|
| The Wind River Mountain Range |
|
The Wind River Range is a remote hundred plus mile range, stretching through Wyoming along the crest of the Continental Divide. Among the Winds unrelenting height, contain seven of the ten largest glaciers in the Rocky Mountains, as well as more than 2.25 million acres of public land. They are in the southeast section of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest environmentally intact temperate-zone ecosystem in the lower 48 states.
This narrow mountain chain includes eight craggy summits over 13,500 feet, which rise above the wide-open spaces of the Green River and Wind River Valleys below. Three thousand feet below these rugged peaks, small lakes, and streams nestle in boulder-strewn glacial morainal alpine meadows. There are large glaciers on some eastern slopes, including the largest glaciers of the U.S. Rocky Mountains on the flanks of Gannett Peak (13,804 ft.). Gannett is the highest and northernmost peak of the range. The Winds are the apex of the contiguous United States in another way: they are the hydrologic triple divide. In this section of the Continental Divide, waters flow either to the Pacific via the Snake River drainage, to the Sea of Cortez via the Green River drainage, or to the Gulf of Mexico via the Yellowstone River, or Platte River drainages. |
| The Green River |
 |
The Green River in Fall |
The Green River a major tributary of the great Colorado River system, it is born from the glacier melt water high in the Wind River Mountains, it dumps from the glaciers into a pair of large scenic lakes in the northern region of the Winds and emerges suddenly as a fast-flowing, freestone river with a deep emerald color which appropriately gives the Green its name.
From Green River Lakes, it runs 730 miles to join the Colorado deep in Utah's Canyonlands National Park, passing through Flaming Gorge Canyon along the way. The Green River joins the Colorado River to form the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Beginning in the Bridger-Teton National Forest at Green River Lakes, one of the prettiest places on earth, the river makes a big bend and then turns south before entering private property. Unpaved National Forest roads skirt the river and afford many places along this 20-mile stretch to fish, watch wildlife, and enjoy the sound of tumbling water.
|
| Fremont Lake |
 |
Freemont Lake just outside of Pinedale Wyoming |
Fremont Lake, a jewel of the necklace of lakes that grace the foothills of the Wind River Mountains. The lake is four miles east of Pinedale Wyoming. It was named for John C. Fremont who was an American military officer and explorer, who surveyed the area in 1842 while mapping the Oregon Trail. Fremont Peak dominates the visible snow capped mountains.
The lake is surrounded by timbered foothills, Fremont Peak, Wyoming’s second largest mountain, dominates the visible snow capped mountains. The terrain surrounding Fremont Lake shoreline is made up mostly of very large boulders and is a classic example of glacial geology, the lake was scooped out by an ancient glacier and is dammed at the lower end by a terminal moraine and is a very good spot to see glacial process.
Fremont Lake is the second largest natural lake in Wyoming, it was created thousands of years ago when glacial ice deposited a moraine at the lower end, trapping the mountain waters. It is about eleven miles long, six hundred feet deep and about one-half mile wide. It is one of the ten deepest lakes in the contiguous United States. |
| Green River Lake |
 |
A fly-fisherman tries his luck on the mirrored water of Green River Lake in the Wind River Mountains north of Pinedale Wyoming |
One of the Wind River Mountains finest gems is the Green River Lakes; this majestic wonder is 52 miles north of Pinedale Wyoming at the headwaters of the Green River. The calm surface of Green River Lake stretches out from the shore to the distant mountain, reflecting the towering rugged beauty of Square Top Peak and the Bridger Wilderness. The lake's mirror surface is often disturbed by the paddle of a canoeist or more often, the damn wind. This view of the Bridger Wilderness is perhaps the most frequently photographed non-national park landscape in Wyoming. The Green River Lakes are nestled behind a natural terminal-moraine dam scoured out by glaciers during the last ice age and surrounded by the stark and steep topography of the Wind River Range. Mostly composed of granite uplifts from deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, these granite monoliths were uplifted and carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form circular valley cirques. The Green River Lakes are considered the headwaters of the Green River the chief tributary to the Colorado River. The Green River runs 730 miles through Wyoming, Utah where it hooks up with the Colorado River that eventually terminates in northern Mexico. |
| Yellowstone
National Park |
 |
Black Pool, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park |
Established on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National
Park is the first and oldest national park
in the world.
Preserved within Yellowstone are Old Faithful Geyser and
some 10,000 hot springs and geysers, the majority of the
planet's total. These geothermal wonders are evidence of
one of the world's largest active volcanoes; its last eruption
created a crater or caldera that spans almost half of the
park.
An outstanding mountain wildland with clean water and air,
Yellowstone is home of the grizzly bear and wolf, and free-ranging
herds of bison and elk. It is the core of the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem, one of the largest intact temperate zone ecosystems
remaining on the planet.
The human history of the park dates back 12,000 years. The
events of the last 130 years of park history are reflected
in the historic structures and sites associated with various
periods of park administration and visitor facilities development. |
| Gannett Peak |
 |
Gannett Peak, highest mountain in Wyoming |
Hidden deep in the Wind River Range, high above jumbled moraine and glacial ice, towers Gannett Peak, Wyoming’s highest mountain straddles the boundary between Fremont and Sublette Counties along the Continental Divide.
Gannett Peak, Tallest Mountain in Wyomng
Geographically, Gannett Peak is the apex of the entire Central Rockies, the largely continuous group of the chain occupying the states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Named in 1906 for American geographer Henry Gannett, the peak is also the highpoint of the Wind River Range. The mountain slopes are located in both Bridger-Teton National Forest and Shoshone National Forest. Gannett is also the highest peak within what is better known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The 896-acre Gannett Glacier, which is likely the largest single glacier in the American portion of the Rocky Mountains, flows down from the northern slopes of the mountain. Minor Glacier is situated in the western cirque of the peak while Dinwoody and Gooseneck Glaciers can be found on the southeast side of the mountain. When high on the mountain one could imagine they were in Alaska because of all the glacier action. |
| Grand
Teton National Park |
 |
Jenny Lake reflecton of the Grand Teton Mountains. |
Established in 1929, Grand
Teton National Park emerged from a complicated
and controversial series of events. The
park first consisted of the mountain
range and several glacial lakes. Later
the valley floor was protected as Jackson
Hole National Monument. The two areas
were combined in 1950.
Today the park encompasses nearly 310,000 acres and protects
the Teton Range, Jackson Hole (mountain valley), a 50-mile
portion of the Snake River, seven morainal lakes, over 100
backcountry and alpine lakes, and a wide range of wildlife
and plant species.
The park is also rich in a cultural history that includes
seven eras of human history: early peoples (paleo-indians),
Native Americans (modern tribes), fur trappers, homesteaders,
ranchers/farmers, conservationists, and recreationalists.
Climbing, hiking and backpacking, camping, fishing, wildlife
and bird watching, horseback riding, boating on Jackson and
Jenny Lakes, rafting on the Snake River, bicycling, and photography
are all common activities in the area.
About 4 million visitors enjoy the park each year, most visit
between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day. |
| Bridger
Teton National Forest |
 |
Hunting is a popular activity in the Bridger Teton National Forest in the Fall. |
Located in Western Wyoming, the Bridger-Teton
offers more than 3.4 million acres of public land for your
outdoor recreation enjoyment. With its pristine watersheds,
abundant wildlife and immense wildlands, the Bridger-Teton
National Forest comprises a large part of the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem - the largest intact ecosystem in the lower 48 United
States. Offering nearly 1.2 million acres of designated Wilderness,
over 30,000 miles of road and trail and thousands of miles
of unspoiled rivers and streams, the Bridger-Teton offers
something for everyone. We encourage you to visit this beautiful
landscape and experience this unique piece of American Heritage. |
| Museum of the Mountain Man |
| The Museum presents a visual and interpretative experience into the romantic era of the Mountain man and provides a comprehensive overview of the Western Fur Trade's historical significance. Situated in the heart of the country that was once the hub of the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous system (six of the rendezvous of the early 1800s were held in the Green River Valley near present day Pinedale, Wyoming), the Museum stands as a monument to the men and the commerce that opened the West. |
|
| Regional Wildlife |
 |
Experiencing many types of wildlife is part of life in Western Wyoming |
Nowhere else in the United States, including
Alaska, can the casual visitor observe such a striking diversity
of "charismatic mega-fauna" (the large mammals)
that abound in this region, Bald eagles, golden eagles, black
bear, the elusive cougar, the wolverine, the pine marten and
the gray wolf. Jackson Hole and Yellowstone are home to that
most formidable icon of wildness, the grizzly bear. The region
also hosts the largest herds of elk in North America and is
one of the few remaining areas in the lower 48 states where
the grizzly bear still roams in significant numbers, and is
home to the largest free-ranging herd of bison in the lower
48 states.
Wild animals, especially females with young, are unpredictable. Keep a safe distance from all wildlife. Each year a number of park visitors are injured by wildlife when approaching too closely. Approaching on foot within 100 yards of bears or wolves or within 25 yards of other wildlife is prohibited. Please use roadside pullouts when viewing wildlife. Use binoculars or telephoto lenses for safe viewing and to avoid disturbing them. By being sensitive to its needs, you will see more of an animal's natural behavior and activity. If you cause an animal to move, you are too close! It is illegal to willfully remain near or approach wildlife, including birds, within any distance that disturbs or displaces the animal. |
| White Pine Ski Area |
 Located in western Wyoming, 10 miles from Pinedale, 76 miles south of Jackson Hole and 99 miles north of Rock Springs, White Pine Ski Resort brings downhill skiing and snowboarding with many challenging runs.
White Pine Ski Area offers something for everyone. Downhill skiers and snowboarders will enjoy short lift lines and uncrowded slopes. The lift ride up the mountain has beautiful views of the Continental Divide, Wind River Mountains and 11-mile long Fremont Lake. Cross-country and nordic skiers will find miles of trails right from the Base Lodge. Don't ski? That's ok! Come on up and have lunch at the White Pine Grill and enjoy the view of the skiers and lifts from our fabulous decks!
White Pine’s 12,000 square foot, three-level base lodge is open to the public. The handsome log post and beam building features the White Pine Grill, where families can enjoy fabulous food and drink. Ticket sales, restrooms, and the Ski School are also located in the White Pine Lodge. Reception and meeting facilities are in the lodge. On those blue bird days, You are invited to enjoy lunch on our slope-side redwood decks overlooking the ski lifts and runs. White Pine’s winter season is typically from Thanksgiving until mid-April. Summer events include mountain biking, horseback riding, backcountry fishing trips and llama trips. |
|
Yellowstone Park Rivers 
