Pinedale, WY: Gannett Peak
Climb Wyoming's highest peak on this 41-mile out-and-back in the Wind River Range.
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Gannett Peak, Wyoming’s highpoint, is the most remote in the Lower 48—just reaching it entails a superb wilderness adventure. The 20.5-mile hike to the summit is the longest high-point approach and certainly the wildest. You’ll ogle the steep granite spires of the Wind River Range as you trek through the area’s rugged, remote valleys, which are resplendent with glacial lakes and alpine flowers.
It typically takes climbers 2 days just to reach basecamp on emerald-green Upper Titcomb Lake. After huffing up to 13,000-foot Dinwoody Pass in the dark, you’ll zigzag the Gooseneck Glacier to the summit ridge. On bluebird days, you’ll be rewarded with an unforgettable panorama of granite, ice, snow, sky, and one of the great remaining wildernesses in the Lower 48. On stormy days, you’ll be inclined to get the hell outta there as fast as you can.
MAP Bridger Teton National Forest: Pinedale Ranger District ($17, grandtetonpark.org)
GUIDEBOOK Bridger Teton National Forest: Pinedale Ranger District ($17, grandtetonpark.org)
CONTACT (307) 367-4326; fs.usda.gov/btnf
-Mapped by Shannon Davis
Trail Facts
- Distance: 33.0
Waypoints
GAN001
Location: 43.004427, -109.752302
The route begins at Elkhart Park. Hike northeast, then southeast on Pole Creek Trail.
GAN002
Location: 42.996581, -109.732347
Continue straight at next two junctions.
GAN003
Location: 43.00253, -109.720652
Continue straight (north).
GAN004
Location: 43.009731, -109.709687
Bear left on Pole Creek Trail.
GAN005
Location: 43.021404, -109.695396
Photographers Point
GAN006
Location: 43.019961, -109.686041
Go straight at next two junctions.
GAN007
Location: 43.035082, -109.67381
Hobbs Lake
GAN008
Location: 43.056973, -109.661107
Seneca Lake
GAN009
Location: 43.06685, -109.649563
Continue straight at the junction east of Little Seneca Lake.
GAN010
Location: 43.070675, -109.646258
Bear right onto Indian Pass Trail.
GAN011
Location: 43.081866, -109.630208
Island Lake
GAN012
Location: 43.093446, -109.629543
Bear left, heading north on Titcomb Basin Trail.
GAN013
Location: 43.12166, -109.637074
Titcomb Lakes
GAN014
Location: 43.133374, -109.63892
The official trail ends and you’re on your own. Pick your own route ahead; this above-treeline, off-trail striding and scrambling will spoil you forever. Hop boulders and skip through flowering meadows for a few more miles until you find yourself encircled by granite and glaciers, an orgy of mountains. Now climb one of the peaks. Doesn’t matter whether it’s a technical ascent or a hike. You’ll get the view of a lifetime.
GAN015
Location: 43.153008, -109.641623
Bear right and climb northeast into a bowl beneath Dinwoody and Miriam Peaks.
GAN016
Location: 43.164622, -109.638577
Crest Bonney Pass, a saddle between Dinwoody and Miriam Peaks. Next, descend north across the Dinwoody Glacier. The ascent up the Gooseneck Route is straightforward in good conditions (midsummer is usually ideal), but snow-travel skills are required.
GAN017
Location: 43.180333, -109.646087
Turn left and ascend the northern side of Gooseneck Pinnacle.
GAN018
Location: 43.180865, -109.654927
Turn right (north); follow the ridgeline to Gannett Peak.
GAN019
Location: 43.184315, -109.654284
Gannett Peak: You’ll get unrivaled views of the Winds from this 13,804-foot peak. Follow the same route back to the trailhead.
