Wind River range camping advice

[cbigham]

Why all,
We are interested in camping in the wind river area, possibly Pinedale and Green River Lake area, will bring a 25 ft class c with a dual sport dirt bike, Jeep towed, wife and a 9 year old for hiking, fishing, some riding . Area looks good on paper. Close to Tetons as well.


Any tips would be great. Looking for a safe area, not too bad on bears, etc easy roads in and it appears a way from green lake to hwy 26?


Thanks

[BFlinn181]

I worked for almost 20 years every summer on a ranch outside of Dubois. If you want primitive camping, (campsites with outhouses) there are some great spots for all the activities you want in Torrey Canyon, just south of Dubois on US 26. Up US 26 towards Togwotee Pass is Brooks Falls, just off the highway or a short drive up a dirt road is Brooks Lake Campground. The USFS Ranger Station in Dubois or the one just outside Moran, (near Hatchet Resort) can give you maps of all the local USFS campgrounds and recommendations of good spots. Boysen SP is also a good spot, on Boysen Reservoir and near the Wind River Canyon.

[FirstTracks]

My friend Jon and I camped on the Green River Lakes in August 2009. However, a caveat: this was many years before my wife and I purchased our travel trailer, and RV ownership wasn't even a consideration at the time. So I wasn't looking at Green River Lakes from an RV owner's perspective.

However, we absolutely loved the area even though it was rain bordering on snow during much of our visit, even in August. The dirt road into Green River Lakes was well graded and negotiable by any type of vehicle.

Instead of RVing, our trip involved kayak camping. On the way there we tent camped the night before on public land on the east side of Fremont Lake, on the road to White Pine Ski Area near Pinedale:



The following morning we loaded our boats and paddled in a steady 30-something drizzle across the lower Green River Lake, paddled and portaged upstream to the upper lake, and set camp on the east shore of the upper lake:


At the put-in - lovely weather for a paddle!


Heading upstream between the two lakes


Portage time


Our camp on the upper lake


At the take out at the lower lake

The azure waters of the upper lake are particularly spectacular. This is grizzly country even though it's pretty much the southern extent of their range, so following proper bear safety protocols is essential. We did so, and had no visitors.

[Superslif]

On last May's trip to the Tetons we stopped one night at Highline Trail in Pinedale. Nice private campground with huge level sites. The next day we did a drive-thru at Warren Bridge BLM campground. Nice dry campground. The back loop was far enough from the road to hear any traffic. Sites were plenty large enough for a 25' Class C plus toad.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by cbigham

Why all,
We are interested in camping in the wind river area, possibly Pinedale and Green River Lake area, will bring a 25 ft class c with a dual sport dirt bike, Jeep towed, wife and a 9 year old for hiking, fishing, some riding . Area looks good on paper. Close to Tetons as well.


Any tips would be great. Looking for a safe area, not too bad on bears, etc easy roads in and it appears a way from green lake to hwy 26?


Thanks

Not sure if this would work for you but Wind River Canyon is one of my Favorite drives - https://binged.it/2F8BoPM

Give it a try, think you will ave fun,

[wingnut60]

FirstTracks,
Those are beautiful pictures--jealous that you get to go places I can only think about, and I lived in WY for 10 years....
My son/grandson have hiked around the Winds several times--just fantastic area.

[FirstTracks]

Originally Posted by wingnut60

FirstTracks,
Those are beautiful pictures--jealous that you get to go places I can only think about, and I lived in WY for 10 years....
My son/grandson have hiked around the Winds several times--just fantastic area.

The Wind Rivers are indeed a fantastic area, and thank you for your kind words, wingnut60! Realize that virtually anyone can do what we did -- it's not a difficult paddle, and the road to Green River Lakes is passable even in a sedan.

This is of course an RV forum, but I'll still mention that my most life-altering kayaking trip was down the last 100 miles of the Green River (yep -- the same water as pictured above, just way, way downstream) in Utah in 2011, from the town of Green River, UT all the way to the confluence with the Colorado River within Canyonlands National Park. From there we were hauled along with our gear back to Moab via a jet boat, as there are no roads that reach the river for the last 50 miles and beyond the confluence lies Cataract Canyon, which is class 5 whitewater. That was an 8-day trip that absolutely cemented my love with the desert. For anyone who may be curious, this was my story from that trip:
Retracing Powell’s Paddle | First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine

[cbigham]

Great scenery, much to look forward to! We have chewed a lot of the same ground, except I'm usually on a bike or hike. Green River must be a great scenic ride, seen it in Dinosaur Monument as well. Wife is sold on the area, she Loves Wyoming, was raised partly in Casper. Loves to fish. Couple years back we were camped out at Jackson Lake, she came back with 13 trout. Maybe this area will be as productive.

Might need to update the kayak tho, ..

[FirstTracks]

Originally Posted by cbigham

Great scenery, much to look forward to! We have chewed a lot of the same ground, except I'm usually on a bike or hike. Green River must be a great scenic ride, seen it in Dinosaur Monument as well. Wife is sold on the area, she Loves Wyoming, was raised partly in Casper. Loves to fish. Couple years back we were camped out at Jackson Lake, she came back with 13 trout. Maybe this area will be as productive.

Might need to update the kayak tho, ..

We've rafted the Green down through Dinosaur. It's a great day trip.