High Sierra Topix

Since we had never hiked from the New Fork Trail Head before, we picked this area for our third and final Wind River Trip during 2024. The route would take us close to Titcomb Basin which we had visited in 2020. Compass had previously visited Summit Lake in 2003.

Day 1 – August 20, 2024 – New Fork Trail Head to New Fork Park

The first miles of the trail were uphill and in the direct sun, so we broke out the sunbrellas. The sunbrellas helped, but we were still hot. We eventually hiked to trees and shade along New Fork River. We passed three day-tripping horse riders enjoying a picnic lunch that included cold beer! New Fork River was lovely and clear. After two cooling crossings of New Fork River, we arrived in New Fork Park and looked for a campsite. We found an established site in the upper end of the park and set up our tent. After dinner we sat looking at a tall cliff face to the east. Something tiny and shiny caught our eyes, and we watched it rise slowly up the cliff face and out of sight. We finally figured out that we had seen a mylar balloon in flight. We saw at least 10 spruce grouse along the trail in New Fork Park. During the night, we got up for a bathroom break and surprised two porcupines and a deer. The deer raced off, and the porcupines waddled away. The super blue moon rose over the mountains. A few sprinkles hit our tent and lightening flashed in the distance.

Sunbrellas Helped on a Warm Day Near New Fork Lake

Crossing New Fork River

Day 2 – August 21, 2024 – New Fork Park to Clark Lake

We climbed out of New Fork Park on a nicely graded trail with many switchbacks. It really was one of the best maintained trails that we’ve ever hiked on in the Winds, and we enjoyed the heck out of hiking this section of trail. The trail took us along steep New Fork Canyon. Eventually, we reached a pass and beautiful Lake Kenny. Kenny Lake reminded us of Island Lake near Titcomb Basin, but with no other people or tents. We left Lake Kenny, dropped down to another lake, then climbed to another pass where we could see the continental divide to our east. We had thought about hiking to Hidden Lakes, but the wind was blowing hard, and we were afraid of being up at Hidden Lakes with no protection from the wind. We continued down the trail to Clark Lake and found a campsite with trees to block the wind. Our dinner spot near the lake gave us good views of the high peaks of the divide to the east. So far, we are two for two on this trip having dinner without rain!

New Fork Park

View South Down New Fork Canyon

Kenny Lake

Clark Lake and Distant Divide Peaks

Clark Lake

Day 3 – August 22, 2024 – Clark Lake to Peak Lake

We set out at a leisurely pace and headed down hill towards the junction with the Highline Trail. When we arrived at the trail junction, we met a group of women backpackers from Alaska who were taking a break. After a few minutes, we said to one of the women, “Hey, didn’t we meet you down in Stough Basin a couple of weeks ago? Weren’t you the Alaska hiker with the baby yak group?” Yes, it was her. She was finishing up a 10-day Highline Trail thru hike along with several Homer, Alaska friends. We were amazed that we bumped into the Alaska hiker at this trail junction! We continued south on the Highline Trail for a short distance and then turned east on the Vista Pass Trail. We climbed up to Vista Pass and then down into a green, wooded valley. The trail turned upwards again as we continued towards Cube Rock Pass. The trail was well maintained and easy to follow, until it wasn’t. The trail disappeared into a big talus pile. We found ourselves lost among chunks of talus with no trail in sight. Someone had placed a few cairns, but they led to nothing. We were adrift in talus hell for nearly an hour. The talus was big (car-sized to refrigerator-sized) and not super stable. Was this a landslide? The trail seemed to be obliterated. We cursed and scrambled, looking for a way through. We eventually looked up the steep slope and thought we saw a possible trail above the talus. We scrambled up hill and found a faint use-trail that led back to the real trail. Phew, we were glad to be out of the sketchy talus. We made it to Peak Lake at 4 p.m. The view from our campsite was stunning, and we felt about as big as small gnats in this giant landscape. This area truly is the headwaters of the Green River. An ermine visited our campsite. In the distance, clouds filled in over Knapsack Col, but stars shone everywhere else. Wind rattled our tent early, then quieted during the night.


Smoke And Clouds From A Distant Wildfire

Looking Back At Talus Hell On The Cube Rock Pass Trail

Stroud Peak and Shannon Pass

Sulphur Peak, Stroud Peak, and Peak Lake


Day 4 – August 23, 2024 – Peak Lake to Lower Jean Lake

First light shone through Knapsack Col. When we were making breakfast, the little ermine visited us again but left when no food was offered. Before leaving the Peak Lake area, we took a short hike north and glimpsed Stonehammer Lake. Then, we took the lovely Shannon Pass Trail to the south. The trail was easy to follow and in good condition. At the top of the pass, the trail undulated up and down, crossing a plateau. The sky began to look gray and stormy. The Shannon Pass Trail intersected the Highline Trail, and we continued south on the Highline Trail. We talked with a SOBO CDT thru hiker who told us that the forecast was calling for snow within couple of days. We continued towards the “Jean” lakes and began searching for a campsite just north of Lower Jean Lake. We found a protected site amongst the krumholz that just barely fit our tent. After a short hike to view Lower Jean Lake, we hustled back to our tent as a storm bore down. Rain and hail pelted our tent and thunder rumbled while we napped. After a short, sunny break, another storm hit. At 6 p.m., there was a break in the clouds, so we scrambled to make dinner. While we were eating, the clouds thickened again, and we heard thunder coming our way. We ate quickly, stashed our bear cans, and raced for the tent just in time for the hail to pelt our tent again. We think that we might have seen a pine marten earlier today.

An Ermine Hoping For a Handout

Stonehammer Lake

Knapsack Col In The Distance - Titcomb Basin Is Just Beyond

Peak Lake Viewed From Shannon Pass Trail

Elbow Lake

Lower Jean Lake

Our Campsite Near Lower Jean Lake

Day 5 – August 24, 2024 – Lower Jean Lake to Summit Lake

We left our sheltered, lumpy campsite and headed north toward the Highline Trail and Elbow Lake. The high peaks to our east were shrouded in low clouds, and the breeze chilled us. We were glad for a slight uphill climb to help us get warm. We followed the Highline Trail along Elbow Lake. Elbow Lake is a wind tunnel! We passed a couple of older (than us) fellows who were on their first hiking trip in the Winds. They just could not get over the idea that Compass and I, two women, could possibly be hiking in the Winds without being accompanied by men! What century were these dudes living in anyway?!? We continued and then veered off trail to take a short cross-country route along a creek and a couple of unnamed lakes to the north, before rejoining the Highline Trail. We reached Summit Lake and found a tent site out of view, but near a group of NOLS horse riders. Summit Lake was open and park-like. The horse’s bells tinkled in the distance, reminding us of the sound of ship’s rigging clanking gently in the wind. Today, we saw marmots, pikas, and an American pipet mama watching over her three chicks. A seemingly tame mule deer wandered through our campsite. A bit of sleet hit our tent during the chilly night.

Summit Lake

Day 6 – August 25, 2024 – Summit Lake to New Fork Park

We woke to thick, wavy clouds. The last time we saw clouds like this in the Winds was in 2021, and we had three inches of snow that night. We were pretty sure that bad weather was coming. We hiked the long way, counterclockwise around Summit Lake to take in the view, then picked up the Doubletop Mountain Trail. Wow, this trail had some serious PUDs (pointless ups and downs). We climbed over an 11,000-foot pass and meandered among lakes of varying sizes. A sign at the trail head had warned of a dead horse and possible large predators at Dean Lake, so we quickly hiked past the turn off for Dean Lake. After we reached Palmer Lake, the trail started down steeply, and I mean very steeply. Palmer Canyon is deep. The trail had switchbacks, but the trail was also washed out in places by adjacent Reynolds Creek. We passed massive piles of talus demonstrating the lovely geologic term, “angle of repose”. We made our way down 2,500 feet of descent, crossed New Fork River, and continued down into New Fork Park. We crossed New Fork River to find a flat and somewhat protected campsite near trees. From the looks of all the poop near our tent site, elk, moose, and horses had all spent time here. We cooked dinner while watching marmots and pika in a talus pile at the base of a steep hillside. We checked the Garmin inReach forecast, and the forecast said that thunderstorms were coming.

Wavy Clouds Near Summit Lake

View Of Summit Lake From the Doubletop Mountain Trail

Palmer Canyon

I'm having trouble posting the last day's trip photos. My photos keep posting upside down. Does anyone have any suggestion about how to remedy this? I'm baffled. I had no problem posting photos for days 1 - 6.

Never mind, got it figured out. Last day's description and photos are below.

Day 7 – August 26, 2024 – New Fork Park to New Fork Trail Head

A strong thunderstorm hit New Fork Park at around 1 a.m. Rain and hail beat down on our tent, and wind gusts roared up the canyon, slamming into our tent. The lightening was so bright that I pulled my fleece hat down over my eyes for relief. At 5 a.m. another round of storms came through. Rain changed to heavy, wet snow that stuck to our tent. Every so often, we would pat the inside of the tent to knock the snow off, sending snow sliding down the tent to pile up along the bottom of the tent fly. The snow continued until about 9 a.m., when it changed back to rain and then stopped. We put on all our warm clothes before leaving the tent to fetch our bear canisters and make breakfast. A patch of blue sky to the southwest grew bigger as it got closer. The snow started to melt on all but the highest peaks. We packed up, waded New Fork River and hiked down the muddy trail. We crossed New Fork River two more times and followed the trail downhill, through forested areas with lots of ripe berries. Perfect for bears, but we saw no bears. On our way out, we passed two very large groups of hikers going into New Fork. Finally, we could see New Fork Lake. We lingered, looking back up New Fork Canyon and imagining the big glacier that used to fill this valley. We made it back to our car at 4 p.m. We laughed about how 25 miles per hour in a car always seems ridiculously fast after traveling at walking speed for several days. We headed back to Pinedale, WY, sadly aware that Heart and Soul Café was already closed for the day. Instead, we drove straight to the grocery store for ice cream.

View From Our Tent

Our Tent

Clearing Sky Over New Fork Park

What a great trip!

I loved all the wildlife that visited!

Beautiful trip, with a bit of all the mountain weather. We too really enjoyed how you add in all the wildlife experiences you had. These are all fantastic reports--thanks for putting them together for us. New Fork Park and Peak Lake both look like beautiful destinations to shoot for. Now tht your summer trips are done, do you have any recommendations of places to visit? We like the off-trail, less-traveled places with wildlife and sharp peaks.
Thanks, Harlens.

p.s. Do you think the incredulous old coots might have been hoping that you two young things would invite them to join you? Yikes!