{"id":2521,"date":"2016-01-19T08:10:09","date_gmt":"2016-01-19T15:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=2521"},"modified":"2019-03-16T14:08:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-16T20:08:40","slug":"going-to-the-winds-green-river-lakes-squaretop-mountain-wy-8-29-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=2521","title":{"rendered":"Going to the Winds – Green River Lakes & Squaretop Mountain, WY (8-29-15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

After successfully climbing Wyoming Peak<\/a><\/span> (11,378 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0the prior day, Day 21 of Lupe’s great Summer of 2015 Dingo Vacation was destined to be a bumpy one.\u00a0 SPHP was determined NOT to take the same La Barge Creek Road (No.\u00a0315)\u00a0out of the Wyoming Range that Lupe had taken into it.\u00a0 There was no sense putting the G6 through that again.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP checked\u00a0the maps.\u00a0 Heading for Big Piney looked like the shortest way out of the Wyoming Range.\u00a0 Big Piney was also the closest to Lupe’s next destination – the fabulous Wind River Range.<\/p>\n

Before 7:00 AM, Lupe and SPHP left the Wyoming Peak area driving S on Greys River road.\u00a0 Lupe was very interested in a herd of 8 pronghorn antelope grazing in a valley.\u00a0 More antelope could be seen up at the edge of the forest.\u00a0 It was a gorgeous morning in the Wyoming Range. \u00a0A bit farther S, at a sign about the history of La Barge Meadow, SPHP stopped the G6 for a few minutes to let Lupe out to take a sniff of the morning air.\"History<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe visits La Barge Meadow in the Wyoming Range for a quick sniff of the cool morning air.\u00a0 Photo looks N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe and SPHP continued S from La Barge Meadow.\u00a0\u00a0SPHP turned E on\u00a0USFS Road No. 10128 where there was a sign indicating this road went to Big Piney.\u00a0 No. 10128 was a good gravel road for a long way.\u00a0 It went through some beautiful territory as it took Lupe down out of the Wyoming Range.\u00a0\u00a0Part of the route was not so pretty, there\u00a0were 5 miles of burnt forest along the way, too.<\/p>\n

SPHP had hoped the experience with very rough dirt roads\u00a0coming up\u00a0La Barge Creek would not have to be repeated.\u00a0 However, as Lupe continued E out of the Wyoming Range, as soon as the road left the Bridger National Forest to cross private land, it deteriorated significantly.\u00a0 It wasn’t as bad as the 3 miles of crummy road coming up La Barge Creek, but made up for it by being twice as long – 6\u00a0miles of rocks, potholes, and big dips.<\/p>\n

The road finally improved.\u00a0 Lupe reached pavement on Hwy 350 about 10 miles W of Big Piney.\u00a0 Two hours of bumping along on gravel and dirt roads finally came to an end, but there would be plenty more later in the day.\u00a0 At\u00a0Big Piney,\u00a0 SPHP turned N on Hwy 189.\u00a0 N of Big Piney there was a sign commemorating the Green River Rendezvous held annually from 1824 to 1840.\u00a0 SPHP stopped to take a look.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This sign about the Green River Rendezvous held annually by trappers and fur traders from 1824 to 1840 was Just E of Hwy 189 N of Big Piney.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Green River was not in sight where the sign was, but there was a wooded area\u00a0beyond the sign\u00a0with a couple of dirt roads going back into it.\u00a0 SPHP thought the dirt roads might lead to the river, so Lupe and SPHP took a walk back into the woods.\u00a0 Pretty soon SPHP realized there were homes ahead.\u00a0 Without ever finding the Green River, Lupe and SPHP went back to the G6.<\/p>\n

At Pinedale, WY, Lupe and SPHP had a picnic at a city park on Pine Creek.\u00a0 After the picnic, Lupe went wading in Pine Creek.\u00a0 SPHP sat on a rock with feet dangling in the cool, clear water.\u00a0 It felt really good.\u00a0 Lupe curled up for a little nap\u00a0in the tall grass along the shore.<\/p>\n

The town of Pinedale\u00a0lies just S of the heart of the Wind River range, which stretches over 100 miles in a NW\/SE direction.\u00a0 Gannet Peak, the highest mountain in Wyoming at 13,804 feet is in the Winds.\u00a0\u00a0Of the\u00a020\u00a0highest peaks in Wyoming, 19\u00a0are located in the Wind River range.\u00a0 The single exception\u00a0is the famous\u00a0Grand Teton in the Teton range.<\/p>\n

Lupe and SPHP left the city park to go see a few of the sights near Pinedale.\u00a0 Lupe stopped by Half Moon Lake, one of a number of large lakes on the S side of the Wind River range left after the retreat of glaciers.\u00a0 After wading in Pine Creek, Lupe didn’t seem inclined to go wading in Half Moon Lake, so Lupe and SPHP left to go check out the Fremont Lake campground.<\/p>\n

\"Half<\/a>
Half Moon Lake near Pinedale, WY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Fremont Lake campground was closed “until further notice”.\u00a0 The gate was padlocked shut.\u00a0 SPHP decided to take Lupe up Skyline Drive to Elkhart Park.\u00a0 Lupe had been there once before near the end of her\u00a0very first big Dingo Vacation\u00a0in 2012.\u00a0\u00a0Along Skyline Drive there are great views of Fremont Lake from high above.\u00a0 Near the end of the road is a panoramic view\u00a0of the highest and most rugged\u00a0peaks of the central Wind River range.\u00a0 At Elkhart Park are trails leading into the wilderness.<\/p>\n

