Wind River Mountains, Popo Agie Wilderness, WY
DatesAug 12th - Aug 18th 2012 Service ProjectTrail maintenance Free DaysFishing, day hiking, photography, wildlife viewing, swimming AccommodationsBackpack camping Trip RatingStrenuous : 3.5 mile backpack, digging, bending, cutting LeadersCarter Bland Equipment |
The Popo Agie (pronounced "po-po-zsha") in western Wyoming is one of the loveliest pieces of land in the country. Rich in wildlife, jagged peaks and vast forests, this portion of the Shoshone National Forest leaves visitors breathless, and not just due to the high elevations! Designated as Wilderness by Congress in 1984, the Popo Agie totals almost 102,000 acres. The Popo Agie Wilderness is surrounded by large tracks of wild lands including the Wind River Indian Reservation on the north, the Bridger Wilderness to the west and the Fitzpatrick Wilderness to the northwest. The western boundary is the Continental Divide boasting Wind River Peak, at 13,255' the highest point in the area. More than 20 other summits spanning the divide rise above 12,000'. Many alpine and subalpine lakes and ponds, filled with trout, send their waters down streams and over waterfalls to the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Popo Agie River and the South Fork of the Little Wind River. This rough land features high peaks, deep canyons, sheer granite walls, cirque basins, talus slopes and glacial snowfields along its eastern side. The area encompasses about 25 miles of the southern Wind River Mountain Range, with forests of lodgepole pine and Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, and subalpine fir. Our service project is general trail maintenance -- cutting back overgrown vegetation, improving erosion control and trail tread -- in the Three Forks area, south of Shoshone Lake. We'll backpack 3.5 miles to our base camp at 9,250' and camp adjacent to a mountain stream. On our day off we can hike to further explore this vividly rich area; fishing, swimming, climbing mountains, taking photos or just relaxing in our beautiful alpine wilderness setting where mountain men once traversed. Check out more photos from last year's Wind River, Popo Agie project in our gallery.
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