Wind river range mid sept.

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Bigmclargehuge

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Hello everyone, I'm in the initial stages of planning a trip to the wind river range in mid Sept. with 2 others(we are in our early 30s, pretty good shape, rock climbers, no experience in wind river). We will have 5...maybe 6 days. Our ideal general objectives/goals are epic views, few crowds, summiting a peak if time frame allows, and getting a little fly-fishing in. Might be asking a lot, but hey that's why I'm posting here. So I guess with that in mind I'm looking for any recommendations/advice on our best options. Recommendations on trail heads, destinations, etc... Something to give me an idea of what we can accomplish in our time frame and start plotting our route and itinerary and backup plans. Any help will be much appreciated!
 
Boulder Lake/Canyon > CDT > East Fork > Bonneville Lakes Basin > Lee Lake & Middle Fork Lakes > Halls Lake > Europe Canyon > Europe Peak > Golden Lakes > Angel Pass > Spider Lake > CDT > Back to Boulder Lake. That'll put you at 60 to 70 miles, sprinkled in with some fun off trail sections to navigate, get you on Europe Peak which you shouldn't have too much trouble being experienced rock climbers, keep you away from crowds, and certainly get you into some prime fishing zones. I could DM you a GPX track, but that'll cost you. ;)

Dang...now I might have to do this some day.
 
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Bigmclargehuge said:
Hello everyone, I'm in the initial stages of planning a trip to the wind river range in mid Sept. with 2 others(we are in our early 30s, pretty good shape, rock climbers, no experience in wind river). We will have 5...maybe 6 days. Our ideal general objectives/goals are epic views, few crowds, summiting a peak if time frame allows, and getting a little fly-fishing in. Might be asking a lot, but hey that's why I'm posting here. So I guess with that in mind I'm looking for any recommendations/advice on our best options. Recommendations on trail heads, destinations, etc... Something to give me an idea of what we can accomplish in our time frame and start plotting our route and itinerary and backup plans. Any help will be much appreciated!
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Honestly most of the range fits that description. Just spend as little time as possible on the trails between Elkhart Park and Titcomb Basin, as well as Big Sandy and the Cirque of the Towers, and you'll be good as far as crowds. Anything above the forest will have awesome views.
 
lol ...... mileage per day? Loop or end to end, off trail or on trail. The entire range fits what you want.
WasatchWill said:
Boulder Lake/Canyon > CDT > East Fork > Bonneville Lakes Basin > Lee Lake & Middle Fork Lakes > Halls Lake > Europe Canyon > Europe Peak > Golden Lakes > Angel Pass > Spider Lake > CDT > Back to Boulder Lake. That'll put you at 60 to 70 miles, sprinkled in with some fun off trail sections to navigate, get you on Europe Peak which you shouldn't have too much trouble being experienced rock climbers, keep you away from crowds, and certainly get you into some prime fishing zones. I could DM you a GPX track, but that'll cost you. ;)

Dang...now I might have to do this some day.
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LOL ....... you forgot some places. Everywhere has people lately...... except maybe Bear Basin area.....
 
Bigmclargehuge said:
Our ideal general objectives/goals are epic views, few crowds, summiting a peak if time frame allows, and getting a little fly-fishing in.
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So... the good news is that you can get all of this this almost anywhere in the Winds. There's a lot of amazing/epic trips others have done that are floating around the internet, but if you can find it so can anyone else. My suggestion - if you're comfortable - is take a look at some topos and see if you can find an objective that looks fun, but Google (and BackcountryPost.com) don't have much information. Then go try it out.

I will say that in mid-September you'll find a lot less people anywhere in the Winds - I didn't see a soul the entire length of the Glacier Trail last year. But I also once spent a very uncomfortable (and a little scary) night in the Cirque when a severe snowstorm surprised us the weekend after Labor Day.
 
Watch the weather close that time of year. Can be anything from perfect to blizzard.

Probably less people that time of year though.
 
WasatchWill said:
Boulder Lake/Canyon > CDT > East Fork > Bonneville Lakes Basin > Lee Lake & Middle Fork Lakes > Halls Lake > Europe Canyon > Europe Peak > Golden Lakes > Angel Pass > Spider Lake > CDT > Back to Boulder Lake. That'll put you at 60 to 70 miles, sprinkled in with some fun off trail sections to navigate, get you on Europe Peak which you shouldn't have too much trouble being experienced rock climbers, keep you away from crowds, and certainly get you into some prime fishing zones. I could DM you a GPX track, but that'll cost you. ;)

Dang...now I might have to do this some day.
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Great loop and relatively few people. I'd suggest using Scab Ck TH. Boulder Lake has a lot of old burn. Still a good climb from Scab Ck, but locals also prefer it.

Like @b.stark says, be prepared for anything. I'll be out there all of Sept. myself. Later half of month is noticeably cooler and higher chance of significant snow. Keep in mind if your route crosses the divide.
 
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