The road to Elkhart Park was blocked due to road construction.\u00a0 A semi-truck carrying huge metal drainage pipes was being unloaded.\u00a0 It looked like a long wait.\u00a0 Another adventure got crossed off Lupe’s to do list.\u00a0 She wasn’t going to wait around.<\/p>\n

So Lupe and SPHP went back to Pinedale.\u00a0 After a few errands there, Lupe headed W out of town on Hwy 191.\u00a0 At Hwy 352, SPHP turned N.\u00a0 Lupe was going to\u00a0get a tour of\u00a0the scenic Green River valley all the way to Green River Lakes at the NW end of the Wind River Range.\u00a0 The paved road turned to gravel when it entered the Bridger-Teton National Forest.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe near the Green River shortly after it flows out of the Wind River range.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Green River starts high in the Wind River range. It flows out the NW end of the range and turns S to start its long journey to join the Colorado River.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe had already seen the Green River much farther from its source on her 2015 Dingo Vacation. She crossed it near Dinosaur National Monument<\/strong><\/span><\/a> soon after entering Utah. She saw it again along the Little Hole Trail in Flaming Gorge<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The gravel road following the Green River into the Wind River range was long and very washboardy.\u00a0 SPHP drove very slowly so the poor G6 wouldn’t end up just a bucket of bolts.\u00a0 Huge pickup trucks, vans and SUV’s raced on by stirring up big clouds of dust.\u00a0 The drive was gorgeous.\u00a0 Slowly the Green River and road both\u00a0curved around to the NE and then E.\u00a0\u00a0 When the river turned SE, SPHP knew Lupe was nearing her destination.<\/p>\n

Finally, the mighty watchtower of the NW Wind River range, Squaretop Mountain<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(11,695 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>, came into view.<\/p>\n

\"Squaretop<\/a>
Squaretop Mountain at the NW end of the Wind River range in Wyoming. Photo looks SSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The washboardy road ended at Lower Green River Lake, the largest of two big lakes the Green River\u00a0flows through as it leaves the Winds.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP left the G6 to go down to the beach.\u00a0 The views of Squaretop Mountain\u00a0looming beyond\u00a0the\u00a0Green River Lakes are among SPHP’s favorite mountain scenes anywhere.<\/p>\n

\"Lower<\/a>
Lower Green River Lake and Squaretop Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe hits the beach at Lower Green River Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lost<\/a>
Lost Eagle Peak<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(11,838 ft.)<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(L), White Rock<\/a><\/span><\/strong> (11,284 ft.)<\/strong><\/span> (Center), and Squaretop Mountain (R) from Lower Green River Lake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SPHP waded in the lake near the N shore.\u00a0 The sand was coarse and loose.\u00a0 Lupe didn’t want to get wet.\u00a0 She played on the beach and explored the nearby vegetation.\u00a0 SPHP threw a few sticks for her to chase, and played tug-of-war with her when she brought them back.\u00a0 The American Dingo won every time in the end, but SPHP didn’t let it be too easy.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe playing on the beach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was evening.\u00a0 The sun was about to go down behind the mountains.\u00a0 The long day bumping along so many gravel and dirt roads was ending.\u00a0 Even the feisty Carolina Dog was getting a bit tired.\u00a0 To the gentle sound of little waves lapping up against the lakeshore, Lupe laid down and went to sleep.\"Lupe<\/a><\/p>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Green River Lakes, Squaretop Mountain & the Highline Trail to Beaver Park, Wind River Range, Wyoming (8-30-15)<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Striving for Squaretop Mountain, Wind River Range, WY – Part 1: Green River Lakes to Porcupine Pass (7-13-17 & 7-14-17)<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Striving for Squaretop Mountain, Wind River Range, WY – Part 2: New Benchmark – Victory & Defeat! (7-15-17)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Striving for Squaretop Mountain, Wind River Range, WY – Part 3: The Dome Peak Salvage Operation (7-16-17)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Squaretop Mountain, Wind River Range, Wyoming – Part 1: On the Highline Trail from Green River Lakes to Beaver Park (7-20-18)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Squaretop Mountain, Wind River Range, Wyoming – Part 2: Beaver Park to the Summit (7-21-18)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s 2015 Wyoming, Colorado & Utah Adventure Index<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/a><\/strong><\/span> or Master Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After successfully climbing Wyoming Peak (11,378 ft.)\u00a0the prior day, Day 21 of Lupe’s great Summer of 2015 Dingo Vacation was destined to be a bumpy one.\u00a0 SPHP was determined NOT to take the same La Barge Creek Road (No.\u00a0315)\u00a0out of the Wyoming Range that Lupe had taken into it.\u00a0 There was no sense putting the … Continue reading Going to the Winds – Green River Lakes & Squaretop Mountain, WY (8-29-15)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[274],"tags":[105,106,26,382,104,381,385,275],"class_list":["post-2521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2015-wyoming-colorado-utah","tag-american-dingo","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-green-river-lakes","tag-lupe","tag-squaretop-mountain","tag-wind-river-range","tag-wyoming"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/P1070023.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2521"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20838,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521\/revisions\/20838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}