Mosquitos were the worst part but rain helped a tad. The Browns Peak Loop is a 12.5-mile loop that meanders along four distinct lakes and has magnificent mountain views. Latest. Your email address will not be published. Stop in at the Visitor Center in Centennial for a free map of the area and pick your route. The Gap Lakes Trail started out gaining elevation at an easy pace. edit . Or subscribe freetonew Lupe adventures. The weather was going to be fine. Want more Lupe adventures? Thunder Basin All are over 10,000 in elevation. There are beautiful overlooks once you summit past East/West Glacier Lakes. But break out your topo map to discover some of Medicine Bow's hidden gems, like Heart Lake.The first adventure of this hike is getting there. And very far off on the horizon to the NNE was Laramie Peak, where Lupe had started her Summer of 2015 Dingo Vacation just 3 days earlier. Estimated Time: 3hr 13min. Pine forests and grasslands surround the lake, and the snow-capped Browns Peak protrudes into the crisp, blue summer sky. differences in elevation and topography, the historic weather at the two separate locations Backpack the Medicine Bow Peak Trail in the Snowy Range Mountains. While you can certainly choose to make this a point-to-point hike, many visitors end up using the route as an out-and-back, turning around when theyve reached their comfort level for exploration and fitness. It isstrewn with rocks and not much else. 2468 Jackson Street On the way down the mountain, there were interesting views to the N. Sheep Lake, Arrowhead Lake, and Crescent Lake could all be seen. Forest Service visitor centers are located on Highway 130 near Centennial on the east side and Brush Creek on the west side and are open in the summertime. Definitely download the trail as there are many trails here. ( Notify me of follow-up comments by email. We were glad to get back to our car once we made it. It was breezy up on Browns Peak, but that was about it. Gorgeous and super mellow, minimal incline sections that were very doable. It was time for Lupe to go to the summit of Browns Peak to claim it asher latestpeakbagging success! No permits are needed to hike in the Snowy Range. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Climbing Details If you start from Togwotee Pass and follow the 4WD road, the round-trip distance will be up to 6 miles. You may choose to hike from the Rock Creek Trailhead to the end of the trail at Sand Lake and, rather than turning around for the out-and-back route, continue on to the Sheep Lake Trail until you reach Sheep Lake. SPHP was mildly disappointed. The key to getting up on Browns Peak without undue delays was to avoid the trees and boulder fields as much as possible. Left Friday night and came back Saturday. This location's average winter low temps are Lupe and SPHP thoroughly enjoyed the scenery. After Lupe had visited every high point on the topo map and more besides, SPHP had no clue where the highest rock on the mountain was. The Sheep Mountain Trail is 12.6 miles in total and cuts right down the center of the range. Location: United States > Wyoming > Carbon County > Longitude: -106.20473 Latitude: 41.8955212 Elevation: 2000m / 6562feet Barometric Pressure: 79KPa Elevation Map: Satellite Map: Related Photos: First view of Generator Shed and Beacon como_quarry10-2DSC_0181 Indian Fort Road-sepia Wyoming Wind In general, its a great idea to recruit at least one other person to accompany you rather than go it alone. As of this writing, the Snowy Range Mountains do not require permits for backpacking. 307-745-2300, Telephone for the Also have about 150 bites. Join a supporting community of travelers and adventurers sharing their photos and local insights. At first they did seem to be building up, but then they just spread out as if a wind high in the sky was blowing the tops of the clouds off, limiting how big they could get. When most people come to Medicine Bow National Forest, they usually do one of two hikes: the Lakes Trail or the Peak. The top ofBrowns Peakis huge and pretty flat. super pretty trail, I'll do it again overnighting with friends for some astrophotography. The fishing was excellent at the higher lakes. Lots of places to camp at Cutthroat lake.. Hearing Impaired Backpacked Fourth of July weekend and went clockwise which was by far the easier way, but you saw the most amazing views up front. (8-9-22), 2015 Wyoming, Colorado & Utah Adventure Index. This location's average precipitation levels are Clicking anywhere within a quandrant will display an info window with the map name, as larger. This campground provides 19 campsites with tables, fire rings, trash pick up, and vault toilets. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. I started my hike at 7:30AM on a Monday. Browns Peak is covered by The second day started out a little hard as we had to climb over boulders just as we got started. I went counter clockwise and found the scenery to get better and better until the last few miles. This lake also has brook trout, cutthroat trout and Splake. However, you cannot drive all the way across Hwy 130 during the wintertime. Elevation gain is about 1200'. Bring a windbreaker during colder months and extra sunscreen and a hat during the summer as the trail . For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports. That section of the route is mostly like walking in a prairie with small groups of pines scatter throughout (and 30%+ of these pines are dead). The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) publishes a set of topographic maps of the U.S. commonly This campground provides 19 campsites with tables, fire rings, trash pick up, and vault toilets. Great trail, wind proof jacket important! The Teton Rangespans 65 km in western Wyoming along the Wyoming - Idaho border. There was a much better spot about 100 yards further along but there were people already there. A list of the tallest mountains in Wyoming is provided below. South Gap and North Gap Lakes are among the largest lakes in the area. However we kept going and about 2 miles from Brooklyn lake campground, the trail thinned out and wasn't real clear and it was harder to tell where to go and there were a couple of options of which way to go. Browns Peak is a peak in Wyoming and has an elevation of 11,703 feet. With 5,270 ft (1,610 m) of topographic prominence, Timpanogos is the 47th-most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States. Wind River Peak, Wyoming Prominence: 2552 ft, 778 m Elevation: 13,192 feet, 4021 meters True Isolation: 35.14 mi, 56.56 km Other Photos Wind River Peak, the high point in the southern Wind River Mountains (2010-07). . The true summit was marked as being near the center of theridge. Internal-combustion motors are prohibited on the lake, only hand-powered boating allowed. lower than 95% of other locations on record. The Snowy Range is the jewel of southern Wyoming. The map now contains brown squares outlining nearby US Topo Map quadrants. Lewis Lake, South Gap Lake, and Snowy Mountains Trail, South Gap, North Gap and Cutthroat Lake Trail, South Gap Lake, North Gap Lake and Shelf Lakes Trail, Lewis Lake, Medicine Bow Peak and South Gap Lake Loop, French Creek Canyon Trail via Tipple Trailhead. Yet, somewhere not terribly far away to the SW, in the direction of Medicine Bow Peak, a bolt of lightning had struck. Because the nearest station and this geographic feature may have There is some mud on the trail and, in some sections, the trail is covered by the snow melt water, but nothing is a serious obstacle. No problem, thought SPHP! Each ridge she came to looked like it would be the last, but there were many false tops along the way. Map Directions Satellite Photo Map Type: Peak with an elevation of 11,703 feet Categories: hill and landform Location: Wyoming, Rocky Mountains, United States, North America Notable Places in the Area Medicine Bow Peak Peak In general, there is so much beauty to see in this area and it's easily reachable by easy to moderate hikes. Beyond the second Shelf Lake, the Circle Trail gradually disappeared. National Forests, I did the full 12 miles though, but you get the idea. Peak List. All of the other lakes arent worth doing this entire loop. Backpackers will experience over 2,000 feet in elevation change on this trail, which is rated as moderate on the difficulty scale, likely because parts of it contain loose rock and can be quite narrow. Great views of the peaks. Lupe climbed and climbed. There were two Shelf Lakes that Lupe went past on the NW side of Browns Peak. Deep Lake would be a good overnight stopping point if you wanted to split the hike up into two days. (8-17-22), Kusawa Ridge, Kluane Plateau, Yukon Territory, Canada (8-16-22), Birch Mountain on Teresa Island, Skagway Ranges, British Columbia, Canada Part 2: Base Camp to the Summit! My dogs smelled pretty bad after the hike lol. The few clouds in sightwere high and thin. 2023 The Outbound Collective - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy. SPHP now saw it hadnt even rained enough to do a decent job ofknocking the dust off the poor G6. Great Trail with great people. Prominence. I was surprised by the beauty of this trail, and saw many other hikers and backpackers with it being the weekend. The good news on hiking in September was (1) no bugs; (2) minimal mud; (3) less crowds; (4) less chance of rain. Could only drive halfway up to Brooklyn Lake, and had to walk the rest of the way. Beautiful area and quite pleasant to hike even with heavy packs on. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. Elk Mountain was off to the NW. 307-745-2307, https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mbr/recarea/?recid=22850, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests & Thunder Basin National Grassland, No reservations, first come first served basis, Tent camping,Camping trailer,Picnic tables,Toilets,Drinking water. There would be no place to take shelter anywhere near the summit. All off-road travel by motorized vehicles is prohibited in this area.Dogs must be kept on a leash while in the day use, trailhead, or campground areas. Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. Oh well, itwas a gorgeous morning in the Medicine Bow Range of Wyoming. Below are weather averages from 1971 to 2000 according to data gathered from the nearest Click here for larger-size photo. Kennaday Peak was to the WNW. Topless Mountain seemed a little racy, but might prove popular. peakery; Log a climb. Super beautiful hike, but like someone said last July 2nd, the mosquitos are the worst Ive ever seen right now - we were absolutely swarmed, literally ran part of the trail with 30 pound packs they were so bad. The highest part of Browns Peak is toward the SW part of the mountain, but not too near the end. Ready to hit the trail? LockA locked padlock There are a few ways to get you to Sheep Lake Trail, this particular one will take you to the trailhead via the Lewis Lake Trailhead near the picnic area. In 5 miles turn left onto Brown's Canyon Road. Log a climb. Lupe had gained quite a bit of elevation already when a strange thing occurred. This is a popular trail for backpacking, camping, and fishing, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Be prepared for a storm, they come out of no where. An official website of the Possible explanations: Perhaps Browns Peak is cursed orenchanted. We went in mid July and weather was great. The road ends at the trailhead in 1.7 miles. From there, take the Gap Lakes Trail to reach your final destination at the Sugarloaf Trailhead at Lewis Lake. Additionally, dont forget to inform yourself about any restrictions (such as fire bans) and any permits that may be required. I only encountered 7 people the entire day, only 2 after North Gap Lake. The lake is stocked by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). Lupe was heading for the Shelf Lakes, too. Would give it two weeks or so or wear 100% deet and cross your fingers. It snowed last night, so by 9/10am the trail started to get pretty slushy and muddy once the sun came out. One of the lakes still had a big snowbank covering part of it. If you're in the mood for a longer hike through some of the best of the Snowy Range, a 10-mile circumnavigation of Brown's Peak offers lakes, peaks, vistas, wildflowers, wildlife and even an . --Omar Khayyam, Routes Trail offers open prairies, forest, a lot of water, mosquitoes, some views and impressive wildlife. Three miles south of the campground on Forest Road 317 is Little Brooklyn Lake. Rent a Forest Service Cabin or Lookout Tower! the Medicine Bow Peak, WY US Topo Map quadrant. (8-13-22), Birch Mountain, Skagway Ranges, British Columbia, Canada Part 1: Across Atlin Lake to Teresa Island! Definitely a better hike in the mid-June to mid-August time-frame. She passed a couple of small lakes along the way to South Gap Lake. Lots of standing water but nothing deeper than an inch or two. 185.7.33.49 Required fields are marked *. The Snowy Range is transected by Wyoming Hwy 130 between Laramie and Saratoga. Most likely this section has more interest when the wildflowers are in bloom. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,802 ft (4,207 m), is the highest peak in Wyoming; and also Fremont Peak at 13,750 ft (4,191 m), the third highest peak in Wyoming. That single bolt of lightning and thunderproved to bethe only one Lupe and SPHP heard all day. Going counterclockwise would be a better build up to the peaks and lakes, but a bit more of a climb up. Trail was very well marked and in great shape. Some snow patches but easy to cross and some muddy flooding on the trail, but with chacos or waterproof boots youll be good. Photo by Charles Baxter. . Each time she climbed one, another higher ridge came into view at a considerable distance and height above. Shaped by a rich glacial history, the high alpine scenery of this range is stunning and boasts over 100 pristine lakes amidst a backdrop of looming granite peaks. Didnt see much for wildlife either. I have AT&T and somehow had a bar of service nearly the whole way around (I did shut off my phone though because it's counterproductive to a backpacking trip). It already seemed like a long time ago! Map showing recreational areas. SPHP couldnt remember Lupe ever having gone uphill so much to lose so much elevation! The road leading to this campground is a rocky one, lots of dust and a bumpy ride lead to this mountain escape. The road distance from Togwotee Pass to the point closest to the peak is about 1.5 mi. 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