on the bench south of the lake as well.
I could be wrong, but that was how it was when we went 12 or 13 years ago.
 
Doobie said:
after driving all that way, we don’t want to miss out on the Cirque.
Click to expand...
When you're on the Bear's Ear and Lizard Head trails, you might find the Cirque anticlimactic. But, that's what social media posts most often. Led some first-timers over Texas last year and they were blown away.

Saw a griz run about 200' from our camp. A lot of people have been careless with their food.
 
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I hiked a variant of the WR High Route, the last day traveling from Pyramid Lake over Texas Pass and to Big Sandy. That area around Lonesome Lake feels like a campground, busy and heavily impacted. It was August 11th, a Thursday. I was glad I could breeze by. For non-climbers, the best view of the Cirque is from Texas Pass.
 
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