Bridger Wilderness

This Wilderness is high in the running for the most beautiful stretch of mountains in the world. It sounds like hyperbole, but the Wind River Range is truly spectacular.

The only reason this chunk of granite is not a national monument is because Wyoming made a dubious deal back in the 1950s. In brief, Rockefeller bought up a ton of land near Jackson and wanted to donate it to the feds. The locals had a fit over this. One source I read says they staged a cattle drive across Rockefeller’s land. Teddy Roosevelt, never one to let a few cranky folks get in his way, used the Antiquities Act to turn the whole parcel into a monument. Famously, Roosevelt used this trick throughout the country, thereby establishing a precedent that has been acted on by every president since. Some of our most precious lands have been protected in this way, but the top-down nature of this style of conservation has certainly riled folks over the years (see the saga of the Bears Ears Monument for example).

Interestingly, only three presidents since Teddy have not availed themselves of the Antiquities Act magic wand to protect a beautiful chunk of our country as part of their legacy—Nixon, Reagan, and Bush senior. Some real duds. Hell, even Trump has used the Act to designate a monument—Camp Nelson in Kentucky—though he has mostly used the act to shrink monuments (Bears Ears and Escalante both have been hacked).

Wyoming made a deal with the Hoover administration so that the Jackson Hole Monument could be merged with Grand Teton Park. In exchange, the state is exempt from Antiquities Act designation. Now, the only way we would get a new monument is if Congress designated one. Given that Congress can’t tell its ass from a hole in the ground, this is unlikely.

History aside, one would have to search high and low for a better place to backpack or rock climb than the Wind River Range. The place is pretty busy, by Wyoming Wilderness standards. On a three-day weekend, expect the trailheads to be jam packed. Popular areas like the Cirque of the Towers or Titcomb Basin are not where you should go if you want solitude. But, if you wander away from the Instagram trail you can find a tree to sit under, some clean air to breathe, and nothing but beauty to behold.

Conservation

Leave No Trace principles really matter here. Some areas have been shat upon by so many people that some say you should not even swim in the lakes. That is a travesty. I hate carrying my own poop around in a bag; but we all need to do that for some of these high traffic zones. Years ago, I recall meeting a dude in this area who was walking around with a giant trash can strapped on his back. He was spending all day every day picking up poop. Given the surroundings, it actually did not seem like a bad job—but we can do better!

News

Green River Lakes Road is slated for construction through 2027. That area burned recently too.

The poopy water story is the biggest bit of news. Part of this story involves Lonesome Lake, which is in the Popo Agie Wilderness next door. Turns out some heavily contaminated water was found in this lake—bad enough that swimming in it would be like taking a lap around a toilet bowl. From what I gather the EPA sat on this sample for two years for some reason. Subsequent samples have found lakes to have tolerable levels of E. coli, but the original sample looked for Enterococcus. It sounds to me like folks have not done very thorough science. It is likely that poop levels change depending on time of year (lakes ’turn over’ with temperature, and that could stir the turd) and one should look for many taxa, not just a few standard indicators. I imagine someone is looking into this; if you are a grad student studying this and want a few hundred bucks then email me.

Access

Access to this wilderness is pretty easy. There are many roads leading to it and the main trailheads, like Big Sandy, Green River Lakes, and Elkhart Park are all sedan-able.

Safety

The usual mountain hazards. Grizzly bears too. Don’t drink the water.

Infrastructure

There are a lot of trails in this wilderness. Trailheads often have equestrian accoutrements and bathrooms.

Inspiration

Resources

• Bridger Wilderness — Pinedale online page