Wind River Range

The Wind River Range is a high mountain range in western Wyoming, part of the Rocky Mountains and home to the state’s highest peak. The range contains extensive alpine terrain, glaciers and granite peaks important for climbing and high-country hiking.

Visitors come for long-distance backpacking, technical climbing and classical alpine routes; the Cirque of the Towers is a noted concentration of steep granite spires popular with climbers, and numerous alpine basins provide lake-based backcountry campsites. The range also contains a large concentration of glaciers - among the most extensive in the U.S. Rockies.

The area has long been used by Native American groups and later by trappers, explorers and miners; in the 20th century much of the range was incorporated into national forest wilderness designations to protect its backcountry character. Today the range sits within Bridger-Teton and Shoshone National Forests and is managed for wilderness recreation and conservation.

The Wind River Range occupies a large swathe of western Wyoming and runs roughly northwest to southeast; access is by trailheads that start from valley towns and forest roads, and many routes require multiple days of travel in remote, high-elevation terrain.

• Highest point: Gannett Peak reaches 13,809 feet (4,209 metres), making it the highest point in Wyoming and a major mountaineering objective.
• Wilderness and remoteness: The range contains large areas of designated wilderness and remote backcountry; travel is frequently multi-day and requires self-sufficiency.

What to See#

• Gannett Peak: Gannett Peak, the range’s highest point at 13,809 feet (4,209 metres), the highest mountain in Wyoming and a remote mountaineering objective.
• Cirque of the Towers and Titcomb Basin: The Cirque of the Towers and Titcomb Basin, granite cirques and basins renowned for multi-pitch rock climbing and high‑alpine backpacking.
• Glacier fields and alpine lakes: Extensive glacier fields and alpine lakes scattered along the Continental Divide that feed headwaters of regional river systems.

• Head into the Wind River Range between late July and early September for the most reliable trail and pass conditions; many high passes can still hold snow earlier or see storms later in autumn.
• Avoid the busiest trailheads (Cirque of the Towers/Elkhart Park, Green River Lakes) midday by starting hikes very early or using less popular access points-trailhead parking fills quickly and roads to some trailheads are rough, so arrive before dawn when possible.
• If you plan an overnight trip, pick up the self‑issue wilderness permit at the appropriate Forest Service trailhead and check with the local ranger district for seasonal trail/bridge closures; also plan to start hikes early to beat frequent afternoon thunderstorms.