High Sierra Topix

I won't make it to the Sierra this year (planning solo JMT for 2009, though!), but we're going to a wedding in Laramie, WY, and I'm trying to arrange a very short (3-day) backpacking trip in the Wind Rivers. Current possible destinations are Titcomb Basin and the Cirque of Towers. I know both of these areas are quite heavily used, but the current advice I have is that Cirque of Towers, despite its immense popularity with climbers, is likely to be less thoroughly overrun because the trailhead is at the end of 40 miles of dirt ("Wyoming: Where the Pavement Ends and the West Begins," says the bumpersticker), while the Titcomb Basin trailhead is on a paved road just a few minutes from Pinedale.

Anybody on this board familiar enough with the Wind Rivers to give us advice? Maybe there's some place altogether different we can go? Requirements: lots of granite, preferably not too many people.

-B2

I had the good fortune to spend a week in the Wind River Range last summer. Titcomb Basin is really beautiful, absolutely one of the highlights of our trip. I wish we had been able to spend more time. We were definitely not alone but it still beats sitting here at my desk. Someday I hope to go back and see Cirque of the Towers.

Thanks, Dodgerbill. What time in the summer were you there?

-B2

Last week of July 2006. All of the write-ups that talk about mosquitos and horse flies are accurate. They have a beauty to rival the Sierra. Lots of granite and water, beautiful wildflowers.

I must've missed this post.

I’ve done the Wind River Range, but all I can offer is the photos. We went south to north in 12 days. We have some notes on the webpage.

Photos are on http://snow-nymph.com/MontWRR_index.htm , and scroll the second half of the page.

The Cirque of Towers was pretty cool, and similar the Sierra. I think we only saw boyscouts that first day, and they went farther than we did. We didn't see too many people til Island Lake, and some of the other entrances. Up North it got pretty busy. I liked the southern section. Pretty country!

Have fun!

Snowy, you do get around! I'm interpreting your comment to mean that there were fewer people (Boy Scouts though they may have been ) in the Cirque of Towers region than in the Titcomb Basin area (Island Lake). I think we're beginning to focus on The Cirque of Towers despite the 40-mile dirt-road trek -- everybody seems to think it's easily doable, even in a rented car. I'd hate the rental companies to know about some of the places I've seen their cars (for example at the end of a road in Canyonlands that made my Outback think twice ...).

Thanks!

-B2