Boulder, WY – Boulder Canyon Trail is a 9.5 mile (one way) trail that gains 2,400 feet of elevation on the way to its junction with the Highline Trail at Lake Vera. The Highline Trail is the 72.5 mile long north-south artery of the high bench-land found at 9,000-10,000 feet elevation for much of the western side of the Wind River Range which allows for backpacking loop creations in a wide range of lengths. For day hikers, the Boulder Canyon Trail which gains 500 feet over the first 4.5 miles allows for fairly easy out and back hike with minimal elevation gain for hikes up to 9 miles (round-trip). For selecting trails I use, “Falcon Guides: Hiking Wyoming’s Wind River Range” by Ben Adkison which includes both day hikes and backpacking options.
The Boulder Canyon trailhead sits at about 7,200 feet elevation in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, so named for Jim Bridger and the Teton Mountains. Jim Bridger was a mountain man, trapper, Army scout and wilderness guide in the mid 1800’s who was one of the first Colonial Frontiersman to explore the geysers and other features of Yellowstone. From Wikipedia: “Bridger is remembered as one of the most colorful and widely traveled mountain men of the era. In addition to his explorations and his service as a guide and adviser, he was known for his storytelling. His stories about the geysers at Yellowstone, for example, proved to be true. Others were grossly exaggerated or clearly intended to amuse: one of Bridger’s stories involved a petrified forest in which there were “petrified birds” singing “petrified songs” (though he may have seen the petrified trees in the Tower Junction area of what is now Yellowstone National Park). Over the years, Bridger became so associated with telling tall tales that many stories invented by others were attributed to him.” If you are interested in reading more about Jim Bridger, I recommend Stanley Vestal’s: “Jim Bridger: Mountain Man”.
Boulder Lake enroute to the trailhead
We chose to hike the Boulder Canyon Trail as our first hike of this trip, making the acclimation to hiking at altitude after arriving from sea level an easy one. We enjoyed the surprisingly wide range of flora which included both sage and aspen. The trail has sections that are rocky and tedious as it climbs the canyon along Boulder Creek. Birds were abundant and ranged from small songbirds to magpies.
The Boulder Canyon Trail begins by traveling through an aspen stand
From the parking area, follow the road across the bridge over Boulder Creek to the entrance of the campground. The trailhead is to the right shortly after crossing the bridge. The trail has two more crossings of Boulder Creek in the first mile and a quarter.
One of the bridges across Boulder Creek
Boulder Creek
Junctions were well labelled
The trail enters the Bridger Wilderness at around 1.1 miles. The trail travels through forest and open slopes. Shady forest sections travel through Engelmann Spruce, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, and Douglas fir. Open sections travel through limber pine, mountain junipers and aspen. At approximately 2.5 miles you pass some old beaver ponds, where willows provided food for a moose of which we only caught a glimpse. Moose scat along the trail confirmed our sighting. The canyon remained fairly wide for the first several miles up to our turn around point. We opted for a short day hike a little over 5 miles round trip.
Along the trail
You enter the Bridger Wilderness at about 1.1 miles
Boulder Canyon and Boulder Creek
A meadow along Boulder Canyon Trail
Sage and aspen along the trail
Rocky slope along the Boulder Canyon Trail
Aspen, pine, and juniper are common along the trail
To reach the trailhead, from Highway 191 turn east onto Wyoming State Road 353 in the town of Boulder, located about 11.5 miles south from Pinedale or 88 miles north from Rock Springs. Head east on paved SR 353 for 2.4 miles to the junction with Sublette County Route 23-125 which is signed. There are also signs for Boulder Lake Ranch and BLM destinations at this junction. Turn left onto gravel CR 23-125 and follow it for 10.2 miles to trailhead parking. Along the way, stay right at the first two junctions, enter Bridger National Forest at 6.8 miles, follow along the south shore of Boulder Lake, and stay left at the Boulder Lake Ranch.
We stayed at the Highline Trail RV Park in Boulder, Wyoming for this trip to the Wind River Range. Other trails we hiked this trip include:
