August 6, 2016

By Tim Briese

13.1 miles, 1800’ elevation gain, 7:45 roundtrip time

After my son-in-law Rod and I went on a long day hike to Cirque of the Towers on Thursday we needed a day off but we were ready to go again now on Saturday. Our goal today was a hike to Sweetwater Gap, a scenic saddle at the head of the Sweetwater River several miles north of the Sweetwater Guard Station Campground where we were camping. Early in the morning when we arose a moose was strolling through the campground.

an early morning visitor at camp

After breakfast we drove about 15 minutes north on a rough and narrow dirt road to the trailhead, and at 745 embarked on the trail.

rod at the trailhead.  sweetwater gap is the saddle on the ridgeline at the right.

After going downhill about 100 yards we turned right at a junction onto the Sweetwater Gap Trail. For the first mile and a half the trail went through an interesting area of re-grown vegetation on an old burn scar. Then the route meandered gently through forests and meadows for several miles, at times along the Sweetwater River, with scenic stands of wildflowers along the way. A few sprinkles of rain fell for a bit before the sky cleared.

small trees growing and logs lying on the forest floor in the old burn area

a view of mt. nystrom to the north

entering the bridger wilderness area

rod at a stream crossing

a wildflower beside the stream

wildflowers in a meadow

approaching sweetwater gap, which is the saddle beyond in the distance

Over the last two miles the trail climbed at a steeper grade up to the broad grassy meadows of Sweetwater Gap, where we were afforded a nice view of Wind River Peak. We arrived there about 1120 am.

the gentle meadows of sweetwater gap

at the gap

wind river peak

We stopped to inspect the upper headwaters of the Sweetwater River, which was little more than a trickle here. Interestingly we found several rusty old cans full of beer in a pool of water that someone had left behind long ago. I imagine someone was very disappointed when they realized what they had done!

this is where the sweetwater river starts

more scenic flowers at the gap

After eating lunch and resting in the shade of a tree at the edge of a meadow for about a half hour we turned back and retraced our steps down the trail. The afternoon sun was beating down warmly and our two dogs were really starting to drag after hiking about 30 miles with us over the past 3 days. I can’t say that I was in much better shape! We returned to the trailhead at 330 and headed back to camp.