More than 300 alpine and subalpine lakes and ponds, many filled with trout, send their waters down sparkling streams and over waterfalls to the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Popo Agie River and the South Fork of the Little Wind River. All the water eventually ends up in the Wind River. This rough land features high, jagged peaks; deep, narrow valleys and canyons; sheer granite walls; cirque basins; talus slopes; and perennial snowfields along its eastern side. The area, which abuts the Continental Divide, encompasses about 25 miles of the southern Wind River Mountain Range, with forests of lodgepole pine and Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, and subalpine fir.

In a Smithsonian Institute report issued in 1879, it was said of the Wind River Mountains, “when a good Indian dies, he falls into a beautiful stream of bright, fresh water, and is carried to the pleasant grounds [of the Winds]. . . . “ The temperature rarely exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but it may plunge to 40 below zero in the winter. Snow may fall any day of the year, and most of the precipitation is snow. There are occasional heavy rains in summer, and light afternoon thunderstorms are common.

Many miles of trails attract a relatively large number of visitors, which has led to a few restrictions on camping in some areas. Check with the district ranger.

Courtesy: US Forest Service