August 4, 2016

By Tim Briese

16.9 miles, 2200’ elevation gain, 10:45 roundtrip time

My son-in-law Rod invited me to go hiking with him in the Wind River Range in Wyoming and I jumped at the opportunity, since I had never hiked in that area before. Rod is a true outdoorsman and spent much of his life growing up in western Wyoming, and I looked forward to seeing his old stomping grounds. Our primary objective was the Cirque of the Towers, a fabulous scenic area of sheer towering peaks in the Wind Rivers.

The day before the hike my daughter Nicole, Rod, and I made the 7 hour drive to Lander, Wyoming, and continued across the desert around the south end of the Wind Rivers to the Sweetwater Guard Station Campground. Rod’s father and stepmother, Steve and Lori, who live in nearby Riverton, had secured a wonderful campsite and we met them there to camp together the next few days.

driving across the desert toward the wind rivers.  our campsite is at the base of the mountains.

our campsite at the sweetwater campground

the sweetwater river flowed right past our campsite

The next morning Nicole, Rod, and I rose early and left camp at 5 am to make the hour long drive to the Big Sandy Trailhead where our hike would begin. It was a clear, cold, and frosty morning. We were amazed when we reached the trailhead and found perhaps 200 vehicles parked everywhere! It appeared that this must be one of the most popular hikes in Wyoming! The Cirque is a mecca for backpackers and rockclimbers, offering many renowned rock climbing routes. In spite of all the vehicles around we saw only a modest number of hikers on the trails today.

vehicles were parked everywhere

nicole and rod and two of the dogs at the trailhead on this frosty morning

At 645 we took off and headed up the 5 mile trail to Big Sandy Lake with our three dogs. The trail along the Big Sandy River to the lake was quite easy, gaining only 600 feet of gain over those miles, and was scenic, too, especially on this beautiful clear morning.

on the hike to big sandy lake

the big sandy river

taking a break along the trail

At 930 we reached the pretty lake and took a break.

me on the shore of big sandy lake

Nicole decided to stay here with her dog Mila and hike back on her own to the trailhead later while Rod and I pushed on. We detoured around a badger sitting on the trail and hiked along the north side of the lake to a junction, where we turned left to begin the climb up to Jackass Pass and the Cirque.

the badger on the trail.  we didn't want our dogs to tangle with him!

big sandy lake

looking down at the lake as we climbed above it

We started to do some serious elevation gain now, as the nice trail carried us up around and through rocky areas. It was fun visiting briefly with other hikers on the trail, most of whom were backpackers, and many of whom were carrying ropes and other climbing gear on their packs. Rod and I had thought of backpacking up here too, because it is a very long hike to the Cirque and back in a day, but in the end we opted for the long day hike. We saw very few other day hikers. The trail through the rough terrain took us past two smaller lakes, North Lake and Arrowhead Lake. Warbonnet Peak loomed over the entrance to the Cirque, a most imposing sight.

the route went up through this terrain

north lake

warbonnet peak, at the right

rod on the trail

warbonnet peak, at the left

arrowhead lake

entering the cirque

It was 2.8 miles with 1000’ of elevation gain from Big Sandy Lake to Jackass Pass, which lies at the brink of the Cirque, but many ups and downs considerably increased the effort required. At 1215 we reached Jackass Pass and stopped just beyond the pass for a lengthy break to soak in the surrounding grandeur. Our tired dogs Abby and Hazel lay down and rested on the grass nearby. Stunning peaks and towers surrounded us, with impressive names like Warrior Peak, Pylon Peak, Block Tower, Overhanging Tower, Pingora Peak, Watch Tower, and Wolfs Head. Almost all the peaks here require technical climbing to reach their summits. We considered hiking on down to Lonesome Lake in the center of the Cirque but decided we had superior views up here at the pass and did not need to go any further.

a view from jackass pass

pingora peak

rod enjoying the views

lonesome lake

at jackass pass

warbonnet peak

After half an hour we reluctantly decided to turn around and head back.

wildflowers by north lake

hazel cooling off in the lake

rod coming back down the trail

We tediously made our way back down through the rough terrain to Big Sandy Lake. After another break we made the long haul back to the trailhead. 

the big sandy river on the hike back

We arrived at the trailhead about 5:15 pm, and drove back and staggered into camp for the evening, concluding a wonderful outing to a magnificent place.