Wind River - July 16-July 23. Looking for Feedback...

[raft_man]

Hey folks!

Long time lurking, first time poster.

I am mapping out a backpacking trip in the Winds for this July (16-23) and hoping to get some feedback from you folks. I was planning on going in early August, but it's looking like that week in July is the only time I'll be able to swing it this summer. I know it's a bit early, but I really want to get up into the alpine and spend some time exploring some new wilderness areas. I've never been to the Winds and am really excited to explore the area and hopefully land some Golden Trout. I've been doing a lot of research and reading a lot of the Pallister book. I have three ideas, all centering around 4-5 nights in the backcountry:

1. Up over Hays into Golden Trout Lakes (Out of Boulder creek)
2. Up into Cook/Wall/Titcomb and then circling around to Elbow (out of Elkhart)
3. Pyramid / Cirque Loop (with a side trip off trail to a lake I want to explore..)

Concerns -

Skeeters. Obviously. But I lived and worked in Maine (I did trail crew at Baxter State Park) and am very familiar with the multitudes of hell blackflies / noseeums/ skeeters can offer. Plus, from what I've read, after ice out is the best time for fishing, so it seems worth it to me.

Water & Snow - will the water crossings be too high that time of year? Will snow keep me from going over a place like Hays Pass if I decide to venture down into the Golden Lakes?

I'll be doing this trip solo as well. So, am I crazy? Should I go for it? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

- Michael

[Wandering Daisy]

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content ... gGuide.pdf

This fishing guide for the Bridger Wilderness may help you find lakes with golden trout. Is catching a golden trout your main objective, or just something that would be nice if it happened. There are tons of great fishing for cutthroat and rainbows that are very scenic.

I think you mean Golden Lakes, not Golden Trout Lakes. These lakes do not have the fishing potential they did in the past.

There have been a lot of trip reports posted the last two years. It would be informative to read them, plus they are fun to read.

Is there a reason you prefer not to enter from the east side? There is some good fishing you can access from trailheads just out of Lander, Wyo.

My favorite fishing area is the SFLW on the east side- Grave Lake, South Fork Lakes, Washakie Lake, etc. Lots of lakes that can be fished from a few base-camps. Access from Dickinson Park, or Washakie Pass from Big Sandy on the west. And of course, the Wind River Indian Reservation. Terrible road to St. Lawrence trailhead, but quickly into good fishing. You need a permit that covers fishing as well as entry to the reservation. No need for a Wyoming fishing license.

Solo OK. Be sure to carry bear spray and be very careful with food storage. I use a bear can although it is not required. Early season you will be wading creeks a lot so wading shoes are really nice. A PLB, like SPOT or In-Reach is highly recommended if solo. You will have mosquitoes and lingering snow patches. I find trekking poles a must with the creek crossings.

https://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/

This web site will help you follow the spring snowmelt.

[raft_man]

Thanks Wandering Daisy!

I've been scouring that site a lot mapping out which lakes to target. I really would like to land a Golden Trout.

I'll have a Garmin Inreach and trekking poles.

I was looking mostly at Elkhart/Boulder/Big Sandy because of the proximity to Pinedale. My plan would be to fly into SLC (I live in PA) and drive to Pinedale and then to the trailhead.

I guess I'll keep an eye on the snow through the next month before committing. I don't have much experience backpacking at that altitude with snow.

[Wandering Daisy]

I think your time frame may be a bit early for Elbow Lake. It is pretty stark and exposed up there. Not sure when the ice melts- it is a high elevation lake.

I caught but failed to land golden trout in Tommy Lake last year. The fish were not big but looked nice and fat. Supposedly golden in Upper Cook Lake where you can also day-hike to fish the lower end of Wall Lake. You could then go over Lester Pass (Tommy Lake is just south of the pass) and drop to the trail junction that goes up to Island Lake. It may be a bit early for the off-trail route via Wall-Island Pass which tends to have a snowfield on the Wall Lake side. If there are still snow patches on the shores of Wall Lake, it can be difficult to reach the inlet.

Both times I was at Pyramid Lake, it was mosquito hell. Never tried to fish it.

Edits-- I went back and looked at my trips that I did in the last half of July, and yes, there were mosquitoes, but no big issues with snow or frozen lakes except for the highest lake in Atlantic Canyon. Elbow Lake was open- I did not try to fish it. However, trips the first week or 10 days in July did have some frozen lakes. Unless this is an unusually cold spring and June, I do not think there will be many problems. The major streams will be high and some not easily crossed. Most of the crossings if you stay on trails are horse crossings, that will have to be waded but the streambed is usually relatively smooth. I think you will be fine.